FIVE PSALMS TO GET YOUR HEART FIT FOR THANKSGIVING

It’s no accident that National Bible Week coincides with Thanksgiving. Its roots are in the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, when radio reports of the attack were alternated with Scripture readings to encourage the nation. Later, FDR proclaimed the week of Thanksgiving to be National Bible Week for all America, in gratitude to the Lord. Since then, every US President has followed suit. 2019 is the 78^th year we have thus thanked God for the gift of his Word.

In honor of that, and in light of Thanksgiving this Thursday, I offer a different thanksgiving psalm to pray each day during the week.

A thankful heart is a powerful antidote to discouragement and fear as well as to self-seeking, self-indulgence, self-pity, self-[fill in the blank]. It’s not easy to be thankful when we’re not, but the Psalms show us how to get there. When we pray them intentionally, the Psalms lift our hearts from wherever they are stuck and open them up to God. If you can make the effort to offer thanks and praise, your heart will follow and be filled with joy.

5 THANKSGIVING PSALMS TO PRAY THIS WEEK

This Thanksgiving week, let’s set our focus where it belongs: in giving thanks. Here are five psalms to help you do that with, and a hymn of praise to close out the week before turning to our own “official” Thanksgiving feast, the Mass (Eucharistia is Greek for thanksgiving).

Read these Psalms on your own, or join me here on facebook if you want to share your thoughts each day:

Monday: Psalm 100
Tuesday: Psalm 107
Wednesday: Psalm 118
Thursday: Psalm 138
Friday: Psalm 136
Saturday: the Te Deum (learn about and read it here)

ENTHRONE THE BIBLE IN YOUR HOME

Another way to celebrate this week of the Bible is to enthrone the Bible in your home or family. Here are some simple guidelines from the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops: