Gratitude and Thanksgiving for Christ our King

I had the opportunity to serve Masses that were celebrated by Fr. Joe and Fr. Vince on the Feast of Christ the King.   Both of them focused on thanksgiving and gratitude.   Fr. Joe shared that he was thankful for the faithfulness of his parents.   He spoke of the non-negotiable of their commitment in love to one another even through all the ups and downs of their marriage.  He compared this to the non-negotiable faithfulness of Jesus to the will of the Father in the Gospel.  Even though Jesus was challenged by the leaders, guards, and the criminal hanging on the cross next to him he was faithful in following God’s will.  The good thief recognized this and asked for Jesus mercy.   As a result Jesus told him he would be with him in Paradise. The relationship Jesus had with the Father in following his will is one that we need to be grateful for.  What are some relationships that we are grateful for?  Family parents, family, friends who have been faithful in there love for us and of course our Lord.  

Father Vince asked about what we liked about Thanksgiving and it led to the food, of course.    What makes the food so good: ingredients to enhance the flavor of the food.  He gave us examples with containers of salt, pepper, honey, garlic, and onion as some good visual aids.  He then asked what do we need to enhance our life? The answer was the joy of Jesus.  We get this every time we come to Mass.  We start off being filled with joy through God’s mercy forgiving our sins at the start.  We joyfully sing the Gloria following this.   We then hear the Word of God and sing with joy as we prepare for the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving”.  We then receive the presence of our Lord in the species of bread and wine and sing with joy.   We close with a blessing and conclude with “Thanks be to God”. Father Vince told us we have to look forward to an Apostolic Letter coming this week, “Joy of the Gospel”, that would be a guide for us in the year of the New Evangelization. We have much to be thankful for in the joy the Jesus, our King, brings us.