Beloved in the Lord,
As we gather in this season of Thanksgiving, our hearts turn naturally toward gratitude — for family and friends, for our daily bread, and for the countless mercies that flow from God’s abundant love. Yet for us, as Orthodox Christians, thanksgiving is not simply a day on the calendar. It is a way of life. It is the very rhythm of the Church, expressed in our daily prayers, in our Divine Liturgy, in every breath that acknowledges, “Glory to God for all things.”
The story of the first Thanksgiving has been told so often that we sometimes forget the profound faith that animated it. When the Pilgrims arrived at the shores of the New World in 1620, they faced a brutal winter, hunger, and disease. More than half of them died before the spring. Among them was Dorothy Bradford, the young wife of William Bradford, their future governor, who drowned only days after they landed.
And yet, when the harvest finally came, those who remained gathered to give thanks — not because life was easy, but because God was faithful. Their thanksgiving was not born of comfort, but of hope.
This is a deeply Christian act. To give thanks even in sorrow, to bless God even in loss — this is the mystery of faith. In the words of the Psalmist, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” True gratitude does not wait for abundance. It blossoms even in the wilderness, because it is rooted in trust — trust that God is working all things for our salvation.
In recent years, modern science has begun to affirm what the Church has always known: gratitude changes us. A recent Harvard study found that people who practice gratitude — who intentionally give thanks for the blessings of life — experience greater happiness, improved health, stronger relationships, and even, it seems, longer lives.
But the Church has been teaching this for two thousand years. Gratitude heals the human heart because it restores right relationship — with God, with others, and with creation itself. When we give thanks, we move away from self-centeredness and toward communion. We begin to see that every breath, every person, every moment is a gift.
The Fathers of the Church often remind us that the highest form of human life is Eucharistia — thanksgiving. This is why the central act of our faith is called the Divine Liturgy, the Eucharist. Every time we stand before the Holy Table, we proclaim the same truth: that all of life, even suffering, can be offered in thanksgiving to God and transformed by His grace.
Beloved, let us remember that gratitude is not an emotion that depends on circumstances; it is a spiritual discipline that opens the eyes of the soul. When we give thanks in all things, we discover joy not as the absence of pain, but as the presence of Christ.
Our society often tells us that happiness comes from having more — more comfort, more possessions, more success. But the Church teaches us that happiness comes from seeing more: seeing the good, the beautiful, and the holy that is already before us. Gratitude allows us to see with purified vision — to see God’s hand in all things.
Even the simple act of pausing to thank God for the day — to recall His blessings before sleep, to offer a prayer before a meal — these moments reshape our hearts. They reorient us toward heaven. They remind us that we live not by bread alone, but by the grace and mercy of the Lord.
Like those first Pilgrims, we too are travelers and strangers in a foreign land. We are pilgrims on our way to the Kingdom. Along the journey, we will face hardship, uncertainty, even loss. Yet we can walk with hope because Christ has already gone before us. He is our true Thanksgiving. In Him, sorrow is transfigured into joy, and death into life.
So let us give thanks not only for what we have, but for what God is making of us. Let us thank Him for the challenges that refine us, for the people who strengthen us, and for the Church — our spiritual homeland — where gratitude is not seasonal, but eternal.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to gather your families around the table not only to share a meal, but to share words of thanksgiving. Each person, from the youngest to the oldest, can offer one thing for which they thank God – even if you are going through a time of trial. Let your homes be filled not only with the aroma of food, but also with the fragrance of gratitude.
And remember those who have less, those who are alone, those who grieve. True gratitude overflows into compassion.
Beloved, may this Thanksgiving renew within us the spirit of Eucharistia. Let us be thankful in all things — in joy and in sorrow, in abundance and in need. Let us remember that to give thanks is to live already in the light of the Kingdom, where Christ reigns, and where love never ends.
May the Lord bless your homes, your families, and your hearts. May He fill you with peace, with joy, and with unceasing gratitude. And may we all, through the intercessions of the Most-Holy Theotokos, offer our lives as a continual thanksgiving to God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!