Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits and blessings which you have given me, for all the pains and insults which you have borne for me. Merciful Friend, Brother and Redeemer, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is
Thank You
that will be enough.
Meister Eckhart
Thanksgiving is
a time of gratitude to God, our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care go before us…
and whose love is with us forever.
Thanksgiving is
a time to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too, grow and change
from one season of life to another.
Thanksgiving is
a time of changing seasons, when leaves turn golden
in Autumn’s wake and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.
Let us remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty of Autumn,
let us acknowledge the many blessings which are ours…
let us think of our families and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.
– Author Unknown
Like the Psalms, many of our great poems can be prayers. Sing this poem of thanksgiving in your heart today!
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything thy goodness sends.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
What if remembering others is the way God shows his face to you throughout the day?
O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
– Samuel F. Pugh
Let us all give thanks on this day and foster a grateful and loving heart:
For the expanding grandeur of creation, world’s known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies, filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations:
We give thanks on this day.
For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons:
We give thanks on this day.
For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements:
We give thanks on this day.
For our human community, our common past and future hope, our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression:
We give thanks on this day.
For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism, for understanding of views not shared:
We give thanks on this day.
For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world, who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom:
We give thanks on this day.
For human liberty and sacred rites; for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose:
We give thanks on this day.
We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds.
We give thanks on this day.
– O. Eugene Pickett
As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, I’m grateful that gratitude is more readily on my mind! A photo of God’s love message to me above on a silent retreat. Grateful for the silence in order to hear our Lord’s voice and see the blessings.
Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. They lift me up in ways that keep my eyes focused on you and make my spirit soar.
Also, thank you, Lord, for keeping me safe. You protect me from those things that seem to haunt others. You help me make better choices and provide me with advisors to help me with life’s difficult decisions. You speak to me in so many ways so that I always know you are here.
And Lord, I am so grateful for keeping those around me safe and loved. I hope that you provide me with the ability and sense to show them every day how much they matter. I hope that you give me the ability to give to them the same kindness they have provided to me.
I am extremely grateful for all of your blessings in my life, Lord. I pray that you remind me of just how blessed I am and that you never allow me to forget to show my gratitude in prayer and return acts of kindness.
Thank you, Lord.
– By Kelli Mahoney
God of all nations, Father of the human family,
we give you thanks for the freedom we exercise
and the many blessings of democracy we enjoy
in these United States of America.
We ask for your protection and guidance
for all who devote themselves to the common good,
working for justice and peace at home and around the world.
We lift up all our duly elected leaders and public servants,
those who will serve us as president, as legislators and judges,
those in the military and law enforcement.
Heal us from our differences and unite us, O Lord,
with a common purpose, dedication, and commitment to achieve liberty and justice in the years ahead for all people,
and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst.
Amen
From USCCB
As we complete the stressful election cycle in the United States, let’s remember and be thankful that Christ offers us peace. Through Him by accepting reality and seeking wisdom, we walk the path of serenity.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next.
Amen
Reinhold Niebuhr (1926)
We have exercised our right to vote for a leader of our nation and to have our voices heard with our ballot. What a gift to have the freedom to do so. Despite our politics and our agreement with the elected candidate, it is our duty to be united for the health of our country. Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our leader!
We pray O God of might, wisdom and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.
Excerpt from Archbishop John Carroll’s a “Prayer for our Government” in 1791.
Smitten With Goodness 