Some questions about Thanksgiving (holiday in the US)

[ag11]

From a Catholic point of view…

1. Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday?
2. In the US this holiday is celebrated by almost everyone. I know it’s not a Church feast day or anything like that, but we are supposed to “give thanks” on this holiday. If it’s a secular holiday like some claim, who are we giving the “thanks” to?
3. If it’s to God that we are expressing our thanks, then shouldn’t it be a religious holiday?
4. And if it is a religious holiday and not a Church holiday, then how can Catholics celebrate it (secularly / religiously)?
5. Also some claim that the pilgrims were anti-Catholic and we should not celebrate it…while others claim it was a Native American (Squanto) that was a Catholic convert that helped save the pilgrims and therefore a thanksgiving feast was had so it’s ok for us to celebrate this event

What are your thoughts and opinions? Thanks

 

[bisco]

give thanks to God my friend! always and everywhere. for most, it is a day (or two) off from work. for many, it is a time to spend with family. for atheists, it is a time to give thanks to government and science. for us, it is a time to give thanks to God, even though we thank Him everyday, for life, for blessings, for His Son, for our church, for our salvation! God bless, and happy thanksgiving. (if you want the scoop on the origins, wiki is your friend.)

 

[bisco]

1. no
2. God, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. (another thing to give thanks for)
3. no, we give thanks to God everyday, but everyday is not a religious holiday.
4. not
5. disregard unfounded claims, feel free to celebrate. or not.

 

[Bonnie]

4 - We celebrate the 4th of July & it’s purely secular.

5 - If you Google Thanksgiving you’ll find there were quite a few “Days of Thanksgiving” declared over the years. It wasn’t until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln set aside one day every year for Thanksgiving. If you read the Proclamation, you’ll find it is quite Christian. The more secular aspects came in later.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

#5: The “Pilgrims” were all about “freedom to worship” - THEIR WAY. They were against the established Anglican (Church of England) way of practice, and abhorred “papists” and Jews - which is why Rhode Island became a haven for those. The idea of freedom of religion as we know it today would have been considered an outrage by them and an offense to their idea of God. None of which is a reason to not observe Thanksgiving today.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

We will have a tri-lingual [English, Spanish and Vietnamese] mass with an over-filled church. After mass the Vietnamese will give away about a thousand loves of French Bread which have been blessed at the mass so that everyone will all have blessed food at their dinner.

 

[bisco]

beautiful!

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation:

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

 

[JimR-OCDS]

1. Also some claim that the pilgrims were anti-Catholic and we should not celebrate it…while others claim it was a Native American (Squanto) that was a Catholic convert that helped save the pilgrims and therefore a thanksgiving feast was had so it’s ok for us to celebrate this event

The Pilgrims, in fact most of England at the time, were indeed anti-Catholic. But the Pilgrims were a Separatist group which wanted nothing to do with the Church of England. Prior to coming to the New World, they had lived for 12 years in Holland, which was tolerant of other religious beliefs. However, they saw that their children were slowly becoming Dutch and if they stayed there, would lose their English identity. So, they chose to leave and come to the New World.

However, the Thanksgiving the Pilgrims celebrated was far different than what we celebrate today. They gave thanks to God for their survival the first year, but it wasn’t an annual event. The Pilgrims gave thanks to God year round. They did not celebrate Christmas, for this was a Catholic invention and the Bible never mentions celebrating the birth of Christ.

Squanto was not Catholic, but did speak English. He was kidnapped by a fishing vessel and brought to England. However, he managed to escape and made it to Spain where a Catholic Monastery of English monks, who were living there in exile, took him in. They taught him how to speak English and worked to get him back to his native land, They eventually found a Dutch(I could be wrong on the nationality here) fishing vessel which the monks got Squanto passage on, and they dropped him off on the coast of Maine. He made his way down to Plymouth, where his tribal village had already been wiped out due to sickness and he found the Pilgrims, who had begun to build their plantation there.

Squanto was the bridge between the Pilgrims and the local native tribes. He was their translator.

However, knowing the power he had, he tried to create a conflict between the Massachusetts Indians and the Narragansett in an attempt to set himself up as head Sachem of the both tribes. His plot was exposed by the Pilgrims and Massasoit, head of the Narragansett’s wanted the Pilgrims to hand him over to be killed. However, he was too valuable to the Pilgrims so they kept him out of reach for Massasoit.

A good book on the story is “Mayflower,” by Nathaniel Philbrick. He leaves no stone uncovered in his research and takes you from Holland all the way through the Indian Wars.

Jim

 

[CyrilSebastian]

The first general day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by President George Washington, who at the request of Congress recommended Thursday, November 26, 1789, to the people of the United States as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many favors of Almighty God.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be– That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions– to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

FYI, during the Great Depression, FDR, in an an attempt to help the economy, moved Thanksgiving to one week before the traditional date. He even broadcast from the WH, their family dinner being celebrated the week before.

However, Americans overwhelmingly rejected moving the date and celebrated on the last Thursday of November, as it was traditionally done.

Today, it wouldn’t matter as retailers are constantly trying to force their employees to work on Thanksgiving Day and younger Americans don’t care much for tradition.

Once we lose it, we’ll never get it back.

Christmas is also under assault and that will be lost one day as well.

Jim

 

[mexolic]

Does it really make a difference? If society looks at Thanksgiving Day as secular, why should it change the way Catholics celebrate it? Just like Christmas. It’s celebrated both as secular and religiously. Regardless of how a particular holiday is celebrated, we as Catholics know how important it is to keep God in Christmas and Thanksgiving.

 

[tawny]

I have always celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a Mass, to give thanks to God for all the blessings bestowed upon me, my family & my country.