Florida Catholic | Editorial

‘Source and summit’ for giving thanks

Published: 11.16.07

“Through Christ the church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful and just in creation and in humanity.”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church

How much time do you spend each day giving thanks to God for all he has given to you? Do you even carve out time once a week to do this? As Americans, we have the once-a-year feast day set aside for giving thanks, coming up next week. Family and friends will gather to watch parades and football games, and eat turkey and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and lots of pies. Oh, yes, and they’ll pause at some point in the day to give thanks for their blessings.

As Catholics, we have regular opportunities to give thanks through the celebration of the Mass. When we share in the celebration of the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, we have a chance to participate in “a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation,” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “Through Christ the church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful and just in creation and in humanity.”

In this issue, the Florida Catholic takes readers on a step-by-step guide through the Mass. Through pictures and simple interpretations of the parts and prayers of the Mass, we hope to explain what may have become, over the years, rote recitations and motions. If we better understand the Mass, we are better able to fully partake of its glories.

There are many ways to effectively give thanks to God in your worship. A primary one is with your time: To give thanks to God at Mass you have to attend Mass. That takes a commitment of your time — a minimum of an hour out of the 168 in your week.

According to “Lumen Gentium,” the dogmatic constitution on the church, the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” If we truly believe that is so, then shouldn’t we carve out at least a portion of our week for the Eucharist, so that we can stand on the summit and see all that God has set before us on the table, and so that we can tap into the source and fountain of his blessings?

Within the celebration of the Mass, we can give thanks in more ways than just showing up. Sing out! Sing the hymns, even if you believe you don’t have a good voice. One pastor I knew, who didn’t have a nice singing voice, told his congregation, “If this is the voice God gave me, I’ll give it back to him,” and he did so, joyfully. Respond to the priest’s prayers. Pray the Creed — not mumbling or so fast you can’t comprehend it, but deliberately and with conviction. This is our faith, this is the faith of our church and we should be proud to profess it.

Show your thanks by preparing yourself to receive Communion in a reverent manner. This is the Lord, body and blood, soul and divinity, present in the appearance of bread and wine. Approach the priest, deacon or extraordinary minister of Communion with an attitude of thanks that your Lord Jesus was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice on the cross to redeem your sins and now you are able to receive him into your body so that he can nourish your soul. How can you be anything but grateful for such a gift? Prepare to receive that gift by making a place in your hands worthy of it. If you will receive the Eucharist in your hand, place one hand over the other (usually, if you’re right-handed, you’ll place your left hand on top) so the Communion minister can place the Eucharist in your hand; then when the minister says “The body of Christ,” respond clearly, “Amen.” You are saying, “Yes, I believe that this is the Son of God.”

While you’re at it, give thanks to all those in your parish who contribute to the liturgies on a weekly basis. Don’t forget the priests, without whom we cannot consecrate the Eucharist, without whom we would not have this source and summit of Christian life. As we approach Thanksgiving this year, let’s pause and give thanks for this great gift we have that brings us life.

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