Thanksgiving Holiday a Time to Reflect on our Founders' Vision of the Day

It’s Thanksgiving week in America, and for many it will be a difficult holiday being away from extended family or friends due to COVID-19.  But more than eating turkey around a table, this holiday, established by President George Washington way back in 1789, was brought forth to ask all of us to be grateful to the Almighty for the formation of this country and the pardon of our transgressions.  

In Washington’s proclamation, it said:  “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

First, it’s hard to imagine any political leader today eloquently putting into words what President Washington did.  But if you read the entire proclamation:  https://tinyurl.com/ybw9qpbl you get a chance to reflect what role faith in God meant to our country’s founders and their new country.  And remember why it still matters today in our country, divided as it often seems.

Today, if offers us a chance to really look at the things we are grateful in our lives – the opportunities, the people, the freedoms – that many of us take for granted every day.  We have so many chances to express our thankfulness to God, through the Holy Mass, adoration, a visit to a Marian shrine, or even a Holy Hour at home.

So, if this Thanksgiving holiday is different than what you have experienced before (and isn’t all of 2020 pretty much that?), instead of being disappointed in how the day may be different, take a moment tomorrow to look for the things you are truly grateful for. Spend time at dinner discussing what blessings you have. Reach out to someone – through a phone call, a text, a video chat – to let them know the positive difference they have made in your life.   I promise it will make their day … and yours.

It is truly a time, as Washington noted, to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations.”