Archbishop Benny SagraPatriarch and Presiding Bishop
Celtic Cross Communion
USA
To all the holy people of God, dearly beloved leaders of ecclesial and civil societies of the world, men and women of goodwill, distinguished chosen leaders and members of the Celtic Cross Communion and its various branches: The Celtic Cross Old Catholic Church, The Celtic Cross Anglican Church, The Celtic Cross Orthodox - Catholic Church, The Celtic Cross Evangelical Church; HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND PEACE!
1. "No matter what happens, always be thankful for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Let us praise and thank the Lord today as a family of humankind, as a nation, as a group and as individual families for all the blessings we have received inspite of the many difficult challenges of our earthly existence and human life which include among others the ongoing and persistent Covid 19, the alarming Climate Change, the prevailing propensity to falsehood and fake news rather than clinging to the truth, the many forms of natural disasters around the world which brought about the loss of many lives, the closing of businesses, the loss of jobs and also created a lot division, bias and misunderstanding not withstanding the subtle and daylight abuses of power and taking advantage of those in power of the weaknesses and fragility of the common people they are bound to serve, honor and love.
2. "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." - Psalm 7:17
On this day of Thanksgiving, every family gathers together around the table and relish a sumptuous meal filled with turkey and various sides including the legendary pumpkin or apple pie. Before the meal is served the head of the family or group leads a prayer of thanks for the food and the blessings God has bestowed during the past year. The first Thanksgiving Dinner was originated in 1620. But even before that in many religious traditions the thanksgiving meal was already practiced as illustrated in the biblical stories like the Book of Samuel. Deep within the corner of every human heart is a sense of gratitude and thankfulness. Indeed, "Gratitude is the memory of the heart."
3. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." - Psalm 28:7
One of the things we can do to maintain peace, unity and good standing with our fellow men and women here on earth is to avoid being harsh in making judgement of one another. What we do not know is that each one of us or as a group or as a family, as a nation or as an institution, as an agency both private or public is fighting our own demons, is battling our own war, is managing our own inner conflicts and shadows. What we also don't know is that The Lord God is fighting the battle for us, is with us all the time to care and to comfort, to bind our wounds and give us strength. He is our deliverer and protector, our shield and strength in ages past, present and future. What a great and awesome God we have! Come let us praise Him today and adore Him. Let us sincerely, heartily and joyfully give thanks to Him!.
4. "Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." - Psalm 50:14-15
Let us pause for a moment and reflect along memory lane those experiences in our lives wherein we were in the brink of life and death situation, or an experience of great loss of a loved one, or an experience of hitting bottom due to abuse of alcohol or drugs or other forms of addictive behavior like food, gambling, shopping, etc, or a fatal disease or accident...Let us think for a moment how in many surprising and mysterious ways the Lord delivered us and kept us sane, positive and alive inspite those many odds and experiences of powerlessness, weakness and emptiness. Let us for a moment think of those days when we feel depressed, hurt, abandoned and maligned and how with some act of kindness and some willingness and resolve we got out of the puzzle and dilemma of life with God's grace and comfort. The same Jesus Christ who asked Barthemeus the blind man, "what do you want?" which Bartemeus answered, "I want to see" is the same Jesus Christ who comes at the junction of our street or the corner of our house and still asks the same question, "what do you want?" and which we can answer, "Lord, I want to get out of this depression."; "Lord, I want to be free of all my debts."; "Lord I want to be cured of this cancer."; etc.
5. "I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving."
The hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God is part and parcel of every religious tradition from the native American Indian tradition to the ancient religious traditions of the Hebrews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus all over the world. At times not only in songs but also in dances the spirit of joy and gratefulness burts forth. Here gratitude is giving due respect, honor and praise to where goodness and kindness and helpfulness is due. In human history, total redemption was brought about by the self sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ of his very own body and blood on the cross of Calvary. Each time we offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass or even just a prayer to remember the Lord's sacrifice on the cross, we sing our song of thanksgiving to God for setting us free from sin and death and for adopting each one of us as His very own beloved child in Jesus Christ His only beloved Son, Our Lord.
Let us pray, Lord Our God, in You we move and have our being. You are the creator and builder of this beautiful world. You are the Savior of the world through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ. You are the breath of life and our comforter in the Holy Spirit. Please keep us in your constant care and love. Please deliver us from every threat and onslaught of Covid 19. Please make us feel your love and kindness through those who come to help us. Please cover us with your constant protection and give us strength for at times we feel too weary and losing hope. We love you and we praise you. We give you thanks and we honor your holy name. We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May the Almighty God bless you, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Most sincerely yours,
++Archbishop Benny Sagra
www.celticcrossfoundation.org
