Prayer for the World November 26, 2025

Thanksgiving

Introduction

Our Prayer for the World this week will focus on Thanksgiving.  As we celebrate our National Holiday tomorrow, it is fitting to offer prayers of gratitude and petition. We will begin with a song of “grateful praise!”

Song:  For the Beauty of the Earth, Mormon Tabernacle Choir

https://youtu.be/6BPq3sJa-FA?si=yxjfIG86yq2fkWmn 

For the Beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies:

(Refrain) Lord of all, to you we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour, of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flow’r, sun and moon, and stars of light: (Refrain)

For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth and friends above; for all gentle thoughts and mild:  (Refrain)

For Reflection

Let us ponder the act of giving thanks.  How is it that we as a Nation have a special day dedicated to thanks-giving?

In 1789, George Washington declared Thursday, November 26, a Thanksgiving holiday, but only for that year.  It was President Lincoln that later declared it an annual Holiday on the 4^th Thursday of November.  For Washington it was intended as, and I quote, “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of the great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that is, or that will be.”

Ilia Delio shares this observation about St. Francis’ attitude of thanksgiving:  Because he encountered the manifold gifts of God in the everyday experiences of life, Francis lived with a deep sense of gratitude. 

Gratitude, for Pope Francis, should lead to action, prompting Christians to serve the Lord, care for others, and build a more inclusive community.

And so we look forward to gathering around the table to share God’s gifts and celebrate God’s goodness with a deep sense of gratitude. 

Quiet Reflection and Prayer

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Petition

Aware of our Creator God’s generous blessings and of the many needs in our world, we pray:

In gratitude for God’s loving care, we pray that God will continue to guide Pope Leo XIV in his efforts to awaken all to the needs of the poor and marginalized in our midst, especially today, we pray:

In gratitude for our Country and all our elected officials, that they may be mindful of the welfare of Planet Earth and all who call it home, we pray:

In gratitude for family and friends and for their needs, we pray:

In gratitude for the food we share around our tables and for those who provide and prepare it through their labors, we pray:

In gratitude for all our Sisters, family members and friends who have gone before us, that God might grant them fullness of life in his loving presence, we pray:

Quiet Reflection and Prayer

Song:  For the Beauty of the Earth