My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As our national observance of Thanksgiving approaches, it is good for us to reflect on the importance of giving thanks to God in our prayers. When we pray, very often our focus is on prayers of petition and intercession. Prayers of petition are when we ask God for something for ourselves, such as petitioning for the grace to overcome a bad habit or vice. Prayers expressing repentance and asking forgiveness for sins are also prayers of petition. Prayers of intercession are when we ask God for something for someone else, such as praying for the health and recovery of a sick friend or relative. These forms of prayer tend to predominate because of our natural tendency to be anxious and preoccupied about matters that trouble and concern us. So from time to time we need to be reminded of the other types of prayer as well, including prayers of blessing, prayers of praise and prayers of thanksgiving.

Prayers of blessing express an encounter between God and us. In blessing, God's gift and our acceptance of it are united in dialogue with each other. The prayer of blessing is our response to God's gifts: because God blesses, the human heart can in return bless the One who is the source of every blessing. Our prayers of blessing involve a two-way movement: our prayer ascends in the Holy Spirit through Christ to the Father — we bless him for having blessed us; it implores the grace of the Holy Spirit that descends through Christ from the Father — he blesses us. Adoration flows from this, since adoration is the first attitude of human beings acknowledging that they are creatures before their Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil. Adoration is homage of the spirit to the King of Glory, respectful silence in the presence of the ever greater God.

Prayers of praise recognize most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God, testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal: the one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist.

Prayers of thanksgiving characterize the prayer of the church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is. Indeed, in the work of salvation, Christ sets creation free from sin and death to consecrate it anew and make it return to the Father, for his glory. The thanksgiving of the members of the Body participates in that of Christ their Head. As in the prayer of petition, every event and need can become an offering of thanksgiving. The letters of St. Paul often begin and end with thanksgiving, and the Lord Jesus is always present in it: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:18); "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2.).

The best way to begin Thanksgiving Day, then, is by going to church to thank God for all the gifts of creation that he has showered upon us, especially the gift of his Real Presence in the Eucharist. Since Thanksgiving is not a Holy Day of Obligation, your participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and reception of Holy Communion will be even more pleasing to God, since you will be there of your own free will in a spirit of gratitude and not necessarily out of a sense of duty. Then, later in the day, when you sit down as a family for Thanksgiving dinner, make sure you offer a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving to Almighty God before you dig into your delicious meal of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie!

In addition to expressing appreciation for material gifts such as our homes, jobs and possessions, we should also thank God for our health and for our families, our friends and all of our loved ones. In this regard, I thank God for all the priests, deacons, consecrated women and men religious and all the lay Christian faithful who make up the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and who dedicate their lives to carrying on the mission of Jesus Christ here in central Illinois. I pray that all of you will have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

May God give us this grace. Amen.