On this
Thanksgiving Day, we ask for the humility to recognize all we have is a
gift...the courage to admit we cannot earn Your care...the hope You will offer
Your love and grace to all.
Thank you for a year in which more people are working and fewer are in
danger of losing their homes and livelihoods. Gracious God, thank You for national leaders striving for
peace and bringing our war machine home.
Thank you for your servant Francis, who witnesses to your message
calling on all of us to care for the least of our brothers and sisters.
On this day of plenty, we remember all those who bring us this
bounty...those who grow and produce our food...those who deliver it to
us...those who prepare with love and enable us to gather in our homes or in the
community to be together and filled with your Spirit...those who tell our
stories each year reminding us who we are and why we gather. Thank you for the love and care
contained in each dish. Thank you
for the warm welcome offered to anyone at our table. We seek to ensure no one feel like a stranger as we open our
hearts and homes to all.
We gather together on this day, at this table, in this time, confident
the prayer and concerns we offer, You hear, and committed to listening when you
reveal Your will to us. God bless
the families of all separated by bars and restraints. Do not abandon those devastated by nature in all its
fury. Comfort those who do not
have clothes on their backs, a roof over their head, or food on their
table. Inspire everyone here at
this moment to reach out to those society labels lepers or outcasts...not just
poor in material needs, but also those experiencing a dark night of the soul
overwhelmed with loneliness, isolation, sadness and despondency and who need to
see, through all of us, the world is alive with the grandeur of God.
Thank you Bernie for your prayer. For at least the last 20 years I always say your Thanksgiving prayer for our family of 4. Now that my sons are out of high school and just finished college they are once again revisiting their catholic upbringing. Your prayers give us wonderful family conversations and debate over our catholicism. Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you and your family.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bernie. It has been a difficult year with far too much loss, but your prayer always, always reminds me that I have much for which to be thankful. Blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving and always...
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for you, Bernie, I used to listen to you when I was first becoming politically aware, and you had an enormous influence on my moral and political outlook. Your words had enormous influence on countless people, including me. You've made a difference in the world, and that's something for all of us to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteHey, Bernie when you getting out of the slammer?
ReplyDelete