The First Catholic Thanksgiving? | On Gratitude & Our Heavenly Homeland

About this sermon

In this powerful Thanksgiving homily, we explore the true meaning of gratitude, not only in the blessings of family, food, and country, but in the deeper spiritual reality of our heavenly homeland. This sermon dives into: • The real earliest Thanksgivings in American history—Catholic Thanksgivings long before 1621 • How Spanish Catholic settlers and Native American converts celebrated the Eucharist in 1565 and 1598 • The surprising Catholic background of Squanto, the hero of the Plymouth Thanksgiving • How persecution shaped the Puritans—and also the Catholic martyrs of England • Why all earthly nations, even America, rise and fall… but the Kingdom of God endures forever • How to give thanks not only in prosperity but also in grief, loss, and suffering • The grace we receive from the sacraments as our “deed” to our heavenly homeland • Why our earthly life is only the pilgrim journey, a voyage toward the ultimate Thanksgiving in heaven This Thanksgiving reflection invites us to look beyond the table and traditions and instead lift our eyes to the eternal gifts God has given: grace, salvation, faith, and the promise of our heavenly patria. Whether you are celebrating joyfully or carrying heavy burdens this year, this homily will deepen your understanding of gratitude and remind you of the hope stored up for all who remain faithful. 0:00 – Opening remarks & welcoming families 0:06 – The challenge of keeping priorities on Thanksgiving 0:20 – Thanksgiving as one of the four ends of the Mass 1:01 – Expanding the “family history” of Thanksgiving 1:32 – Did Catholics celebrate Thanksgiving first? 1:48 – The first Catholic Thanksgiving in 1565 2:03 – The 1598 Texas Thanksgiving celebration 2:28 – Why the British narrative overshadowed earlier Catholic events 2:48 – Squanto’s surprising Catholic background 3:06 – The Puritans, persecution, and religious fragmentation 3:56 – Catholic martyrs under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I 4:42 – Fragmentation after breaking from the Church 4:50 – Transition to the spiritual meaning of Thanksgiving 5:16 – Reading from Revelation: the fall of earthly kingdoms 5:35 – The perspective of America’s short history 6:12 – All nations rise and fall, but heaven endures 6:45 – Giving thanks for eternal—not just temporal—gifts 7:18 – Gratitude during good times 7:20 – Gratitude in suffering, loneliness, or grief 7:52 – Grace as the pledge of our future glory 8:23 – Grace as the “deed” to our heavenly homeland 8:55 – Life as the pilgrim journey 9:16 – The ultimate Thanksgiving still awaits us in heaven 9:27 – St. John of the Cross on gratitude in adversity 9:49 – Final exhortation to give thanks in all circumstances 10:11 – Closing invocation For more please visit http://www.stacharlotte.com/341 & please say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.us/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Sensus Fidelium Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 #Catholic #Thanksgiving #Homily #Sermon #CatholicSermon #Christianity #Gratitude #CatholicHistory #ThanksgivingHistory #Faith #Grace #Revelation #TraditionalCatholic #ChristianSermon

Topics

• Gratitude
• Heaven & Eternity
• Thanksgiving