My loving greetings as we join in celebrating Thanksgiving—a heartwarming time when families, friends, and communities unite in expressing to God our gratitude for all He provides. Our very being is sustained by that One who vitalizes us through sunshine, food, and the air we breathe. It is He who has invested us with His intelligence and life and love, and has endowed our souls, created in His image, with every divine quality and practical ability we possess and utilize each day. Let us offer gratitude for those endowments, and pray for guidance to use them unselfishly and wisely.
Our national day of Thanksgiving was one of the spiritual customs that our guru Paramahansaji especially praised in America. Like the country’s Founding Fathers, he emphasized that this holiday is not merely a celebration of material bounty but of our irrevocable connection with the Divine Source of all good. During these times when so many in America and throughout the world are facing economic uncertainty, let us remember with faith that soul connection with our Eternal Benefactor—inwardly by prayerful expression of appreciation for His love in all we have been given, and outwardly by gratefully sharing with those less fortunate. Heartfelt gratitude to God instantly lifts our consciousness to a higher plane; and the more we remain in that consciousness, the more we feel the unshakable assurance of being loved, cared for, and protected by our Infinite Father-Mother-Friend-Beloved—no matter what challenges may confront us.
Prosperity—spiritual and material—flows into our lives in direct proportion to the degree that we live by divine laws. In my own meditations each day, I deeply pray that every citizen of this country, and of the world, would realize this inexorable truth. By bringing God-awareness into our hearts by meditation, and exemplifying His qualities in our daily lives, we help our nation and our world family return to the good-karma-creating embrace of godly principles.
Guruji wrote: “The earth would be a veritable heaven if nations as well as individuals would heed Jesus' admonition to make God the primary aim of life....National citizenry should subdue preoccupation with self-interest and learn to acquire wisdom, and to meditate and be in tune with the Infinite, so that they collectively feed the national soul with all-round happiness.” What a beautiful thought to add to our Thanksgiving traditions of sharing food with the needy and a special dinner with dear ones and friends!
Such love and appreciation fill this heart whenever I think of all the wonderful souls that make up our Guru’s divine family! He once said to Self-Realization Fellowship members who were meditating faithfully and deeply: “It is you, and souls like you, who are the real saviors of this country. By your devotion to God you bring blessings on your whole nation.” May you realize God's constant presence throughout this holiday season, and find special joy in sharing His love with all.
A happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!
Unceasing blessings,
Sri Daya Mata |
