Thanksgiving Prayer for Your Family Table

-->

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his farms in North Java and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a disciple of Holy Family.

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, boil water, stir the sauce, prepare the meatballs, work all morning in the kitchen, mix the salad, bake the desserts, serve our neighbors with a smile for three hours and then run home to get more meatballs. So God made a disciple of Holy Family.”

God said, I need somebody to take down the leaky parish hall windows and replace them with new insulated panes to keep the chill out so our kids can learn in a warm classroom, the AA members can support one another, our seniors can enjoy their luncheon and social activities and our sewing ladies won’t freeze their fingers sewing blankets for newborn babies, kids in hospitals and seniors in nursing homes.

God said, I need somebody to take care of Clayton Park, so nineteen people bought memorial bricks. Then volunteers got down on their knees to ply out the old bricks and carefully insert the engraved stones with beautiful verses and memories of loved ones so that we can take care of anything that breaks and keep the playground safe for our children.

God said, "I need volunteers to teach our kids about God’s love. Moms and dads willing to get the kids ready for church and drive in stormy weather to bring their children to class. So God made a disciple of Holy Family. Because our kids can’t wait to see what their teachers have planned to teach them about God’s love for our little ones.

God said, I need people with faith and creativity, openness and welcoming smiles to work on various projects and many of you accepted the invitation but prefer NOT to be mentioned. So in my quiet way, let me say thank you for your donations for our new insulated windows in the parish hall, flowers for Christmas and Easter, buying winter coats for the poor, getting gifts for children during Advent, cleaning the bathrooms, cutting the grass, planting flowers, plowing the snow, remodeling the rectory into a hospice, planting flowers around our parish, bidding on a pig at the County Fair to feed the hungry through the winter, organizing the Spaghetti Dinner, serving on the Parish Committee, balancing the books, donating religious education supplies, practicing with our kids for their nativity pageant, writing our bulletin, training our altar servers, lectoring at Mass, taking up the collection, increasing your weekly donation, and singing in our choir leading us in praise of God for His goodness and kindness to our farms and homes.

God said, all are welcomed at my table, the divorce and separated, the proud and the humble, the self-righteous and imperfect, the hypocrite and the gossip, the fearful and abused to bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, the people of Holy Family will welcome your family, your children and your soul with peace and good will. So God made a disciple of Holy Family.

Last Sunday, all our parishioners were invited to a gourmet breakfast. It’s my thank you for their daily sacrifices, their generosity and their many acts of kindness that each person brings to this community. Make no mistake, they deserve all the credit for growth of this dynamic Catholic parish.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and humbly pray in thanksgiving for serving as shepherd of this parish. Please feel free to use the following Thanksgiving Prayer for your Family.

"Lord, We feel so blessed to have been given such a wonderful family.
We ask that our roots would be deep in your love. Fill our hearts, friendships and homes with your truth and forgiveness. We thank you for each person, for their unique qualities and special gifts. Watch over each one and keep them safe, Fill their lives with your goodness, Inspire their hearts to follow you, Bless the work of their hands, And weave us all closer together."