A Prayer of Thanks.
Thanksgiving Day Homily 2004
Rev. Steven M. Lanza
St. Julie Billiart Parish
Tinley Park, IL
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|
.Thank
you, God,
for
appetite—
because
grandma said
asa
long as you gotta your appetite, you gotta everything!
for
America—
because
for all its warts
this
country is still the land of golden opportunity,
a
shining city set on the hill;
for
asymmetrical
because
if everything were the same,
life
would be boring.
Thank
you, God,
for
blessings
bestowed
from
one person to the next;
for
beauty
which
surrounds us and takes our breath away;
for
boldness
in
thought, word and deed.
Thank
you, God,
for
creativity;
for
cleanliness—
very
much next to godliness;
for
Church,
for
a community of concern and care;
for
condiments—
without
which burgers would be pretty blah.
Thank
you, God,
for
diversity;
for
diversions and devotions;
for
discernment and
development;
for
the delightful and delicious.
Thank
you, God,
for
enlightenment,
energy,
enthusiasm,
encouragement,
embraces,
entertainment,
empathy,
engagement,
and
empowerment.
Thank
you, God,
for
feelings,
fussbudgets
(somebody’s
got to be that way),
food,
faith,
friendship,
and
family.
Thank
you, God,
for
goodness,
for
greatness,
and
for you, God.
Thank
you, God,
for
home and homecoming;
for
health and happiness;
for
high speed internet;
for
humanity;
and
for help when we are hurting.
Thank
you, God,
for
the Incarnation of your Son,
for
innocence,
for
inspiration,
and
for invitations.
Thank
you, God,
for
jazz,
jubilation,
justice
and
joy.
Thank
you, God,
for
kindness;
kinship;
kinetic
personalities;
and
for kindergarten—
which
we’d all like to still be in—
because
you get a nap and a snack!
Thank
you, God,
for
life—
in
this world,
and
life everlasting.
Thank
you, God,
for
the magnificence of many and
more—
for
the more the merrier;
for Mary,
your mother and ours;
for
all mothers;
for
the Mass;
for mystery—
which
draws us out of ourselves;
and
for the mundane—
without
which mystery would be too much.
Thank
you, God,
for
nature;
newness;
nurturing;
and
neatness.
Thank
you, God,
for
opportunity;
openness;
the
outlandish;
and
outlet malls.
Thank
you, God,
for
parents;
parties;
parish;
pals;
puppies;
parks;
penitence;
personable
personalities that
are not pessimistic or phlegmatic;
progress;
and
a peaceful planet.
Thank
you, God,
for
questions—
because
without them we’d have no answers;
for
quadrennial presidential elections—
because
we wouldn’t be able to endure them any sooner;
and
for quality.
Thank
you, God,
for
redemption;
reconciliation;
and
the resurrection.
Thank
you, God,
for
significant stories that go beyond "the facts;"
for
seven sacraments—
not
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 but seven!
Thank
you, God,
for
tenacity;
truth;
tenderness;
thinking;
TNT
(our youth
group);
toleration;
and
tradition.
Thank
you, God,
for
unity;
understanding;
and
the universe.
Thank
you, God,
for
vacations;
vocations;
valor;
values;
variation;
vigor;
and
vows.
Thank
you, God,
for
warmth in winter;
weekends;
wellness;
and
for a sense of wonder.
Thank
you, God,
for
x-rays,
and
for Xerox machines (best I could do).
Thank
you, God,
for
the sweet yoke of Christ,
for
youth;
and
for you.
Thank
you, God,
for
zealous faith;
zestful
parishioners;
and
zippy Masses that lead to
our
future home in
Zion.
We
have so very much
for
which
to
give thanks
to
God!
.
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|