Thanksgiving Letter from Bishop Lynne

Meister Eckhart was a Dominican Priest and Spiritual Teacher 1220-1368 in Germany and France.

 A Thanksgiving message from Archbishop Lynne McNaughton
October 11, 2024
Dear People of the Diocese of Kootenay,
May you have a joyous celebration of Harvest Thanksgiving this weekend!  Thanksgiving for a Christian is of course not for just a day but a whole life-long continuous attitude towards God, living in acknowledgment of our dependence on Creator for the gift of life itself, as well as the astounding abundance and beauty that surrounds us, for grace and forgiveness and love,  community and solitude, health and bodies, meaningful work and time for rest and leisure…. Make long lists of thanks, daily and minute by minute.  As I slowly recover from Covid, I still have no sense of taste or smell, so I am aware in a startling way of the sad danger of taking things for granted  (as Joni Mitchell sings  “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone).  I am suddenly grateful for textures of food, crunch, smooth, creamy, chewy….  And lemon juice which I can taste today!  Now for pumpkin pie and whipped cream next.I am preparing to preach at the opening of Clergy Conference in Sorrento next Tuesday.  October 15 is the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Avila.  One of the things she suggests about prayer is that she thanks God for all the things she does not own!   This is an interesting angle to add to our thanksgiving prayers.May your gratitude spill out in generosity, a special thanksgiving offering to your parish, to your local food bank,  to PWRDF for emergency aid to Gaza and Lebanon, to a visit to a friend in a care home.  I thank God for each of you and your faithful service in Jesus’ name.Blessings,Yours in Christ,+Lynne