You know, the celebration of Thanksgiving is really THE National Holiday. Unlike other days, like Independence Day, we don’t share this with any other nation. And it’s rich in history and unique to our nation. It’s a story of survival. In January of 1621, one hundred two pilgrims arrived in a new land. During that winter, fifty-two of them died. But the others survived and, even with sorrow in their hearts, they came to celebrate. The story of survival, a story of harvest.... They came to celebrate having made it through the winter and that they had good things and a good life before them. The native Americans, the Indians, saw the plight of these illegal immigrants and came to their rescue. They taught them how to use the soil and crops. Two of them came and lived with them. So, at harvest time, they decided to invite the Indians to share with them. They expected two families to arrive. We know ninety men showed up, with their wives and with their children. We don’t have the full number. But, not to worry, they brought the main course. The Indians brought deer and venison and ducks and geese and, of all things, turkey. So, it is turkey day. A story of survival, a story of harvest, a story of war and death, because, at the end of the Civil War, it was Abraham Lincoln who designated a national holiday at Thanksgiving, that it might bring us hope and might bring us healing.

We have the same things both to celebrate and to worry about today, war and death, you know, the Iraq War. Close to three thousand of our young service people have died, not to mention hundreds of thousands of Iraqi who are our brothers and sisters too, people starving in Darfur, so many killed in our own city streets. And yet, we give thanks for the treasure of life, and hope that we appreciate it even more and do something to save it. Survival.... You know, during this month of November, we put out the list of those who had lost loved ones in the last year. Just in the last few days, Joseph Borg passed away. Last night, Dolores See, Dave See’s mother passed away suddenly. We’ve lost people. So, it’s also a story of survival and we stop to give thanks for their lives, and we stop to give thanks that we are among those blessed. The blessed are those who mourn. And also harvest, the time to count the gifts, to gather the gifts and give thanks and praise for them. As Jesus said, “We praise you God because you reveal to simple good people what good things we have in our midst and what love we have in our lives.” We give thanks for that.

And so, the whole nation stops. The whole nation stops for thanksgiving. Even people who aren’t believers give thanks today. In some way are they thanking their Creator. I can’t help but think of the epitaph on the atheist’s tombstone: “All dressed up and no place to go. George Bernard Shaw was asked by a woman, “What denomination are you?” And he said, “I am an atheist, Madam, and I thank God every single day for it.”

I love the reflection that we listen to, “” The lines I like most of all were “We seldom think of what we have, but we always think of what we miss.” Today’s a day to remember what we’ve had and what we have. Don’t cry because it’s over now. Laugh because it happened. Look at the blessings. Some we had to let go of, but we give thanks for those blessings because we have them. The greatest events aren’t the loudest, but the most quiet hours. The headlines are always painful. But the good things don’t get headlines, and today’s a day to remember the good things, quiet though they are. Plan for tomorrow but live for today. We have to be that kind of a people who have a future, but we live for and appreciate today. So here we are giving thanksgiving, thinking of what we have, smiling about what has been, listening for great happenings in quiet times, and living to give thanks and praise to one another and to our God.

I want to try something with you. I want you to take a few moments, just quiet, just in your own heart, to list for yourselves two or three things that you would give thanks for. First, in terms of our nation. Despite its shortcomings, despite its disagreements and its divisions, despite the very angry and hostile election we just went through, despite not knowing whether to welcome the pilgrims today or to fence them out, despite all that, there are great things to give thanks for our nation. So, I want you in quiet and silence to take thirty seconds and see if you list two or three or four things about our nation you would give thanks for....

And what about our Church? You know, on occasion, our Church is embarrassing, and disappointing, and upsetting. I couldn’t hardly believe that our bishops recently listed reasons why we should not go to communion, and in all its lists of goals and ideals, never once mentioned the official Church teaching which is on the primacy of our conscience. But still our Church and our Parish and throughout the world nourishes us. So I want you to think for a few moments two or three or four things about the Church that you give thanks for....

And then there is our personal lives and relationships, our families and friends. They can be difficult at times and distant at times. And holidays like this can sometimes even be hard. But, at the same time, they are precious in our lives. Would you think about two or three people that you would especially give thanks for today....

By now you have listed somewhere between six and twenty-one items. I am going to ask you to take the next two minutes around nation or Church or family and friends and turn to people around you, especially if you don’t know them, and pick one or two things that you want to tell them that you are giving thanks for. Share with one another.

Now, I invite you if you would, stand together with me. Let’s stand together and, first of all, we pray in thanksgiving for the people and things and items that you just shared with each other. In thanksgiving, let us pray to the Lord....