Eucharist MEANS "Thanksgiving"

Fr. John's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving and everyone in the parish knows it. We hold a beautiful Mass on Thanksgiving day complete with our 3 combined choirs, bells, horns, guitars, piano, and organ. The church is usually packed with parishioners and their visitors and to top it off, everyone takes home a loaf of fresh baked bread to share at their Thanksgiving tables. It is a lovely celebration, one which I always look forward to, except for this year. I decided not to go this year. I needed a break from HAVING to go somewhere. I needed a day to stay HOME, enjoy my surroundings, cook our Thanksgiving feast, and prepare for our dear friends.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent assembling food baskets with our youth group, delivering those baskets, participating in school parties, cooking, grocery store shopping and all the other everyday stuff that needs to be taken care of. I had made the definite decision that the Clemens family WAS NOT going to the Thanksgiving Mass......until Fr. John asked the dreaded question:

Fr. John: Georgie, are you going to the Thanksgiving Mass?

Me: (Hesitantly) Noooo. Um. I just need a day off to slowly get up, cook, you know, watch the Thanksgiving Day parade, a day where I don't HAVE to go anywhere.

Fr. John: (jokingly) What???? You will be in TOWN and you will not be attending the Thanksgiving Mass?? You can TAPE the parade. You can relax on FRIDAY! I can't believe that our YOUTH MINISTER is MISSING our Thanksgiving Mass! I mean missing a chance to have Jesus in your hand! Oh I can't BE-LIEVE it!!

Me: (desperate) Well, I can't take Friday off...are YOU going to watch the kids for me?

Fr. John: Your kids will be with you on Thanksgiving anyway! I think there is someone influencing you.....maybe...ummm....SATAN??? (church lady)

Me: OK, OK, OK! I'll be there! But I'm NOT dressing up.

Fr. John: Wear your jeans...come in your P.J.s. Heck, I don't care what you wear. I just want you there.

Me: (exasperated) OK

Yesterday, (the night before Thanksgiving)I stayed up until 1:00am baking pies with my friend Mary. I threw myself into bed and woke up the next morning groaning....why??oh why?? did I tell Fr. John I would be at Mass!! I want to stay in bed..not fight the kids when I tell them they are going to church on a Thursday, rush through another breakfast, sort through the laundry looking for the proper clothes. Why did I ever tell him I would BE there.

While still in bed, I said to Chris: Do you want to go?

Chris responded with an unenthusiastic, "not really, but we'll have to hurry the kids if we do."

We'll go, I said. Let's get moving.

I put on my jeans and sweater, stuffed sweet rolls into the kids, got them dressed and threw everyone into the car.

We arrived to a packed church. The choirs were singing a glorious entrace hymn(Oh God Beyond All Praising...my absolute favorite!) Everyone looked beautiful and happy to be present at our Lord's table on this busy day. During the presentation of the gifts I was moved by so many parishioners who came forward with thousands of donations of food that were blessed and sent to the food pantry. Fr. John's homily was one of thankfulness and reminders to stop, and slow down...to take time for others and to thank God for all His blessings. The best part of the Mass was the Eucharist. Jesus there for me despite the fact that I was unenthusiastic to be there today. His real presence. I was willing to MISS ALL this for a parade on TV?

While Fr. John was simply joking with me the other day, I believe God spoke through Him to let me know that I needed to see Jesus on Thanksgiving, to take time for Jesus..to slow down and make Him the priority.

I didn't need a break on Thanksgiving, I needed Jesus on Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the prompting Fr. John. What a great day today was! Thank YOU Jesus!