Appointments of Bishop Patrick J . McGrath
2
IN THE DIOCESE
The “ Gift within the Gift ”
Giving thanks has been called “ the gift within the gift .” In the Gospel account of the healing of the lepers ( Luke 7:11-19 ), although all ten were healed , only one returned to thank the Lord . He alone seemed to be the recipient of that second gift , the ability to give
Msgr . Francis Cilia thanks . Whenever we give thanks , we share doubly . We need this gift today , more than ever .
When I was approached about the possibility of writing this piece for the Thanksgiving issue of The Valley Catholic , the invitation was couched in terms of making a case for Thanksgiving Day in light of the dire condition of our world today . Anyone who has lived more than two or three decades knows that prophets of doom habitually claim that we are living in the “ end times ,” that the evils of this age far surpass those of any other , that we are a people adrift , floating aimlessly on the sea of time and space . These so-called prophets have done so since biblical times and they continue even now .
We can focus upon the evils of our day , for they are indeed many : war , terrorism , gun violence , disregard for the dignity of human life , poverty and homelessness , mass migrations of refugees and other peoples , and a lack of care for our world and its environment , just to name a few . To paraphrase the words of the Lord , “ Do not worry about tomorrow ... Today has enough trouble of its own ” ( Matthew 6:34 ).
To focus , however , solely upon what afflicts humanity is to lose sight of the inherent goodness and the gifts of God that are present in creation and , more pointedly , in the life of each person .
Realizing that all that we are and all that we have are gifts from God wrecks the trajectory of the prophets of doom .
Recognizing that none of us is self-made , that life is God ’ s gift , that eternal life for which we hope is rooted in God ’ s compassionate love , we begin to understand our dependence upon the Lord who owes us absolutely nothing . This dependence is not a weakness , but a mark of our humanity ; our ability and willingness to stand before the Lord in the act of thanksgiving makes us truly human . Giving thanks is giving of ourselves .
Giving thanks , as “ the gift within the gift ,” enables us to be stewards of every gift that we have received . Stewardship , corresponsabilidad in Spanish , is truly a sharing of responsibility for creation with God , who entrusted the gifts of creation to humanity , as narrated in the first chapters of the Book of Genesis . Indeed , every gift , every blessing that we have received is on its way , through us to another person . And we are moved to pray : “ For all that has been , thanks . For all that will be , yes ” ( Dag Hammarskjold , second Secretary General of the United Nations ).
On Thanksgiving Day , we join the people of this land in giving thanks , an act that we do often , since we Catholics are a Eucharistic people . As we gather around the tables of God ’ s Word and the Eucharist , we enter our great act of thanksgiving for the Life , Death and Resurrection of Jesus . We join our prayers of thanks to His own and , nourished by both Word and Sacrament , we find new strength to live out our baptismal call and to become more and more the pilgrim people of God . Doing so on Thanksgiving Day is part of the rhythm of our lives , and our prayer of thanks should come easily to us .
The medieval German Dominican theologian , Meister Eckhart taught that “ if our only prayer is one of thanks , it would be enough , and if the only words we ever spoke were of thanks , that , also , would be enough .”
None of what I have written changes the grim realities that face us , our families , our Church and our world . But if we allow ourselves truly to be thankful , we can change , and if we few change , who is to say what God might do , through us , to heal our weary world .
Happy Thanksgiving to you , your families and your loved ones . Monsignor Francis Cilia is Vicar General for the Diocese of San Jose .
