Exiit qui seminat

This Thursday our nation celebrates Thanksgiving, as she always does on 4th Thursday of November. First and foremost, on behalf of the clergy, staff and whole parish family of St. Padre Pio, I want to offer each and every one of you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. It is my hope that you're able to spend quality time with family and friends and share in the joy of being together. While Thanksgiving is celebrated by our neighbors to the North on the 2nd Monday of October, the whole concept of Thanksgiving is truly an American holiday and one with Christian roots as well. Our celebration of Thanksgiving, celebrated consistently since 1863, stems from colonists to the New World giving thanks to Almighty God for his blessings and for the gift of persevering through another year in their new home. For Catholic Christians, Thanksgiving has an added and even more important meaning, especially this year. The Greek word ευχαριστία, the root for the English word 'Eucharist', translates literally as thanksgiving. Our use of the term "Eucharist" can be traced back to the early Christian communities, particularly in the writings of the New Testament. 'Eucharist' became more explicitly associated with the Mass during the patristic period. Early Christian writers such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus used the term to describe most important part of the Mass - the consecration, where bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior. In terms of the National Eucharistic Revival, the three-year process to renew our adoration and love for our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, it is the Year of Parish Revival. As pastor, I am truly edified of your response to Eucharistic adoration after all of the Masses on the first Sunday of every month. It gives us a unique opportunity to have a personal encounter with our Lord, even if just for a few minutes. In that time of prayer, we turn to Christ with so many things on our hearts - all of our hopes and fears, all of our crosses and joys. While it is important to ask for God's intervention in our lives, it's also equally important to offer Him our thanks and praise for the blessings God has bestowed upon us. In many families, it is a Thanksgiving tradition to go around the dinner table, each of us saying why we are thankful. As we gather around the Lord's table, let us be thankful for the gift of the Eucharist, the sacramental life of the Church and for our family of faith!