Happy Thanksgiving!
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William Zambrano MD
Nov 25, 2025, 3:33:22 PM (9 days ago) Nov 25
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(1Th 5:16-18) Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all.
TWO MIN VIDEO: The First Thanksgiving Was Actually in St. Augustine
CERC: The Catholic Origins of Thanksgiving!
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF LITTLE ROCK: First Thanksgiving began with the Mass
EXCERPT CATHOLIC SPIRIT: The Eucharist as thanksgiving
Everything that we receive over the course of a week is an undeserved gift from our benevolent and generous God, and if all is a gift, the least a person can do is set aside an hour a week to go to Mass to give God praise and thanks.
Actually, once a week is not enough. At the parish where I served on the South Side of Chicago, there was a spiritual hymn that was one of the congregation’s favorites: “Every day is a day of thanksgiving. God’s been so good to me. He’s been blessing me. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. Glorify the Lord today.”
When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he established it as an act of thanksgiving. The Words of Institution are: “He took the bread, and giving thanks, broke it,” and, “He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples” (see Lk 22:19, 17 and 1 Cor 11:24). The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes this as “consecratory thanksgiving” (No. 1346). The two substances, bread and wine, are signs of gratitude, as first seen when the priest Melchizedek offered bread and wine to thank God the Creator for the fruits of the earth (Gn 14:18-20).
The Greek word “eucharisteo” means “to give thanks.” The Catechism states that the Eucharist “is an act of thanksgiving to God” (No. 1329). The entire Mass is a prayer of thanksgiving, which is stated explicitly in some prayers and implied throughout. The priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and the congregation replies, “It is right and just.” The Preface continues, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father.” The Preface concludes with the “Holy, Holy,” a hymn of praise that gives thanks to God. Similarly, the words of the doxology are, “Through him and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever” — a joyful song of praise to offer thanks to God.
After we receive holy Communion and Christ is really present to us in an intensified sacramental way, it is a perfect time to have a chat with the Lord, to mention a few of the blessings we have received over the past week, and to tell Jesus just how grateful we are. All we have is from God, and without God we would have nothing. It is an empty argument to say, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.” We go because we owe God our praise and thanks.
RELATED: How to Thank God in the Mass: An Essential Practice
BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: 10 Quotes on Gratitude for Catholics
Remembering the Past and Welcoming the Future in Gratitude
— St. John Chrysostom, Homily 25, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: https://bibleinayearonline.com/november-oyb/?version=63&startmmdd=0101
November 26, 2025(1Th 5:16-18) Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all.
TWO MIN VIDEO: The First Thanksgiving Was Actually in St. Augustine
CERC: The Catholic Origins of Thanksgiving!
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF LITTLE ROCK: First Thanksgiving began with the Mass
EXCERPT CATHOLIC SPIRIT: The Eucharist as thanksgiving
Everything that we receive over the course of a week is an undeserved gift from our benevolent and generous God, and if all is a gift, the least a person can do is set aside an hour a week to go to Mass to give God praise and thanks.
Actually, once a week is not enough. At the parish where I served on the South Side of Chicago, there was a spiritual hymn that was one of the congregation’s favorites: “Every day is a day of thanksgiving. God’s been so good to me. He’s been blessing me. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. Glorify the Lord today.”
When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he established it as an act of thanksgiving. The Words of Institution are: “He took the bread, and giving thanks, broke it,” and, “He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples” (see Lk 22:19, 17 and 1 Cor 11:24). The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes this as “consecratory thanksgiving” (No. 1346). The two substances, bread and wine, are signs of gratitude, as first seen when the priest Melchizedek offered bread and wine to thank God the Creator for the fruits of the earth (Gn 14:18-20).
The Greek word “eucharisteo” means “to give thanks.” The Catechism states that the Eucharist “is an act of thanksgiving to God” (No. 1329). The entire Mass is a prayer of thanksgiving, which is stated explicitly in some prayers and implied throughout. The priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and the congregation replies, “It is right and just.” The Preface continues, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father.” The Preface concludes with the “Holy, Holy,” a hymn of praise that gives thanks to God. Similarly, the words of the doxology are, “Through him and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever” — a joyful song of praise to offer thanks to God.
After we receive holy Communion and Christ is really present to us in an intensified sacramental way, it is a perfect time to have a chat with the Lord, to mention a few of the blessings we have received over the past week, and to tell Jesus just how grateful we are. All we have is from God, and without God we would have nothing. It is an empty argument to say, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.” We go because we owe God our praise and thanks.
RELATED: How to Thank God in the Mass: An Essential Practice
BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: 10 Quotes on Gratitude for Catholics
Remembering the Past and Welcoming the Future in Gratitude
- “Thank God ahead of time.” – Blessed Solanus Casey
- “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.” – St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
- “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” – St. Ambrose
- “O my God, let me remember with gratitude and confess to thee thy mercies toward me.” — St. Augustine of Hippo
- “Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with confidence.” – Pope Saint John Paul II
- “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that he, in his goodness, sends to us day after day.” — St. Gianna Molla
- “The best way to show your gratitude to God and to people is to accept everything with joy.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta
- “A single ‘Blessed be God’ in adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of thanksgiving in prosperity.” — St. John of Ávila
- “Prayer is an aspiration of the heart. It is a simple glance directed to heaven. It is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy.” — St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- “Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because he gives you this and that; because you have been despised; because you haven’t what you need or because you have. Thank him for everything, because everything is good.” — St. Josemaria Escriva
— St. John Chrysostom, Homily 25, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew
Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"
29. The sorrowful humility of the mourning is one thing; the condemnation of the conscience of those who are still living in sin is another; and the blessed wealth of humility, which the perfect attain by the action of God, is yet another. Let us not be in a hurry to find words to describe this third kind of humility, for our effort will be in vain. But a sign of the second is the perfect bearing of indignity.Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerR...@aol.com
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
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