We often think of the Pilgrims and the Indians and a big turkey when we think of Thanksgiving. That event happened in the 1600s. But there was an earlier one, an earlier thanksgiving, that doesn’t get as much attention. In 1565, 50 years before the Plymouth Rock feast, there was Thanksgiving in America. The Spanish settlers, led by father Francisco Lopez, celebrated a feast day with the Native Americans in Florida. It was on the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday. The exciting part most history books leave out is that they started their celebration with the Holy Mass.
That’s a reminder to us that the word Eucharist means “Thanksgiving.” It’s what people gathered in Catholic churches today gather there to do. To thank God for all the gifts we have received, all the blessings, and even the difficulties of the last year. It’s in our worship of God that we can find genuine gratitude for what we have in offering the simple bread and wine, and in a way offering our own selves. Then God, in His infinite mercy and grace, mysteriously unites them with the body of Christ, with the sacrifice on Calvary. That’s what they did in 1565, and afterward, Father Francisco wrote, “the feast day [was] observed . . . after Mass, ‘the Adelantado [which is kind of a title or leader of the group] had the Indians fed and then dined himself. ‘”
This reminds us that the primary way to give thanks today is to keep God at the center of our hearts and the center of our celebrations. Just like those men in the 16th century, we join together in the very same act of worship. We receive the same Jesus, and we are united with them and our spiritual ancestors through that communion. Then, as they did, after receiving from the table of the Lord, we can go in the spirit of fraternity to dine with our family and friends. This is the true legacy of our American Catholic heritage, one often forgotten and not spoken about. Happy Thanksgiving may your celebrations be filled with joy and laughter, food and family, and above all, with the love of God.
A homily for Thanksgiving Day: November 25th, 2021