THANKSGIVING Day is celebrated as a national holiday in the United States and Canada. It is a day set aside to give thanks to God for all the many blessings He has showered upon us.
It is actually a shame that this spiritual feast is not celebrated in other countries as well, even if every time we go to Mass we are given the opportunity to thank God for all his gifts, especially life, family, friends, faith and love.
Unfortunately, giving thanks is an action that does not come easily to many people because, when they look at their lives, they might believe there is nothing worth thanking God for, and that everything they have obtained in life has been achieved through their own efforts.
Here is a little anecdote about the importance of saying “Thank You.” It is the story of two young boys from Padua: Luca and Rocco.
Every year, two months before the June 13 Feast, a makeshift Amusement Park is set up in a public square not far from the Basilica. For some 60 days the area is a magnet of attraction for the young who want a ride on bumper cars, be spooked and scared in the Ghost House, or roll and whirl through the air on the Frisbee…
Luca’s father is a blue-collar worker who is struggling to make ends meet, especially in the present difficult economic climate, and he has therefore had to make sacrifices to put away the money to buy five tickets. Rocco’s father, instead, is a wealthy businessman, and he has no problems buying the full set of 25 tickets.
As soon as he arrives at the Amusement Park, Rocco runs from one attraction to the other, completely forgetting about his Dad who is obliged to run after him. Luca, instead, while keeping a tight hold on his father’s hand, carefully inspects the Amusement Park to find out which rides are really worth his 5 tickets.
After every ride Luca runs back to his father to tell him how much fun he had, and to thank him. Then, with the last two tickets, Luca asks his father to accompany him on a last ride. Luca’s Dad encourages the boy to use both tickets for himself, but the boy insists so they go on the last ride together. As soon as they get home, Luca embraces his mother and thanks her for having allowed him to go to the Amusement Park with his father. Luca is so happy that he feels he is the luckiest child in the whole of Padua for having such good and loving parents!
Rocco’s story evolves along quite different lines. After his 25th ride it is getting late, and Rocco’s Dad tells him it is time to go home. But Rocco reacts with anger, saying, “You’re nasty! I’ve only had 25 rides and I still haven’t enjoyed myself enough.” After some tough negotiation, the father caves in and buys another five tickets, which the boy soon uses up. The fighting, however, is not over, and the father is obliged to drag the boy home. Once there the brat screams to his mum, “I had the most horrible time! Dad spoiled my day. You’re bad parents, both of you – you don’t love me enough!”
The story I have just shared with you highlights how gratitude does not depend on how much we receive, but on the understanding that whatever we receive in life is not something that is owed to us, but merely a gift – something we should be grateful for.
All too often we take things for granted: our homes, the food we eat, our health, the love of our friends and relatives, and forget that all these things are, in fact, gifts that not everyone has.
Jesus forcefully reproached those who are ungrateful. In Luke’s Gospel (17:11-19), when Jesus sees that, of the ten lepers who were healed, only one, a Samaritan, returned to express his gratitude, He exclaims, “Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”
Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that at times we are like Rocco, the spoiled boy, and that the leprosy of ingratitude often strikes us too. Let us therefore seize the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day (even though we may be living in countries, like Great Britain, Ireland or Australia where it is not celebrated) to acknowledge all the good things God’s infinite love has given us, and to give Him thanks for them.
Dear readers, today God has given us 86,400 seconds. Will we be able to use a few of them to say, “Thank You”?
Updated on October 06 2016