Thanksgiving is Catholic, Always

We all have been told that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the English Calvinists in 1621 at Plymouth Rock, MA. There were pilgrims and Indians, including Squanto. Well, for years, we have been misled.

Thanksgiving has and will always be Catholic.  The Greek word for Thanksgiving is “Eucharista”, which is how we get the Eucharist. The first Thanksgiving took place in Jerusalem, which included Jesus and his apostles on the night before he was to died for us. That evening, he instituted the Holy Eucharist and encouraged his apostles to receive his body and blood “in memory of me”.

Every time we attend Mass, we attend a Thanksgiving feast.

As America celebrates the holiday, which was made possible by Abraham Lincoln, let us be sure to give thanks to God for all that he has bestowed upon us.

As Catholics, we should consider getting to Mass to thank God for what he has given us while counting the infinite blessings.

The first Thanksgiving took place on September 8th 1565, in St. Augustine, FL. Father Francisco Lopez celebrated Mass in thanksgiving for a safe voyage. After Mass, a meal was shared that combined Spanish and Timucua provisions.

The Spanish brought salted pork, garlic, garbanzo beans, hard sea biscuits, and red wine. The Timucua contributed wild turkey, fish, maize, and other local foods.

By the height of the American Civil War, the annual tradition that would blossom in New England and St. Augustine, would be celebrated from coast to coast.

As Catholics, it is obligatory to give thanks to God for what was given to us through his love for humanity. In return, let us show our thanks by attending Mass on Thanksgiving morning as we “remember him.”

As St. Paul reminds us, “Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14).

God bless and give thanks, always