Giving Thanks

Homily for the Twenty-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time

By Deacon Thomas Stephenson

October 09, 2016

When we hear the readings today, it seems logical to think that these passages were selected specifically for Thanksgiving. The same readings are being read in pretty much every Catholic Church throughout the world, and it’s only in Canada that Thanksgiving is being observed this weekend, so we know that the celebration of the holiday is not the reason for the choice of the readings. But they do fit well with our holiday. The primary theme of the readings – giving thanks and praise to God – can help us to better understand our desire, our obligation, to acknowledge God as the source of our blessings and express our gratitude for all He does for us. After all, that is the fundamental purpose of Thanksgiving Day – thanking God.

The first reading is just a short passage from the second book of Kings. There is much more to the story of Naaman than this; in the beginning of the chapter we are told that he is a leper, like the ones mentioned in the Gospel. And, like the one leper who came back to thank Jesus, who was a Samaritan, Naaman is a Syrian, not an Israelite. And yet, both of these men had faith in the Lord, faith that they could be healed of their disease. One thing that they did not have in common is their status. The chapter tells us that Naaman was a “great man with his master, in high favour”. The leper, on the other hand, was a beggar, and again, was a Samaritan. Naaman was powerful; the leper was powerless. The Lord looked on both of them equally, not as we would see them; He healed them, not just because of their need, but also according to their faith. Both of these men recognized the origin of their healing, and responded by giving thanks and praise to God.

We, too, have so much to be thankful for. If we had to make a list of the things that the Lord has done for us, it would be virtually endless. First and foremost is the gift of life. From the smallest to the largest, many of our blessings are not visible to us, but everything we have, everything we are, comes from God. There are, of course, the things that are quite obvious; some of them shared by quite a few of us in this parish, and some that are unique to our individual situations. One blessing, one gift that we all share, is living in this great country of Canada. Most of our parishioners were born and raised here, but there are also many who are immigrants, who took the risk of leaving their homes and coming here to start a new life. It’s interesting that Father Paul, Deacon Allan, and myself are among those immigrants. Like others, we had to choose to come here, but there is no doubt that God was leading us in this direction, and we are grateful that He did.

Another gift from God that the married people share is our spouse. The Lord has blessed us with someone to share our lives, our troubles and sorrows, our triumphs and joys. At yesterday’s 4:30 Mass, some of our fellow parishioners renewed their wedding vows. In marriage, the man and woman give themselves to each other, after God has brought them together in the first place. This is a wonderful gift, which we should always recognize and be grateful for.

This weekend, we will also remember to thank God for all our material blessings – our food, our homes, our possessions. We also are blessed with other people in our lives, our families, our friends, those relationships that give us strength, make us happy, and especially those that bring us closer to God.

God loves us, each and every one of us individually, without us having done anything to deserve that love. He has given us the gift of His Son, Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, He has given us the Church, and we have received the gift of our Catholic faith. And Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist at every Mass.

So, with all of these things that God has given us and done for us, how can we say thank you adequately? Is it even possible to do so in this life? We can certainly try our best. Being here at Mass is one way in which we can show our thanks. When we listen to the prayers and readings, when we participate internally as much, or more, as we do externally, we can see that giving thanks to God is the very foundation of the Mass. And we can carry that with us as we leave the church, living our lives throughout the week in ways that demonstrate that we are thankful for God’s gifts.

We only have a few more weeks until the finish of this Jubilee Year of Mercy, but that doesn’t mean that our need to be agents of God’s mercy comes to an end. Showing mercy to others is another way of showing gratitude to the Lord. If He has blessed us abundantly, shouldn’t we share the fruits of those blessings with our neighbours? In a few minutes, we will see the video for the work of mercy we are focussing on this month, Clothe the Naked. You may think that is not an issue here in Canada, but there are people who don’t have enough clothing, or the proper outerwear for our harsh winter. Especially with the arrival of refugees who may not be accustomed to the cold, donations to the Snowsuit Fund and other charities that are assisting these people are very much appreciated. (Matthew 25:36)

Without any doubt, God has greatly blessed us. He does not demand that we thank Him, but He must be delighted when we do. Every day we should be saying “Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord!”As we gather with family and friends this weekend, let us consider all the blessings we enjoy, the great and the small, the material and the spiritual. And let us remember where all of these come from, and in the words of Psalm 107, “O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!”