Thanksgiving

This week, we in the U.S. celebrate the great tradition of Thanksgiving. Americans often associate this holiday with the so-called “First Thanksgiving;” a time when the Puritan colonists of the Plymouth Colony gave thanks to God for a bountiful harvest, and invited their native Wampanoag allies to a feast to thank them for helping the colony survive. While the holiday has slightly more complex origins than the mythos around it often implies, we can still use this holiday as an opportunity to reflect on God’s goodness. Thanksgiving reminds us that we owe all things — including our safety and prosperity — to God, and for that we also owe Him our gratitude. So, let’s reflect on a few things we can give thanks for, based on the story of the first Thanksgiving.

Physical Prosperity

Thanksgiving happens in the Fall and coincides with traditional dates of harvest. In fact, many Europeans at the time of the Pilgrims set aside days of thanks to God for successful harvests. The Pilgrims at Plymouth explicitly wanted to thank God for their bounty after having almost starved the prior Winter. Our bodies need nourishment, which God provides for us through nature. While we may not harvest crops in the same way our ancestors did, we should still stop to thank God for the physical gifts and prosperity He has given all of us.

Freedom of Religion

While the Puritans were not Catholic, we can still take example from how they gave thanks. Fleeing religious persecution in England, they struck out into the unknown on a perilous journey in order to follow what they believed God wanted them to do. Part of their thanks came from the fact that they had found a place to worship God as they believed He wanted them to worship Him. As Catholics we can practice our faith more freely in America than perhaps in any other nation on earth, in part because of these early Pilgrims. We too should give thanks to God for this.