True Thanksgiving

The prayers and good wishes I received on the occasion of my nomination and blessing as abbot were truly overwhelming. I wish everyone could have a similar experience. When so many people think of you, send you good thoughts, and pray for you, it gives you incredible strength and support. Ultimately, this support comes from God, but it is conveyed through people, through friends. What if we could do this more often, pray for each other together?

At the same time, I felt the need to thank God and people. I felt that so much had been given to me personally and to my community that words cannot express this gratitude. Nothing can equal what I owe to God and the people who prayed for us. In this respect, the liturgy helps enormously. The Psalms help because they express what we cannot find words for. Many of them speak of the goodness of the Lord and sing of gratitude. They speak of sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

Nevertheless, I felt guilty because I did not sense that I was responding appropriately to what I had received. My ego was simply too small to take it all in, and too small to praise God and thank him for everything. But there was one consolation: that is why Jesus Christ came into the world. He is the true thanksgiving for us. He is the spotless sacrifice to God. Since we humans were unable to give God what we owed him, he sent his Son, who, as both man and God, was able to “give back” what was necessary, with his entire life. He redeemed what needed to be redeemed. This happens in the Holy Eucharist. Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” Jesus gives himself to the Father for us. Because our sacrifices and our thanks are not great enough, not pure enough, not adequate enough—they never will be, they will never suffice—he does it for us. He expects nothing in return. Only that we remember him and celebrate it: “Do this in memory of me.”

Dear Lord, there is so much for which we can be thankful. We have received so much from you. How wonderful it is that you pray for us. You are the true high priest. God, your Father, has accepted your sacrifice of thanksgiving. We are now reconciled with you. We no longer need to feel guilty. Your pure grace has given us all this. And it continues to do so.