Thanksgiving For the Goodness of America, Prayer for her Future

America is an idea worth fighting and dying for. And I am proud that Catholics have been an important part of this great nation from its beginning

Thanksgiving Day was officially made a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, while our country was in the midst of the Civil War.  During his proclamation address he said, "It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people."

P>KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - The "First Thanksgiving Day" was celebrated by the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in the early 1600's. Although they were accustomed to thanksgiving celebrations, the specific purpose of this "First Thanksgiving Day" celebration was to thank God for helping them survive their first New England winter.

Thanksgiving Day was officially made a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln about 240 years later in 1863, while our country was in the midst of the Civil War. During his proclamation address he said, "It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people."

How far we have come since then. Today, some people want to suppress the religious significance associated with Thanksgiving Day, and they feel that President Lincoln's words are improper due to their religious content. In addition, some people want to suppress the truth about America's goodness. We see evidence of this in the media and in schools (primary through college level) where our children are being taught that America is a bad country. But this Thanksgiving my thoughts are about the goodness that made this country great.

It is right for us to admit our failures, but much of the criticism toward America is exaggerated or untrue. While Americans have made mistakes and done some things that were wrong, America has been a powerful force for good within its own borders and throughout the world since its inception. There are many examples. I will mention a few that have special meaning for me.

The founding fathers of our country have had their reputations and accomplishments dragged through the mud in recent years; however, I believe they gave us a system of government that unleashed freedom upon the citizens of this nation unlike anything ever done before. And this system was grounded in an accurate understanding of human nature. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church "Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude" (1731).

This unique system was "cemented" in the Constitution of the United States.  Although not perfect, I believe that our Constitution is the greatest political document ever written. But even greater than our system of government is the American understanding that the rights of the people are of divine origin, that is, from God not man. We read in the Declaration of Independence ". . .  that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

This accomplishment, which took centuries to achieve, was great because it reflected a fundamental truth about human society. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "There is a certain resemblance between the union of the divine persons and the fraternity that men are to establish among themselves. . . " (1878). We need society. It is a function of our nature as human persons. We develop our potential through social exchange, dialogue and service with each other.

However, socialization can threaten personal freedom and initiative due to excessive intervention by the state. The principle of subsidiarity says that ". . . a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it. . ." (CCC 1883). Even though limited and imperfect, the separation of powers within our federal government depicted in our Constitution and the autonomy of the states are an amazing application of the principle of subsidiarity.

America's goodness is not only inherent in its founding ideas, I believe America has also extended its goodness around the world in ways unlike any other country. There are many outstanding examples of American goodwill toward its international neighbors. For instance, America has given an unprecedented amount of aid to over 100 countries in the world. This aid has been in the form of technical, material and financial assistance. By far, most of America's financial assistance has been in the form of outright gifts. America has even shown incomparable Christian goodwill to its former enemies.

After World War II, Germany and Japan were reduced to rubble. We helped them institute democratic governments and sweeping social and economic reforms. For instance, in Japan under General MacArthur's leadership, the status of the emperor's divine origin was rejected, and civil liberties similar to our own were granted to the people. Today, both Germany and Japan are free and sovereign. They are also world powers and respected members of the international community.

America is an idea worth fighting and dying for. And I am proud that Catholics have been an important part of this great nation from its beginning. The colonization of America followed its discovery by a Catholic, Christopher Columbus, whose expedition was financed by Catholic Spain. Then came the Spanish missionaries. However, it was European Protestants who colonized and forged the original thirteen colonies into one nation. But two Catholics, Daniel Carroll and Thomas Fitzsimmons, were members of the Continental Congress and helped frame our Constitution.

Catholics also contributed to America by establishing schools and promoting first rate education. Saint John Neumann is especially noted for this. He is the first Bishop to organize a Catholic school system in this country. He is credited with building approximately 100 schools throughout the Diocese of Philadelphia. Catholics have also built the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the country. And Catholic Charities is one of the largest and most trusted nonprofit providers of social services in America.

In the early days, Catholics only constituted a small percentage of the population. Our population increased through the acquisition of territories from Catholic Spain, Mexico and France. Then there was an explosion of growth in the 19th and 20th centuries due to the immigration of German, Irish and Hispanic Catholics. Today, Catholics are the largest single religious denomination in the country, almost 22 percent of the population, and America has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world. And Catholics occupy leadership positions in just about every field of endeavor imaginable.

Plus we have a growing list of American saints: Frances Xavier Cabrini, Jean de Lalande, Damien De Veuster, Katharine Drexel, Rose Philippine Duchesne, René Goupil, Mother Théodore Guérin, Isaac Jogues, John Neumann, and Elizabeth Ann Seton. Through the intercession of our saints, we pray for the protection and well being of America, and we give thanks to Almighty God for her goodness and her greatness. May God bless America! Let us pray for her future on this day when we stop to give thanks.
 
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Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

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