An Aleteia Thanksgiving Day Grace

Servant of God Dorothy Day once wrote that “in this month of Thanksgiving, we can be thankful for the trials of the past, the blessings of the present, and be heartily ready at the same time to embrace with joy any troubles the future may bring us.”

St. Paul tells us: “Christ’s peace must reign in your hearts …. Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness” (Col 3:15).

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Our response to the grace is: Lord, we thank you.

For the love of God, for our faith, and for the Church. Response 

For our family, for friends, and for those who love us. R/

For our country, for freedom, and for peace. R/

For our home, our jobs, and our well-being. R/

For our teachers, leaders, and protectors. R/

For health, safety, work, and rest. R/

For the gifts of tenderness, understanding, and encouragement. R/

For our joys, achievements, and second chances. R/

For our struggles, sorrows, challenges, and sufferings. R/

For the blessings of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. R/

For the ability to say “I’m sorry” and to live in hope. R/

For the opportunity to bear one another’s burdens. R/

For the trials we have to face and for what humbles us. R/

For the ways we have matured to become better people. R/

For the desire for holiness and the longing to be a saint. R/

For the grace to be grateful. R/

For the gift of life. R/

For God’s blessing on this Thanksgiving meal. R/

Loving Father, in a special way this day we thank you for your countless blessings. Your love fills our souls as with a banquet. There is nothing we have that we have not received from you. Help us to make a world in which no one suffers alone. Bless the poor, the needy, the homeless. May the thankfulness we celebrate today be constantly expressed in our unceasing acts of self-sacrificing love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

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