St. Maria Goretti

Sometimes, I suppose, we all wonder what it would be like to live a different life. What if, things worked out differently, and we followed a different vocation path? I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a doctor. Then I remember that I don’t like the sight of blood, and I’d probably pass out. Or what would it like to be a fisherman in Northern Alaska? I wonder would I still get warm, pulling fish and lobsters out of the cold Alaskan waters? What would it be like to be racecar driver? Can’t you just imagine the adrenaline, the rush, the excitement of driving a car at its limits. Then I thought, I do that all the time. A lot of people wonder about what its like to be a priest. I get asked that a lot. It’s good. It’s something to be thankful for. And it’s a lot more fun than you would imagine.

Today, on this Thanksgiving, we hear in our Gospel about a man, who wonders what it would be like to be one of Jesus’ Apostles. We’ve probably all wondered about that before. And this man, had just been released by Jesus, of a demon. He had been possessed. He is very grateful for what Jesus has done for him, just as many of us are very grateful for what Jesus has done for us. And, he wants to leave everything behind and go and follow Jesus as an Apostle. He is on fire. He is very enthusiastic for this Jesus who has just rescued him. And Jesus says “NO”. Jesus does NOT allow the man to go with Him. I think, we hear this story, and we immediately assume “Why not?” Doesn’t Jesus need good and enthusiastic people following Him, working for Him? Didn’t they need vocations two-thousand-years ago, back then? Didn’t Jesus like this guy? Was Jesus afraid that the demon or demons were going to come back? Very clearly, this man’s vocation, was NOT to be an Apostle. The man may have wanted to be an Apostle, he may have wondered what life would have been like, but it was NOT God’s plan for him. Instead, Jesus tells him to go home to his family AND to announce to others what God has done for him. And here is the point: The man does not have to be an Apostle. He doesn’t have to be a doctor, or a fisherman, or race car driver. He doesn’t have to physically go with Jesus. But Jesus is saying that this man needs to grateful, and he needs to proclaim his gratitude with his life. Being grateful, is everybody’s vocation. Just like the man who had been possessed, we too don’t have to be Apostles. We don’t have to be famous theologians or Scripture scholars. We don’t have to be bishops, or priests, or deacons, or sisters, or great musicians. But each and everyone of us, have to be grateful. We all owe God that. Because no matter what our vocation is, all of us have a vocation, and central to every vocation, is the praise and thanksgiving of God.

Today as a nation we pause, even briefly, before we go back to our Christmas shopping, to say “thank you.” Today we proclaim to everybody around us that this God, our God, Jesus the Christ, has done great things for all of us. We are miracles. And we are grateful.

The medical people and other experts tell us that grateful people live longer, they stay married more often, they have much less psychological problems, they are happier and more content with life, and grateful people are more generous with others. We should be grateful people. Not just on a Thursday in late November, but every day of our lives. It is part of our mission as Christians. Like the man who had been possessed, we need to get out there and tell our world what God has done for us. If you are really grateful, you can’t keep that to yourself. It’s got to be proclaimed.

Let us proclaim our gratitude today, and every day! We have an awesome God Who loves us beyond all compare. We have so much to be grateful for. How can we keep silent? Forget about being somebody else or living some other vocation! What if we were just happy and grateful for where God has each one of us?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

God bless us today, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti… Pray for us !!!