As Christians, what exactly should we be thankful for on Thanksgiving?
St. Ignatius of Loyola often emphasizes that giving thanks is the precedent to love. If we seek to love God, then we first have to give thanks to God for all the gifts in our life. In the video above, Fr. Spitzer reminds us of 6 ways Christians can thank God this Thanksgiving.
1. Creation
Let us be thankful for the creation around us.
2. Our souls
Let us be thankful for our transcendental souls, which will hopefully inherit God’s heavenly kingdom.
3. Salvation
Let us be thankfulfor the salvation that Jesus Christ gained for us by sacrificing himself on the Cross.
4. A merciful and loving God
Let us be thankful for a merciful Father like that of the prodigal son in Luke’s Gospel (for more insights on the just how merciful God the father is, read Fr. Spitzer’s full length article on The Prodigal Son).
5. Our life and those in it
Let us be thankful for the gift of life and for the family and friends that fill it.
6. For things taken for granted
Let us be thankful for all that we tend to take for granted. Sometimes we spend so much time resenting God for the things we do not have, that we do not thank Him for the abundant blessings we do have.
In her book, One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp Writes.
“Eucharisteo—thanksgiving—always precedes the miracle.”
This Thanksgiving, give thanks to God for all that you have been blessed with and create your miracle by sharing in a taste of God’s divine love.