NOVEMBER 2009
“Live in constant glorification and thanksgiving towards God
because the greatest sin is ingratitude and the worst sinner is the ungrateful person.”
(Elder Paisios the Aghiorite)
Dearly beloved in the Lord:
A good friend of mine tells the story of a friend who was about to enter a large, exclusive department store. Standing back, he held the door while a young woman entered before him; without a “thank-you” or a nod, she proceeded on her way. Needless to say he was disappointed and annoyed. A total lack of manners on her part ... a total lack of gratitude. When people forget to practice good manners and thoughtfulness, life becomes very miserable. When people fail to express gratitude something is very wrong.
How unusual it is for a nation to be known as a thankful or grateful nation, a nation that says “thank-you,” that makes a day of Thanksgiving a national holiday. Nations commemorate the ending of a war, a national triumph, a great leader, but seldom does a nation pause to say “thank-you” to God the Giver, the Sustainer, the Redeemer of life.
On Thursday, November 26th, we in this great nation pause to do just that. We remember, of course, the time in 1621 when a strong, courageous group of people prepared a dinner to which they invited everyone to honor and acknowledge God’s generosity, grace and mercy. It was a “thank-you” dinner for survival, and one which acknowledged that in the midst of hardship and adversity, on a strange and foreign land, they had tested the kindness of the Lord, and they had known His providential care. In this act and by their invitation to people not related to them in any way, they remembered their manners. They practiced thoughtfulness. They exhibited gratitude to a generous and loving God. They set an example which we follow today.
Keeping this in mind, we will have the opportunity to gather on Wednesday evening, November 25th, also the feastday of St. Katherine the Great Martyr, to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, to give thanks to God at His Holy Altar Table...after all, that is what “Eucharist” means – thanksgiving; the next morning we can then wake up to prepare our homes or go to the homes of family or friends to feast and feast most likely very abundantly.
Our celebrations, both in church and at home, would be lacking, however, if we were to forget those who have no one to remember them: the old, the poor, the lonely, for who today is no different from all the other days of the years. Because we remember them, because we are truly grateful to the Source of all blessings, we will pray, as we always do during the Divine Liturgy, that the hungry may be fed, the needy clothed and the lonely forgotten ones be given companionship. As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, I urge you to be attentive to this celebration and to be faithful in your Stewardship to God and His Church. Without faithful Stewardship, without tangible generosity and gratitude on our part our Thanksgiving Day will not be complete.
On Thanksgiving Day 2009 be mindful to remember the loving kindness of the Lord; remember those who have no one to remember them; remember that our faithful Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure should always be offered in thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings God bestows on us each day of our lives. May you have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving Day!
A good friend of mine tells the story of a friend who was about to enter a large, exclusive department store. Standing back, he held the door while a young woman entered before him; without a “thank-you” or a nod, she proceeded on her way. Needless to say he was disappointed and annoyed. A total lack of manners on her part ... a total lack of gratitude. When people forget to practice good manners and thoughtfulness, life becomes very miserable. When people fail to express gratitude something is very wrong.
How unusual it is for a nation to be known as a thankful or grateful nation, a nation that says “thank-you,” that makes a day of Thanksgiving a national holiday. Nations commemorate the ending of a war, a national triumph, a great leader, but seldom does a nation pause to say “thank-you” to God the Giver, the Sustainer, the Redeemer of life.
On Thursday, November 26th, we in this great nation pause to do just that. We remember, of course, the time in 1621 when a strong, courageous group of people prepared a dinner to which they invited everyone to honor and acknowledge God’s generosity, grace and mercy. It was a “thank-you” dinner for survival, and one which acknowledged that in the midst of hardship and adversity, on a strange and foreign land, they had tested the kindness of the Lord, and they had known His providential care. In this act and by their invitation to people not related to them in any way, they remembered their manners. They practiced thoughtfulness. They exhibited gratitude to a generous and loving God. They set an example which we follow today.
Keeping this in mind, we will have the opportunity to gather on Wednesday evening, November 25th, also the feastday of St. Katherine the Great Martyr, to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, to give thanks to God at His Holy Altar Table...after all, that is what “Eucharist” means – thanksgiving; the next morning we can then wake up to prepare our homes or go to the homes of family or friends to feast and feast most likely very abundantly.
Our celebrations, both in church and at home, would be lacking, however, if we were to forget those who have no one to remember them: the old, the poor, the lonely, for who today is no different from all the other days of the years. Because we remember them, because we are truly grateful to the Source of all blessings, we will pray, as we always do during the Divine Liturgy, that the hungry may be fed, the needy clothed and the lonely forgotten ones be given companionship. As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, I urge you to be attentive to this celebration and to be faithful in your Stewardship to God and His Church. Without faithful Stewardship, without tangible generosity and gratitude on our part our Thanksgiving Day will not be complete.
On Thanksgiving Day 2009 be mindful to remember the loving kindness of the Lord; remember those who have no one to remember them; remember that our faithful Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure should always be offered in thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings God bestows on us each day of our lives. May you have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving Day!
Faithfully yours,
Rev. Fr. Jon Magoulias
PARISH PRIEST
Rev. Fr. Jon Magoulias
PARISH PRIEST