November is time to give thanks to God
This month has within it the beginning of the Advent of the Church when the faithful are invited to the great clamor: “Come, Lord Jesus!” Already anticipating the Christmas holidays.
Many dates are celebrated this month. I highlight here the day of thanksgiving, celebrated worldwide in November. And we have much to give thanks to God, every event and need can become an offering of thanksgiving. The letters of St. Paul often begin and end with thanksgiving: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5: 18).
In the US, the day of Thanksgiving is known as Thanksgiving Day, the day when the people give thanks for the good events of the year with prayers and celebrations with family. They do something remarkable in remembrance of its history. In 1620, out of England, the Mayflower ship took on board many families toward the American continent.Disembarking, they had to face many difficulties as the cold, wild beasts, the dangers of all sorts, but they were not discouraged, because they trusted in God’s promises. They houses cabins for shelter and sowed the ground with great confidence. The Native Americans, knowing the earth, taught them to improve production. And God blessed them. In the fall of 1621, the harvest was so blessed that they gathered the best fruits and invited the Native Americans to celebrate a great festival of praise and thanksgiving to God. The Brazilian ambassador Joaquim Nabucco, participating in Washington,D.C. USA, in one of these celebrations, exclaimed, “I wish that all mankind would unite in a single day, and give thanks to a universal God.” His words echoed to President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, and the Brazilian Congress passed Law 781, establishing the last Thursday of November as a National Day of Thanksgiving.
Each year, many communities as a great universal chorus of gratitude to God, celebrate the Day of Thanksgiving.
It is in this climate that Canção Nova prepares for Hosanna Brazil , when we do the dedication ceremony of the Shrine of the Father of Mercies and fifty years of priesthood of Monsignor Jonas Abib at Cachoeira Paulista (SP).
“Lord, to thee belongs the earth and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. We offer thanks to you, because we are part of your wonderful creation. Lord thou hast made us and love us. Receive, Lord, all our Thanksgiving! “(PS19)
Luzia Santiago
Co-founder of Canção Nova Community