Thanksgiving and the Grace of Gratitude

Every year, my family and I must make one of the toughest choices ever – where to eat Thanksgiving dinner, with my siblings in Pennsylvania or my wife’s parents in Connecticut. I seldom see my brothers and sisters, so it is always nice to have a mini McCann family reunion. However, the Davinos sure know how to put together a food-filled traditional Italian Thanksgiving feast!

This year, however, the choice was made to visit the Davinos for two reasons, one sad and one happy. The sad reason is that my side of the family in Pennsylvania did not want us coming in from another state due to the current COVID situation. The happy reason was because my older daughter was coming home to Connecticut with her new boyfriend so he could meet my wife’s relatives and be welcomed into the family Italian-style!

Thanksgiving always reminds me of my need as a Catholic man to look upward and offer my praise and thanksgiving to the One who provides those great family times that fuel my growing faith. Yet, my heavenly Father also deserves my thanks for the way in which he guides us through our struggles, working all things to the good for us who believe and are called according to his purpose. This holiday was a call to reflect on my life as a journey through triumphs and trials, with steps of faith that build on the traditions and the ever-unfolding graces that come our way.

Food, Fellowship, Memories, and Musings

From the first moment we enter my in-laws’ house, there is laughter, love, and loud conversation. There are hugs and kisses, funny stories, and, of course, a homemade breadstick or two. We sit around the table for hours, feasting on Italian delicacies and traditional Thanksgiving delights, sharing the latest news, and reliving the good times through the eyes of Noni and Grandpa. Such moments are an anchor to my soul, a refuge from the insanity of these turbulent times, for they hold me in a place of peace no one can touch.

Still, as I reflect on the times I have missed seeing my brothers and sisters, and the fear that keeps us apart, it is hard not to allow the chaos and calamity of the world to seep into my mind and rob me of that perfect peace. But this is what it means to be a follower of Christ, a Catholic man in a world so antithetical to what the Church calls us to be. With the corruption in the world and even, unfortunately, sometimes within the Church herself, I know I must remain ever grateful to the One who has called me out the darkness of this life. It is those very musings we share as a family united in love and faith that calm my weary soul and hold me firm in my beliefs. I know that in the center of it all, I experience the grace of the Savior, rooting me in his steadfast love and revealing his purposes for my life.

The Traditions Passed Down, the Future Foretold

There, in the bosom of my family, in the traditions and the common faith we share, I discover a vision that guides my life and directs my steps as a man. In God’s eternal grace, I am lifted up to the heavenly places where God inhabits my praise, where my tears are stored up in his heart, and where joy fills my soul and joins me to the peace that flows from the celestial city.

I know that when we as a family of faith enter those places of peace that have grown out of our love and traditions, we discover just how solid our faith is. The struggles of life are no less real in those moments, but they are given perspective from the vantage point of the rock of refuge upon which we stand.

Being with family is as real as it gets; and I know that not all family interactions are so wonderful. There are past hurts that may remain or personal struggles that are ongoing. There is the pain of loved ones lost or family members not present. Tomorrow’s tasks will still be there for my family and me to face. Yet, in these precious moments of solidarity and love, we find the strength – the grace – that comes from the One who has knitted us together and ever holds us in his heart.

The Greater Story

God has given us all stories to share and paths to follow. As we sit with our loved ones around the banquet table, remembering the past, celebrating the present, and looking forward to the future to come, we join our hearts to the greater story of our salvation. We recognize that we are all on a continuing journey toward our heavenly home. Our memories bring to mind the struggles we have overcome and the blessings we have been given in one another. In our laughter we see our humanity. In our tears we witness the divine. As we remember and look ahead, we connect with those who have come before and those who will come after us in the eternal embrace of the Savior, for we all share the same journey.

The Thanksgiving feast is a place where the pain of our past can find revision and restoration as we heal our memories by the grace of the love we now share. It transforms us by opening our eyes to the miracles that have come our way. We look at one another and realize that our family is a great gift that has been given to us. Our stories help us to see the depth of the divine love that has held us together and continues to lead us forward day by day. And even though for now I am apart from some members of my family, they are never far from my thoughts and prayers, and this gives me hope indeed.

God Moments and Goodness Given

My greatest joys at Thanksgiving, however, come in the new stories we share with one another. Hearing my older daughter saying that she is now engaged and my younger daughter telling the family that she has received her driver’s license reminds me that time moves ever forward and these precious children of mine are becoming the mature adults God has called them to be. I look forward to attending my son’s next orchestra concert, visiting with family over the coming weeks to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, and New Year’s, and spending those wonderful, cozy evenings with my wife in front of the fire. These times bring me great satisfaction and contentment. I know there will be times of sorrow to face, but these moments of grace given me by God will strengthen me to face them unafraid. I know that no matter what, Christ will be our sufficiency and ever draw us closer to one another as we face the days to come with hope and determination.

I see God’s presence in each word we speak and experience we share. His goodness lies in the reality that we are one in him as we walk the journey together. We may not see clearly the road ahead, but we know we will make it because we have one another and we share a common faith that cannot be broken by trial or snuffed out by the world. Like taking photographs at Thanksgiving, I know I must store up within my heart each conversation, every tender exchange, and all the laughter that takes place. These are the God moments we must never miss or ever forget, the precious hours that pass all too quickly, but become a part of who and what we are to one another in Christ.

Gratitude and Grace

As we enjoy these times together, I am comforted with the knowledge that no matter what happens, our family remains a vital link to the God who has made us to live and love in his name. Family is the great sign of our Savior’s love for the world and a reminder of the way in which he relates to his Church. This yearly celebration helps to ground me in the joyful reality of what it means to be a Catholic man and a member of my family of blood and my family of faith. I am grateful for my family members, their caring support, their wonderful spirits, and even their many flaws and failings. They are a conduit of grace that joins us to the God who created us for gratitude.

During the holidays, as you spend time with your family, take time to remember the past and find healing and hope for the future, to share memories and new happenings, and to bask in the joy of what it means to be grateful of heart. Give thanks to God who has placed you together on the road that leads to a wonderful heavenly home. Strive to overcome the hurts and seek the blessings that are the grace-filled inheritance of being part of a family of faith under the care of our heavenly Father. Enjoy the feasts and find peace and God’s presence in the prayers of thanksgiving you share. God bless!