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Happy Thanksgiving
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and make good
your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:14
The quote from Psalm 50 is one of the "authorized" offertory sentences in the Holy Eucharist and shows to us the importance placed upon the "sacrifice of thanksgiving" in the Old Testament.
In the days of worship in the Temple of Jerusalem, it was common for people to bring a sacrifice in order to publicly thank God for what he had done for his people. It did not matter what occasioned the sacrifice, but if God had been particularly graceful to you, or your family, you brought a sacrifice to the temple. As the sacrifice was being prepared you would publicly witness to how God has blessed you and why you were making a thanksgiving offering. If you brought an animal as your sacrifice, only portions of it would be consumed in fire. The rest would be roasted and consumed by those accompanying you, the priests, and anyone else in the temple. In many ways the ancient temple served as a "social welfare net" for the poor, the widowed, and the orphans. All were invited to share in your thanksgiving.
As we celebrate the feast of Thanksgiving this week, I would urge you to state "publicly" around your dinner table how God has blessed you in this past year. Also, look for opportunities to share those blessings with the poor, the widowed, and the orphans during this season.
Finally, think about the Mass and thanksgiving. As we celebrate the Holy Eucharist (literally the Holy Thanksgiving) listen to the recitation of what God has done for his people in history in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Join in praying the Mass giving thanks for all he has done, and come to his table to receive the blessing of the Sacrament. For we are not left orphaned, but in this Temple we are made children of God and feast at his board.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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