“To you, I lift up my soul, O my God. In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame.” (Ps 25:1-3)

As we celebrate our Thanksgiving and as Catholics begin our time of preparation for the birth of our Lord and Savior in the season of Advent we hear and pray the words of Psalm above as a sign of ordering our lives towards the gift of thanksgiving and of sharing our lives and the blessing of our time, talent and treasure with others.
I found this Psalm above as I prepared my homily for the First Sunday of Advent. It is the “Entrance Antiphon” for the Mass and point us in the direction of how we can better understand God’s call to serve. We begin with the lifting of the soul, the blessing of God with praise and Eucharistic life in which we find truth and love. It is the recognition in thanksgiving of the gift of life, the precious foundational gift where the very breath of God enlivens our souls and how we are called to share this gift in creating a culture of life as we follow God’s call to serve. This is because we recognize a creative goodness because we are made in the image and likeness of Love.
When we place our trust in God we see and experience an opening of relationship with others. We find our joy in the company of God and those in whom we see the presence of Jesus Christ (which should be everyone) in sharing who we are and what we have been given. It is the work (yes, relationships are work) of reconciling our hearts to another, the true gift of thanksgiving.
I have listened to parents, children and brothers and sisters describe the difficulty of Thanksgiving or other holidays because of a hurt in the family that remains unreconciled or not forgiven. This is the true enemy the Psalm above speaks of, when the shame of un-forgiveness over shadows the desire for unity and love placed in our hearts. It is the blessing we understand in the Incarnation and how the world of life is surrounded and imbedded in the world of love where grace is the tonic of healing. It is the image of the father welcoming the son home with an embrace of forgiveness that flows into a meal, a celebration and a greater invitation into healing mercy. (Lk 15:11-32) It is a reality of the ongoing nature of thanksgiving intertwined with the need for reconciliation. A gift that is found only in communion with God and others.
This week many people will travel great distances to be with family and friends, to be in company with them as they share time and a meal…the sharing of life. It is the same impulse that should draw each of us towards the sharing of the Eucharist with the family of the Church. Even in our travels let us not forget to give thanks to God for all the good things we have received.
God Bless
Fr. Mark