Gospel Reflections
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Thanksgiving Day Homily
11/26/2007
Bishop Michael Burbidge
Thanksgiving Day Mass
Sacred Heart Cathedral
November 22, 2007
“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise.”
These words we say at every Mass have particular meaning today. As a
Church and nation, and as families and individuals, we are reminded of
the countless reasons for our gratitude. We are thankful for the
precious gifts of life and faith; of freedom; of the special people God
has placed in our lives and of all the comforts we enjoy. I express
today renewed thanks to the Lord for the blessing of being the Bishop
of this wonderful Diocese and for the love and support of you, my
brother priests, and of you, my dear friends in Christ.
We reflect for a moment on why and how we give thanks to God. Our thanks adds nothing to God’s greatness. The reason we give thanks to God is so that we are changed. All the lepers were cured physically
in today’s Gospel, but only one was cured of leprosy of mind and
heart—the one who returned to acknowledge the Source of the healing,
the Source of all good gifts. When we pause in the course of our busy
lives to give thanks to God, we reflect our understanding (1) that we
are creatures, God is the Creator; (2) that we are undeserving of our
blessings—they are pure gifts from a generous God; and (3) that we are
completely dependent upon His divine assistance. When we give thanks to
the Lord our God, we experience true healing and newness of life.
How do we express our thanks to God? The ultimate way is by
participating in this perfect act of thanksgiving, the celebration of
the Eucharist. And what a beautiful sight to see so many of you here
this morning! We reflect our thanks to God by using our gifts for the
purpose for which they are given to us—in service to others. As I walk
around this Diocese, I am overwhelmed and edified to see the practice
of the corporal works of mercy in such extraordinary ways, and to
witness all that is done in the sharing of time, talent and treasure so
as to respond to those in most need. I thank all of you for your
goodness.
In that spirit, I am pleased to announce today the establishment of
the Diocese of Raleigh Home Mission Society, which will work to secure
funding for the construction and furnishing of churches and chapels in
the mission areas of the diocese. Many of these locations have seen a
dramatic increase in the number of immigrant, working class Catholics
who are currently unable to fund construction of the churches needed
for them and their children. This work is a participation in the Gospel
mandate to proclaim the Good News to all the ends of the earth. Like my
predecessors, I share the dream of establishing Catholic churches
throughout the small towns and rural areas of Eastern Northern
Carolina, and I ask for your support and prayers.
My dear friends in Christ, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God, for it is right to give Him thanks and praise on this beautiful
day and all the days of our lives!”