November 21 , 2017 | The Valley Catholic
Appointments of Bishop Patrick J . McGrath
November
21 Tues , 8:45 a . m ., Mass and Visit , Saint Mary School , Los Gatos 25 Sat , 10:30 a . m ., Mass of Solemn Profession , Carmelite Monastery , Santa Clara 30 Thurs , 6 p . m ., Distinguished Citizen Dinner , Santa Clara Marriott
December
1 Fri , 10 a . m ., Clergy Personnel Board Meeting , Diocesan Offices , San Jose 3 Sun , 11 a . m ., Mass and Blessing of new school buildings , Sacred Heart Church , Saratoga 4 Mon , 11 a . m ., Mass and Visit , Maryknoll Community , Los Altos
Mon , 5:30 p . m ., Clergy Dinner , Saint Christopher Church , San Jose
5 Tues , 12 noon , Christmas Potluck , Community Foundation of Santa Clara County , San Jose Tues , 5 p . m ., Annual Mass and Dinner , Knights of Malta , Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos , Los Altos
6 Wed , 11:30 a . m ., Cathedral Docents ’ Christmas Luncheon , Cathedral Basilica , San Jose Wed , 3 p . m ., Community Foundation of Santa Clara County Board Meeting , San Jose Wed , 5:15 p . m ., Community Foundation of Santa Clara County Reception , San Jose
7 Thurs , 9:30 a . m ., Council of Priests Meeting , Diocesan Offices , San Jose Thurs , 2:30 p . m ., Bishop ’ s Circle of Excellence Open House , San Jose 8 Fri , 11 a . m ., Mass of Solemn Profession , Carmelite Monastery , San Rafael
Fri , 7 p . m ., Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass , Our Lady of Guadalupe Church , San Jose 10 Sun , 9 a . m ., Mass , Elmwood Men ’ s Jail , Milpitas 11 Mon , 11:59 p . m ., Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass , Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph , San Jose 12 Tues , 7 p . m ., Mass , Simbang Gabi Sendoff , Saint John the Baptist Church , Milpitas
COMING UP IN THE DIOCESE
Suicide Bereavement Support Nov . 21 , 28 & Dec . 5 , 12 @ 6:30 p . m . – 8 p . m .; Holy Spirit Parish , 1200 Redmond Ave ., San Jose . Those who have lost a loved one to death by suicide are invited for the next six-week session of Out of the Wilderness . For more information please call Leah Harris , Director of Pastoral Care Ministry , at ( 408 ) 997-5110 .
Thanksgiving Dinner Nov . 23 @ 11 a . m . – 3 p . m .; Saint John the Baptist Parish , 279 S . Main St ., Milpitas . The Knights of Columbus Council # 5796 serves a full Thanksgiving dinner to those in need . In the past if there was a need , we could deliver meals to shut-ins in the Milpitas Community . If you have a need for this , please call Grandes Knight Art Bascos at ( 408 ) 768-0231 .
Personhood and the Medieval Imagination Nov . 29 @ 7:30 p . m . – 9 p . m .; Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology , 2301 Vine St ., Berkeley . This lecture will cover the theological and philosophical development of the term “ Person ” or “ Personhood ” from roughly Leontius via John of Salisbury , Anselm of Canterbury , Bonaventure , Thomas Aquinas up to Meister Eckhart .
21st Annual Guadalupe Celebration Dec . 3 @ 2 p . m . – 4 p . m .; Mission Santa Clara de Asis , 500 El Camino Real , Santa Clara . All are invited to be part of the celebration in drama , dance and song that tells the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe . This wonderful re-enactment is made possible through the collaboration of Teatro Corazon of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and Santa Clara University .
Faith Beyond 2000 – Part I – The Church Dec . 4 @ 6:45 p . m . – 9 p . m .; Chancery , 1150 N . First Street , San Jose . Faith Beyond 2000 is a dynamic formation program for catechists and others interested in gaining a better understanding of their faith . Covers faith fundamentals that every catechist or pastoral minister needs to know and follows the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the guidelines for Catechist Certification in California . For more information , please call ( 408 ) 983-0127 .
Advent Morning of Prayer Dec . 7 @ 9 a . m . – 1 p . m .; Saint Joseph of Cupertino , 10110 N . DeAnza Blvd ., Cupertino . All are invited to an Advent Morning of Prayer . Living Life with an open heart with Sr . Rebecca Shinas , O . P . This beautiful Advent we have each been called by God ’ s grace and goodness to participate in the Co-Creation of the very Breath and Being of God !
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Dec . 8 – The United States Bishops ’ Committee on the Liturgy has provided the following exception to this Holy Day of Obligation : When December 8 falls on a Sunday , the observance is transferred to Monday , Dec . 9 , and there is no obligation to participate in Mass . Because Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is the patron saint of the United States of America , when Dec . 8 falls on a Saturday or a Monday , the obligation to participate in Mass remains .
The Valley Catholic
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