Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios for Thanksgiving Day - November 22, 2018
We give thanks to God on this blessed day as we do and should on every day
for His gift of life. This is a day to reflect on the many aspects and
experiences of our lives for which we are grateful; but at the foundation
of all of this is life we have been given by God and our gratitude to Him
for what He has done for us. As we offer all honor and glory, we praise the
name of God with a song, and we magnify Him with thanksgiving (Psalm
69:30).
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Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios for Thanksgiving Day - November 23 2017
On this day of Thanksgiving we are blessed as Orthodox Christians to offer
gratitude to God, our Creator, who gives us life and has revealed His
amazing and transforming love for us. He is the source and foundation of
our thanksgiving, as we respond to His love and presence offering our
praise and adoration. Our worship affirms the words of the Psalmist as we
come into His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to Him
with songs of praise! (Psalm 95:2)
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Encyclical For Thanksgiving Day (11/24/2016)
The Thanksgiving holiday is a joyous day of celebrating the blessings of
life. Traditions connected to faith, family, and community have developed
in this country, affirming the importance of offering thanks to God for
these blessings and recognizing the many ways we are blessed by Him.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/26/2015)
However, we should also recognize that the act and attitude of thanksgiving
is also related to struggle and hardship. The first Thanksgiving, which
provided the origins of our national observance, followed an arduous and
costly journey to this land by the Pilgrims. To escape persecution, they
made a lengthy voyage to this continent, faced disease and death, and
attempted to establish a new home in very challenging physical and natural
conditions. Their survival of these hardships through faith and hope led
them in 1621 to offer thanksgiving to God for His amazing grace and
providence.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/27/2014)
These foundations of Thanksgiving Day, and its place within the history and
life of this nation as a regular observance have made this a holiday shared
by many as well as a time for families to gather in fellowship and
gratitude. The focus on giving thanks to God, the attitude of gratefulness
for the blessings in our lives, and the traditions centered upon the family
resonate with our emphasis on the family as a dwelling of Christ and a
witness of His Gospel.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/28/2013)
When we commune with Him and offer our prayers of thanksgiving for all that
He gives to us, we have no need for anxiety or worry. From day to day and
year to year the circumstances of our lives will change. Challenges will
come. Great joy and happiness will be experienced. Dear family members and
friends will leave this temporal life. New relationships will begin.
Through all of this, we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to have no
anxiety about anything because our trust is in our Creator and Redeemer.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/22/2012)
The vibrant tradition of the Thanksgiving holiday in this country is a
special opportunity for the Church to offer a witness of the priority of
thankfulness in our relationship with God and as a foundation for our lives
in this world. As Orthodox Christians we bring an offering of thanksgiving
to God when we gather for worship, praising and honoring Him as Creator,
Sustainer, and Redeemer. We commune with Him and express our faith in His
grace and power through our participation in the Holy Eucharist, an act of
thanksgiving for His mercy and salvation.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/24/2011)
On this blessed day of Thanksgiving, we are encouraged in the tradition of
this great national holiday to be thankful to God for His presence in our
lives and His abundant gifts to us. As Orthodox Christians this
gratefulness to God is something we share with all who celebrate this day.
It is also an attitude and manner of life that is presented in our worship
and in our relationships with others.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/25/2010)
On this national holiday of Thanksgiving, we are blessed with the
opportunity to gather with family and friends and observe a time of
gratitude for our lives, for the fruits of the earth, and for the grace of
God. As Orthodox Christians we know and affirm that this attitude of
thanksgiving is not just reserved for one day of the year, but it
characterizes the life in Christ each and every day. Giving thanks to God,
showing our gratitude to Him for His love, is both an act and an attitude
that offers a continuous witness to the world of the power of saving faith.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/26/2009)
This holiday, a traditional American day of thanksgiving to God, has been
celebrated for generations, through times of peace and security and in
times of great crisis and tragedy. Under all circumstances of life and at
all times, it has been a day that offers an enduring witness to the power
of thankfulness.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/27/2008)
Thanksgiving is an essential expression of our worship and prayer as
Orthodox Christians. When we gather in our parishes and when we direct our
minds and hearts toward God seeking His guidance, we offer our deepest
gratitude to Him for His love and the gift of salvation. We do this through
praise of His greatness, through words and exclamations of honor that
magnify His glory, and through actions of respect, which show the reverent
state of our hearts.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/22/2007)
I greet you in the love of Jesus Christ on the joyous occasion of our
national celebration of Thanksgiving. This is truly a beautiful national
holiday, for it presents us with an opportunity to come together as
families and communities in gratitude for the tremendous blessings that God
continually bestows upon us each and every day of our lives.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/23/2006)
I greet you in the love of our gracious God as we celebrate our national
holiday of Thanksgiving. As we come together as families, friends, and
communities from across the land on this wonderful day it is indeed
appropriate to feast with one another in a spirit of Christian gratitude;
for God has blessed us with gifts and treasures which we must never take
for granted.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/24/2005)
As we experience the beauty of the autumn season during these final months
of the year, we arrive at our national celebration of Thanksgiving, a
handsome occasion to thank God for the abundance of blessings that He
bestows upon us each and every day of our lives.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/25/2004)
It is the time of the year when we once again anticipate beautiful and
joyous gatherings with family and friends. We commemorate various holidays
and feasts with prayer, fellowship, and love, acknowledging the communal
bonds that we have in our homes and throughout this country.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/27/2003)
This month we celebrate Thanksgiving, a magnificent occasion when the
people of our country gather as families and as communities to thank God
for His tremendous blessings. Thanksgiving Day is a very important holiday
in that it is expressive of feelings and thoughts that acknowledge and
affirm God as the ultimate source of all goodness. Thus, Thanksgiving is
unique among our other national holidays, resonating very distinctly with
our Orthodox Christian theology.
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Thanksgiving Day Message to the Faithful (11/23/2000)
On this uplifiting day in this great land of America, the heart of the
nation beats with thanksgiving for the bounty of blessings bestowed upon
this country of faithful by the Almighty God. Across the land in towns and
villages, cities and municipalities, families and friends gather together
for meaningful rituals of celebration and praise acknowledging the One from
Whom all good things come.
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Encyclical for Thanksgiving Day (11/25/1999)
One of the finest American customs is the annual observance of Thanksgiving
Day. There is something special about this day which we set aside for
expressions of gratitude in our family gatherings. For the holiday of
Thanksgiving is more than a gracious acknowledgement of God’s bounties at
the close of the harvest: it is also a demonstration of our faith and hope
for the future, even in the face of the winter months ahead.
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