God’s Good Gifts
By John Graveline, Director of Parish Life
November 30, 2025
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to God, bless God’s name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” –Psalm 100:4-5
Today we celebrate both Thanksgiving weekend and the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year 2026.
Over the past liturgical year, we have mostly heard the Gospel of Luke proclaimed at Mass. The main key to understanding the message of Luke’s Gospel is his emphasis on the necessity of humility to understanding Jesus—his birth, his preaching and ministry, and his death and resurrection. Therefore, if we want to follow in his footsteps as his disciples, we can only do so by following his example of humble, obedient service. Mary exemplifies this humble obedience when the angel Gabriel asked her to become the mother of the Savior. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) We see the humble obedience of Jesus most clearly in his acceptance of his Cross. “He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:8-9)
Two attitudes that can block Christian humility are when we believe that our ideas or plans are better than God’s wise plan and when we believe that we can save ourselves through worldly education or putting our trust in political leaders or ideologies. The former attitude can lead us to become obsessed with control and safety. In Luke’s sequel to his Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles, he demonstrates the amazing fruitfulness that can happen when Christians open themselves completely to the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. The first Christians were not overly preoccupied with their safety but became ready to put their lives and deaths to the service of God’s mission. The latter attitude can tempt us to use coercive means to achieve our good ends. If we believe that human salvation comes from our own wisdom or willpower (which we rigorously impose on ourselves or on others), we subtly make ourselves into our own saviors who do not need the grace of God. We may ultimately lose patience with the gentle work of the Holy Spirit and become the monsters that we are trying to oppose.
The attitudes that can deepen our Christian humility are the openhearted receptiveness and gratitude that are at the root of authentic stewardship. When we cultivate the attitude that everything is God’s good gift, God’s grace can begin to transform our lives. We move from a mind-set of acquisition, consumption, and scarcity toward one of thanksgiving, development, and sharing. Our thanksgiving displaces us out of the competitive “rat race” where there is no such thing as “enough” and into a peaceful kingdom where we find satisfaction in God’s loving care for ourselves and our world, working in communion with all people to bring about integral fulfilment for all of God’s people and creation. This is why taking time out this holiday weekend to cultivate thanksgiving is so important for each of us personally, for us as a parish, and for us as a nation.
“I thank God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”
–Philippians 1:3-4
Putting this attitude into practice, I must recognize with gratitude all the blessings of this past year. God has blessed this parish family abundantly, and I give praise and thanks to God for his loving care for us. I also thank each of you. Together, we have stewarded God’s gifts to fruitful increase, striving in prayer and labor to discern the Holy Spirit’s plan for us and to follow it. We have begun many new initiatives aimed at inviting people to enter into a deeper relationship with God in our parish community (evangelization). I am grateful for our parish staff, who pour themselves out in humble service to God’s people. Please thank our dedicated staff members when you see them. I am so grateful to our volunteers, who have dedicated so much time and talent to inviting all who encounter our parish into a deeper communion of love with God and neighbor. I am grateful to everyone who has supported our parish and our charitable outreach ministries financially over the past year. In God’s hands, your gifts have definitely been multiplied to bless many, many people over the past year! I truly feel that every day is a gift here at Assumption.
As we begin our new liturgical year today and prepare for the culmination of this Jubilee Year of Hope at Christmas, may we take the experiences and lessons of the past year and bring a renewed attitude of humility and thanksgiving to whatever mission the Holy Spirit will lead us into in the year to come!
John