November 27: Thanksgiving Day / Día de Acción de Gracias

With all due respect, the Pilgrims get way too much credit for this holiday.
It was in 1863, that President Abraham Lincoln decreed that this day in November would be set aside as a “national day” on which we will give thanks. His declaration included a list of the various blessing which had come from God and then he added: “To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, all of which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.” Wise words. A lasting tradition. The voice of a grateful people.
Let’s remember, though, that in 1863 we were embroiled in the great [but awful] Civil War, where men and women were dying by the hundreds, if not the thousands... It was in that moment that President Lincoln said, “But let’s not forget to thank God” – who has given us a legacy worth fighting for, who has given us rights (that cannot be taken away) that are worth fighting for, and who has given us a future filled with hope – if we dare capture the moment and cooperate with the grace which the Almighty is giving us.

O God, we thank you for the goodness of our people and for the spirit of justice that you have stirred up in our hearts, to create anew the justice that is meant to fill this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of this land and for the challenges that we must meet. We thank you for our work and our rest, for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you and we lift up our every prayer to you today: please accept our thanksgiving on this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Oh Dios, te damos gracias por tu generosidad desbordante para con nosotros. Gracias por la bendición de los alimentos que hemos recibido y especialmente por la fiesta de este día. Gracias por nuestros hogares, nuestras familias, y nuestros amigos. 

Gracias por nuestra salud, nuestro trabajo, y nuestro juego. Por favor, envía tu ayuda a aquellos que tienen hambre, están solos, enfermos y sufriendo la persecución y la violencia en contra sus derechos. Abre nuestros corazones a tu amor. Te pedimos tu bendición por Cristo, tu Hijo. Amén.