Thanksgiving Day Prayer
Updated: Oct 3
Thanksgiving Day in the United States falls on the fourth Thursday of November. For Catholics, gratitude is at the heart of the faith: the word Eucharist itself means thanksgiving, and every Mass is the Church's great act of thanks to the Father. St. Paul urged the first Christians, "In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Pray the psalm and the prayer below before the Thanksgiving meal, then say Grace Before Meals together. You might invite each person at the table to name one blessing from the past year. Because Thanksgiving falls just before Advent, it is also a good day to set out the Advent wreath.
The Prayer
A Psalm of Thanksgiving (Psalm 135)
Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Praise ye the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. Give glory to the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Thanksgiving Prayer for the Family Table
Almighty and ever-living God, every good thing we have comes from Your generous hand. On this day of Thanksgiving we thank You for life and faith, for family and friends, for the food on this table and the hands that prepared it, for our homes and our work, and for the freedom to worship You. We thank You for the blessings we notice and for the thousand hidden mercies we never see. Forgive us for the times we have taken Your goodness for granted. Open our eyes to those who are hungry, lonely, or grieving today, and make us generous toward them. Bless our country with justice and peace, and watch over all who travel to be with the people they love. Above all, we thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us and gives Himself to us in the Eucharist. Grant that our whole lives may become a hymn of thanks to You, until we sit down together at the banquet of heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Remember too the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose Magnificat is the Church's great song of thanks, and St. Joseph, who worked to put bread on the table at Nazareth.
See also: Grace Before Meals, Grace After Meals, Prayer of Thanksgiving for Benefits, Te Deum, Magnificat, Prayer for Our Country (Archbishop Carroll), and Advent Wreath Prayers.
About this prayer: The table prayer is not a traditional text. This is an original prayer written for Daily Catholic Prayers. The psalm verses are from the Douay-Rheims Bible (Psalm 135:1-3, 25-26; Psalm 136 in most modern Bibles), and the verse from St. Paul is from the same translation.
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