This week, we will be observing the American celebration of Thanksgiving – my most favorite of all, with dinners at my grandmother’s house will all my cousins. For the longest time in recent memory, it was meant to be the beginning of the ‘holiday’ season.
Sadly, it is not so today. Christmas has been in the air since we put our Halloween costumes back in the closet. And once December 26 comes around, the Valentine candy and greeting cards will be on the shelves.
It is too bad that there is no season of Thanksgiving. Observing just one day is a good start. But we have been so blessed in life that it will take a week to say thanks to God.
For many centuries, the Church has kept three days (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) near the beginning of each season as times of penance and intercession. We called them ember days. They are not presently part of the Church calendar, but it is good for us to set aside days for fasting, works of charity, and prayer.
Our consciousness of the inequality that pervades the world and how we give thanks would grow if the days before Thanksgiving were set aside for deeds of charity, for penance, and for the poor. This is one of the reasons why Thanksgiving food drives are so popular. Canned and packaged food and turkeys are often left in collection boxes in church narthexes in the weeks before Thanksgiving for distribution. On Tuesday, Cardinal Dolan and our Catholic Charities workers distributed turkeys and food at the Kennedy Center up in Harlem.
There are lots of preparations necessary to serve a holiday dinner: last-minute marketing, the turkey needs to get into the oven, and the guests will be arriving. These and many other reasons for not going to Mass on Thanksgiving often interfere with our giving thanks.
Why not go to your parish church to give your first thanks to God? Most Masses only last about an hour. If you are cooking, consider that, at 20 minutes per pound, if you have a 15-pound turkey, you would be safe putting it in the oven before leaving for Mass with no worries. I’ll bet it will make you feel better.
Next Sunday, just a few days after Thanksgiving, is the beginning of the season of Advent and a new year of grace. People often look for good ways not to rush into Christmas and to enjoy the four weeks of Advent.
For many years now, parishes have been offering FORMED.ORG. It proposes a variety of weekly study programs, movies, and stories, not only during the season of Advent, but throughout the year. This innovative online platform gives you a wide range of top-quality faith formation resources. Now, the best Catholic study programs, movies, audio presentations, and eBooks from the most trusted apostolates are all just a click away. Visit www.formed.org, click on “sign up as a parishioner,” and search for your parish name.
Also try Hallow, an American Catholic meditation and prayer app. It provides audio-guided bible stories, prayers, meditations, and Christian music. Other features include community challenges and daily prayers such as the Catholic practice of lexio divina, curated music, praylists, and options to set prayer routines. Invite someone to watch with you and then share your thoughts with each other. Prepare yourself for the great feast of Christmas in a most perfect way.
The Sheen Center has many wonderful presentations from now until the new year, including “The American Dream,” part of the Golden Door Project, “Illuminated Interpretations,” “Lúnasa: A Winter Concert,” “Artist’s Reception: Hanna Robinett,” and “Matt Talbot: Urban Mystic.” For more, visit www.sheencenter.org.
I hope you enjoy your holidays and holydays, whether with family or friends, or even by yourself. A very happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving, and a wonderful season of Advent to all.