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"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1Th 5:18

My beloveds,

Thanksgiving is the church’s continuous act in which she express her happiness and gratefulness to her lover and savoir: Jesus the King of the Glory. He has scarified himself for her. He had loved her and redeemed her from the enemy of goodness. He has promised her that the gates of Hades would not beat her.

Church always starts its prayers by the thanksgiving even in a funeral. All sacraments start with thanksgiving. We thank Him for everything , concerning and in everything.

Also praising the Lord is a part of thanksgiving. There is lots of praises to the Lord and lots of thanksgiving. The sacrament of Eucharist is the sacrament of all sacraments- it is the sacrament of thanksgiving.

My beloveds,

First, we notice that the Lord Jesus teaches us to be thankful. In the miracle of feeding the multitude, He prayed and thank God. “And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.”Mat 15:36

Second, on these footsteps, the disciples have gone. St Paul, the great, thanks God when the brothers went out to met him. “And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. Act 28:15

Third, Jesus Himself constituted the sacrament of Eucharist “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Mat 26:26-28

Forth, St. Paul follow suit. He mentioned the same story knowing its importance in his epistle Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” 1Co 11:24 Also in Act it is mentioned that He took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: Act 27:35

Fifth, Not offering thanksgiving lead to foolishness because when we don’t thank our hearts are heartened and we live the darkness. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Rom 1:21

Sixth, Thanks giving during the advent and abstinence from food is important. However it has to be for God if you eat it is for God because you thank and if you don’t eat it is for God that you don’t eat yet you are still thankful.

Seventh, We thank God because He hears us. ‘Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” Joh 11:41

Eighth, We thank God for the faith and the grace. “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,” Col 1:3

Ninth, thanksgiving for God’ grace that is given to us free not because we are worthy but according to his gracious and ever-lasting mercy “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;” 1Co 1:4

Tenth, thanksgiving for the serving: He had made us servants and we don’t deserve it. We don’t deserve His overwhelming love. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” 1Ti 1:12

Eleventh, he qualified us to His servitude- whom the cherubim and seraphim praises Him continuously without ceasing. “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;” 2Ti 1:3

My beloved, God deserve all thanksgiving and praises not just for the things we mentioned above but for other things that we don’t see and we don’t remember as said in the psalm “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Psa 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Psa 103:2

We thank Him because He created us from non-existence. You have made me human You have made me in need of nothing of your glorious acts as we say in Gregorian Mass. Thank Him for His protection that is covering us without knowing : “Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” Psa 56:13 We thank Him because He loves us whether we love Him or not; He shine His sun on good and evils. He did miracle to those e who thank Him and those who did not. As when he hailed the people who where sick of leprous and did not thank Him except the stranger.

He has said in the bible “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”Luk 6:35

I thank you God always for everything and in everything. I know that I there is no gift increasing unless there is no thanking as said by one of the fathers. I thank you and say with Job the good thanks we accept from God and the bad things we don’t. We take everything form your hand our master with gratitude as St. Paul said: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Php 4:6 We thank you because you know our needs and you treat us according to your goodness not according to our sins. You did good to us so we are happy we promise you that we will be always grateful praying as St. Paul said Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Col 4:2

Our gratitude will be coming right from our humble hearts not worthy to your blessings not like Pharisee who said “ God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” Luk 18:11

God Bless you

Fr. Youhanna Ghaly

Nov 2010