Dear Friends,
With our national observance of Thanksgiving Day this coming Thursday, we launch into the holiday season, a time of hectic activity, celebrations and gatherings of one kind or another, and preparations small and large. As the song sings, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” May this Thanksgiving be a day when all of us stop to consider and count our many blessings, offer heartfelt prayers of gratitude to God for those blessings, and consider how we can share from our abundance with those who lack the basic necessities of life. Thanksgiving Day must not be reduced to a day of feasting and football. It must continue to focus on God and the abundant blessings we receive from him, blessings in the form of food, yes, but also family and friends, health, a career or livelihood, and so much more. A true awareness of what we have received, an honest assessment of our blessings also helps us to avoid the pitfalls of jealousy and envy, which can do real harm to our lives, spiritual and corporal.
For those who might wish to use it, I supply a Table Prayer for Thanksgiving:
“O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick, and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask all of this through Jesus Christ, your Son, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen. ”
Mass will be celebrated on Thanksgiving morning at 9:00 AM at both St. Mary and St. Agnes Churches. The annual Milford Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service will be held on this Tuesday evening, November 26, at 7:00 PM at the First Church of Christ, Congregational located at 34 West Main Street.
I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope that you will be safe if traveling to be with family and friends.
