Thanksgiving: It Is Right and Just

“The wonders do not cease. It is our attentiveness that is in short supply.”

Pardon my nostalgia. It’s the week of Thanksgiving, and I’m an American living abroad. Thanksgiving is the United States at its best. 

But of course, small-t thanksgiving is not just for Americans and not just for the month of November. Gratitude doesn’t go out of style. 

Just after my ordination, when I was actually celebrating Mass, lines from the liturgy that I had heard a million times started standing out in a new way. A similar thing happens at Mass in a different language. 

One such part of the liturgy is when the priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and the people respond, “It is right and just.” Indeed, it is truly right and just to give God thanks. And sometimes a holiday helps us remember that.

This practice of gratitude does not need to be limited to geography. Whether you’re eating turkey or takeout this Thursday, it is right and just to give God thanks.