Give Thanks in Every Moment

By Jacques Daniel, Director of Communications

Our thanks go out to all of you who read the paper, receive these weekly emails, and send us your feedback and support! As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday and the Feast of Christ the King, which marks the end of the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Year, we pray for you and your family. In our family, these days are marked with special “New Year’s Eve” treats to celebrate and thank God for another year of being drawn into the great Mystery of Faith!

We remind our kids that the word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word for “thanksgiving” and as the Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages us, “Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one’s whole life” (CCC 2648). We remind them that each and every Mass, we are invited to call to mind these moments and make an intentional offering as the priest prays, “Pray, that my sacrifice AND YOURS may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.” We reflect on these words, which may go past our lips without thinking, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.” It is for our good, as well as the good of others, that we intentionally give thanks to God in every moment and recognize that, despite chaos, difficulties, and strife, he is always working to bless us and draw us closer to him.

Hopefully, the resources below will help you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving and a fruitful end to another liturgical year! 

Free Thanksgiving Dinner by the Knights of Columbus OLPH Council #1489
Thursday, Nov. 23 – 11am to 1pm | St. Thomas More High School, 300 Fairmont Blvd

Word on Fire: Eucharist as Thanksgiving
https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/fellows/the-eucharist-as-thanksgiving/

President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091

Hallow Thanksgiving prayers
https://hallow.com/blog/thanksgiving-prayer/

I Am Here Eucharistic Testimonies
https://www.iamhere.org/dioceses/diocese-of-rapid-city