The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us.  Psalm 67

Jesus said to the crowd, "Avoid greed in all its forms. 
You may be wealthy, but your possessions do not guarantee you life."  Luke 12

Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God!
It is right to give God thanks and praise!  The Eucharistic Prayer - opening dialogue.

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation!  For it is from your goodness that we have the fruit of the earth, and the work of human hands to offer to you in Thanksgiving.

Dear Lord, we have so many reasons to give you thanks today.  On this Thanksgiving, after September 11th, we have so many more reasons to be grateful.  You have shown us that you alone can redeem any tragedy, any evil, with your gifts of grace.  On this special day, it is truly right and just for us to give you thanks and praise.

First of all, we give you thanks for the marvelous gift of creation itself.  Thank you for the incredible diversity of gifts you have made - from the dawn that thrills us each morning to the mysteries yet to be discovered.  Thank you for the gift of life that you have given to each of us. 

Thank you for the gift of faith - for the wonderful way you let us know you and your love for us.  Thank you for your generous and faithful involvement in human history, by calling a people to yourself and by becoming one of us.  Jesus walked this earth, experienced our journey, showed us how to love, and finally fell into your loving hands, that we might know the forgiveness of our sins and the fullness of life with you forever.

Thank you for the gift of Church - the People of God - that we might be called together and sent forth by your own Spirit.  Thank you for the tremendous variety of gifts you call forth for ministry and service for one another and for all who share a common dignity as children of God.  Thank you for the powerful witnesses you have inspired, throughout the ages and even in our time - those who have lived lives of dedicated fidelity and those who have shed their blood to be seeds for our faith and courage.

Thank you for our families, loved ones, neighbors and friends.  You have blessed us with a particular history and wonderfully gifted journey on which to know, love and serve you.  Thank you for those who have helped us know love, and for those precious ones you give us, who depend upon our love.

Thank you for this nation, and the rich blessing of being able to enjoy the cherished freedoms of religion and speech.  We thank you for those who have gone before us, envisioning a land that would work for "liberty and justice for all," and for those who have served and paid the ultimate price to preserve and defend that vision.

In a special way today, we thank you for what you have inspired in us since September 11th.  We have experienced a tremendous tragedy, that not only shocked us but which shook the very foundations of our sense of security in our land.  Through the blessings of your grace, we have come to recognize our solidarity with victims of terror and violence all over the world.  We have seen ourselves as a more united nation and been inspired by profound signs of heroism, self-sacrifice and generosity.  With a greater sense of our poverty and powerlessness as a nation, we can more consciously say, "in God we trust."

On this day we give you thanks for these and all your blessings to us, we ask you with special desire for the gift of peace.  May we work for justice in our land and around the world, that peace might have a chance, that no grievance will have to lead anyone to resort to terror again.  As you heal our wounds, let us be wounded healers, deeply sensitive to our role as a nation in healing terrible wounds around the world we may have had a role in causing.  May we protect the dignity of human life in our land, and be guided by that commitment in all our policies around the world.

"We thank you, Father, for your blessings in the past
   and all that, with your help, we must achieve.
   And so, with hearts full of love,
   we join the angels today and every day of our lives,
   to sing your glory in a hymn of endless praise:"

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
   Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
   Hosanna in the highest.