THE PRAYER OF

THANKSGIVING
Even in times of distress we are called to be thankful.

2023, September 06
Group #3
OVERVIEW

Thanksgiving prayers are expressions of gratitude and thankfulness

offered to a higher power or the universe, typically during the
Thanksgiving holiday, to acknowledge blessings, abundance, and the
joys of life.

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PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
• encourage us to be grateful for God's manifold benefits, both spiritual and temporal, and to
acknowledge and appreciate all that He has given us.
• Reserve some time to praise and thank Him for His gifts, such as the gift of life, the gift of our
families and friends, the gift of charisms and vocation, the gift of food, clothing, and shelter, and
the numerous other gifts we often take for granted.
• helps us form a true spirit of gratitude for our Lord and in our daily lives
• It can be a spontaneous “Thank God!” after receiving good news following a difficult time or a
formal prayer such as Grace before Meals."

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PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
• According to the Catholic Church's Catechism, "every event and need can become an
offering of thanksgiving."
• Prayers of thanksgiving can be specifically related to an answered prayer or an
unexpectedly good outcome.
• Finding the positive in every circumstance and thanking God for it helps strengthen
individuals who are going through difficult times.
• Gratitude prayers improve our humility by reminding us over and over that we can't (and
don't) get through life without God's support.

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PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
• An expression of thankfulness and appreciation to God for His favors and provisions is a prayer of
thanksgiving. It is a method of thanking God for being kind and obedient in our lives. Giving gratitude
is primarily done to glorify God and recognize Him as the source of everything that we have. Because
God commands us to give thanks, it is necessary to express our gratitude in prayer. There are many
different types of Thanksgiving prayers, such as straightforward thanksgiving prayers, prayers for
healing, and Catholic prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Thanksgiving prayers have the capacity to
alter our attitude toward life and perspective.

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PHILIPPIANS 4:6

• (4)Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (5)Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (6) Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

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PURPOSE OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS
To give honor to God. To show our dependence on God.
• This is the primary purpose of thanksgiving—to • When we are grateful and thankful to
acknowledge that God is God and that He has God we show to Him and to the world
supplied us with all we have. Psalms 100:3-4 says that we are dependent on Him and that
it well: we desire to stay in that humble place
• Know that the Lord, He is God; of dependence, love, and trust.
• It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
• We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
• 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
• And into His courts with praise.
• Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

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PURPOSE OF THANKSGIVING PRAYERS

To aid us in prayer.
• Thanksgiving helps us praise God because as we give thanks to Him, He
works in our hearts to bring our inner thanksgiving to overflow into praise.
Similar to this, the more we are grateful to God for His kindness toward us,
the more we will recognize His goodness toward all of His creation, and our
gratitude will then develop into praise.

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IMPORTANCE FOR THE PRAYER OF
THANKSGIVING:

• Remind us of the origins of the day and • Acknowledges the blessing we have
bring us closer to God received

• Thanksgiving in prayer will help preserve us both from selfish

requests and from anxiety. Thanksgiving in prayer acknowledges
the blessings we have received, but it doesn’t stop there; it also
gives thanks for answered prayer in the blessing of others.

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1 THESSALONIANS 1:2-3

• We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,
3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.

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WHERE DO WE SEE THIS IN THE
MASS?
• Prayers of thanksgiving are a significant portion of the Mass, which is referred
to as "Eucharist because it is an action of thanksgiving to God" (CCC, No.
1328). During Mass, we praise God in the Gloria: "We give you thanks for your
great glory," and in the response after the readings and dismissal rite: "Thanks
be to God." The celebrant tells us in the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, "Let
us give thanks to the Lord our God."

• QUOTATION: “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to

thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.”

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WHERE DO WE SEE THIS IN THE MASS?

• In the Catholic Mass, prayers of thanksgiving can be found in various parts of the liturgy, including the
Eucharistic Prayer, the Prayer of the Faithful, and the Responsorial Ps During the Eucharistic Prayer,
the priest offers thanks to God for the gift of salvation and for the bread and wine that will become the
body and blood of Christ. The Prayer of the Faithful also includes petitions of thanksgiving for God's
blessings and provision. The Responsorial Psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving that is sung or recited by
the congregation in response to the first reading. Additionally, after receiving the Eucharist, Catholics
may offer a prayer of thanksgiving, such as the "Thanksgiving Prayer after Mass," which expresses
gratitude for the gift of the Eucharist and asks for the grace to live a holy life.

• QUOTATION: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were
called to peace. And be thankful."

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
• Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good, and his love endures forever.
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
—Psalm 100:4-5

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
2. Celebrate the Feast of Thanksgiving

Lord God,
Our hearts are crowded with gratitude
as we celebrate the feast of Thanksgiving.
We have come to this our feasting table
with great joy and eagerness,
for we are truly grateful to you, our God,
for all that we have been given.
We pause now and, in silent prayer,
I do thank you for the great generosity of Your gifts.
—Edward Hays
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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
3. Glorify Him with Thanksgiving

I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.
—Psalm 69:30

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
4. Thankful for His Good Gifts

Most Gracious and All-wise God, Before whose face the generations
rise and fall; Thou in whom we live, move, and have our being. We
thank thee [for] all of thy good and gracious gifts: for life and for
health; for food and for raiment; for the beauties of nature and the love
of human nature.
—Martin Luther King Jr.

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
5. Thankful for the Day

O Thou, whose hand hath brought us

Unto this joyful day,
Accept our glad thanksgiving,
And listen as we pray.
—Frederick W. Goadby

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
6. Thank You, Lord, for Food and Friends

We thank you, Lord, for food and friends, and for all of the joy this
holiday lends. It's Thanksgiving Day and we can see the blessings
you've provided our family. Thanks to you, Lord, for another good
year; When you watch over us, there's nothing to fear.
—Karl Fuchs

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
7. Thankful for Love and Mercy

Lord, how can we ever thank You enough? You endured more pain,
more shame, more sorrow, more grief than we can possibly fathom.
Help us remember why You gave Your life. Because of love. Because
of mercy. Because we desperately need them both. In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
– Liz Curtis Higgs

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
8. Prayer of Thanks

O, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.
We thank thee for health and remember the sick. We thank thee for
friends and remember the friendless. We thank thee for freedom and
remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service,
that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.
—Abigail van Buren

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
9. A Prayer for Thanksgiving
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home; For the wide sky and the blessed sun, for
the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills and the never-resting winds, for
trees and the common grass underfoot. We thank you for our senses by which we hear the
songs of birds, and see the splendor of the summer fields, and taste of the autumn fruits,
and rejoice in the feel of the snow, and smell the breath of the spring. Grant us a heart
wide open to all this beauty, and save our souls from being so blind that we pass unseeing
when even the common thornbush is aflame with your glory. O God our creator, Who
lives and reigns for ever and ever.
—Walter Rauschenbusch

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EXAMPLES OF THANKSGIVING
PRAYERS:
10. Our Father in Heaven
Our Father in Heaven, we give thanks for the pleasure of gathering together for this
occasion. We give thanks for this food prepared by loving hands. We give thanks for life,
the freedom to enjoy it all, and all other blessings. As we partake of this food, we pray for
health and strength to carry on and try to live as You would have us. This we ask in the
name of Christ, Our Heavenly Father.
—Harry Jewell

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THANK YOU

FOR
LISTENING
• SERRANO, DIANNA
• DOMINGO, NICA
• VILLAMOR, MICHAEL
• MOLA, JANN
• SALANG, JEA
• SANCHEZ, JEANAY LYN
• PEREZ, FRENZDHIO

2023, September 06