24 Days of Thanksgiving: Part 3

Here are five more reasons to give thanks in November, as we continue along the "24 Days of Thanksgiving" journey.

November 12: Give Thanks for the Ability to Read

As the bumper sticker says, "If you can read this, thank a teacher." Since all of the visitors to Catholic365 come to this site to read, there are a lot of teachers to thank. In fact, you, kind reader, are reading these words at this very moment, yet you are likely not thinking about that feat at all.

Ponder: The ability to read is so life-changing, yet such an odd thing in and of itself. After all, we are really just attributing meaning to some black marks on a piece of paper, and those marks will look and be arranged differently depending on where you live in the world. Yet it is this process, simple to employ once grasped, yet complicated and difficult to obtain, that allows us to know the thoughts of those who have lived before us, to benefit from the wisdom of the past, to communicate with those who are not with us in person today, and possibly, if what we say is worth keeping, to even speak to those who will come after us.

Pray: We give thanks, O Lord, for the ability to read. May we use this gift to grow in wisdom and knowledge, employing it well. Amen.

November 13: Give Thanks for the Holy Bible

Ponder: Along with the ability TO read, have we ever thought about being grateful for what we CAN read? Just imagine if there was no written form of the Bible, if it had never been put down in words or been given to us in such a personal format, enabling us to read, pray and ponder the Word of God alone or with a Bible study group.
Just sit with that for a few moments.....and then give thanks that we do have it, that we can read it, and let's pray for the wisdom to understand and apply the Word of God to our lives. 

Some more words of wisdom about the Bible:

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.”  - Abraham Lincoln
"The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly." - Soren Kierkegaard
"The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home." - St. Augustine
"It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand." -Mark Twain

Pray: Lord God, we thank you for your gift of revelation of yourself. We thank you for your willingness to invite us into a relationship with you. Inspire us to seek your Word frequently and guide us to implement your ways in our lives. Amen.

November 14: Give Thanks for Mary, the Mother of God.

Ponder: Mary just makes everything better. From her patient listening to her ceaseless intercession, she is one of the greatest gifts God gave us.

Pray: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our deaths. Amen.

November 15: Give Thanks for St. Albert the Great

Ponder: November 15 is the feast day of St. Albert the Great. For being called "the great," he's not really that well known. Here’s why he should be.

St. Albert lived in Germany and was born around 1200. From an early age, his intellectual abilities were notable. He studied at universities in Italy and France, which were the centers of culture and civilization of the time. After entering the Dominican order, he made a name for himself as one of the intellectual pioneers of the age.

The parish of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis says this about St. Albert: "He led the way in introducing the writings of Aristotle to Western thought. He pioneered use of the inductive method of reasoning. Albert also was a renowned scholar and researcher in natural science - studying animals, birds, insects, plants and minerals. His 40 volumes of writings served as an encyclopedia of human knowledge at the time in physics, geography, astronomy, mineralogy, chemistry, biology, mathematics, scripture, philosophy and theology." He was called the "universal doctor" by his contemporaries and was one of the most well-known preachers of the time. His most famous student was none other than St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Albert died in 1280. In 1931, Pope Pius XI proclaimed him a saint and doctor of the church. Then, in 1941, Pope Pius XII proclaimed him patron saint of natural scientists.

Pray: We give thanks to you, O Lord, for the work and writings of St. Albert, who shaped the intellectual tradition of the Catholic church. Amen.

November 16: Give Thanks for St. Margaret of Scotland

The picture above of Dunnottar Castle, located on the rocky east coast of Scotland, helps us realize the long and varied history of the Scots. St. Margaret of Scotland, affectionately known as "the pearl of Scotland," is woven into this history. In fact, her life story reads like a fairy tale, with the dramatic Scottish landscape as a grand background.

Ponder: St. Margaret was born in Hungary in 1045 and was accustomed to the world of royalty. She spent much of her youth in the court of her great uncle, St. Edward the Confessor, which St. Edward's University is named after. When William the Conqueror invaded in 1066, the family fled via the sea but were shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm rescued the family and welcomed them with hospitality. He and Margaret were eventually married.

As queen, Margaret devoted her time to promoting the arts and education of the Scottish people. She was well known for her service to the poor, especially orphans. She and her husband founded 7 churches, and St. Margaret was also involved in religious reform, even being present at the discussions at the religious synods. Margaret and Malcolm had 8 children, and besides being responsible for their faith formation and education, Margaret was also known to have a rigorous personal prayer life. As queen, her advice was often sought in matters of state, and Margaret trusted God to guide her and the country.

Although it might have been easy for Margaret to stay inside her castle and enjoy a life of luxury, she clearly chose another path. From the time of her marriage, she fully embraced all of the responsibilities of her new life and sought to bring her faith to every aspect, to fully live a life of charity in keeping with her station. She died 4 days after the death of her husband, worn out from a life of service. She was canonized in 1250 and is buried in Dunfermline Abbey. Her feast day is November 16.

Pray: We give thanks, O Lord, for the gift of St. Margaret. We pray for her continued intercession for ourselves and the country of Scotland. May we, like her, seek to serve you in all aspects of our lives. Amen.

-Part 4 coming soon -