Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thanksgiving Day is as close to a secular religious holiday as our country can embrace. Some social commentators trumpet the notion that the United States of America has no affiliation with religion. One would be hard pressed to convince the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, that they were not thanking God for the blessings of the assistance of the Native Americans in understanding the fertile land and the bountiful harvest which provided food and allowed them to survive the cruel winter. The feast took place in Plymouth in 1621. A person might be able to say this celebration was unique to these desperate settlers. It is obvious, however, that there is something in the consciences of our humanity that recognizes when we have been given a gift through Divine Providence that has helped us as a people.

President George Washington called upon our new United States of America to celebrate a day to give thanks to God on Thursday, November 26, 1789, in part for the creation of our Constitution. This Thanksgiving acknowledged our oneness as a new nation. President John Adams and President James Madison later called for a declaration of Thanksgiving for the nation to engage in a day of humiliation, fasting and prayer — giving thanks to the God of Mercies who provides all good. Of course, Abraham Lincoln established the fourth Thursday of November for Thanksgiving, giving thanks even during the bloody conflict of the Civil War that the Union survived. Franklin D. Roosevelt called upon the nation to give thanks as we emerged from the Great Depression. All these great figures of history had no problem calling upon the nation to give thanks to God.

Maybe it is our sense of “rugged individualism” that prevents us from declaring our need for others and, especially, our need for God. We cannot do it alone and there is no doubt we are stronger together.

God guides and directs our lives and that of our country. We do not always follow His directions, but God has still been generous to us. We live in a country that provides us with a standard of living denied to most of the world, but often we take these gifts for granted and must be reminded to say thank you to God for our family and for our country.

This Thanksgiving Day, we will watch our football games, visit with our family and friends, and sit down and enjoy a tremendous meal. But let us take a moment, put aside our political differences, bow our heads, direct our attention to God and say, ‘Thank You,’ and follow the whispers directed at our hearts to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Sincerely,

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki

Archbishop of Milwaukee          

Note: This blog originally appeared as the November 26, 2024, "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.