# Prayer of Thanksgiving
*2011-11-20*

> Bill Young shares a beautiful Thanksgiving prayer by Walter Rauschenbusch, inviting listeners to give thanks for creation and to keep their hearts open to God’s glory.

## Opening

Good morning. This is Bill Young, and welcome to the 207th episode of Catholic Podcast Ministries, Prayer and Lunch. Today is Thanksgiving, and we have much to be grateful for.

## The Prayer of Thanksgiving

Oh God, we thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun; for the salt, the sea, and the running water; for the everlasting hills and the never‑resting winds; for the trees and the common grass underfoot. We thank you for our senses, by which we hear the songs of the birds, see the splendors of the summer fields, and taste the fruits of autumn. We rejoice in the feel of the snow and smell the breath of spring. Grant us hearts wide open to all these beauties, and save our souls from blindness that would make us pass unseeing, even when the common thorn bush is aflame with your glory. Oh God, our Creator, who reigns forever and ever. Amen.

## Closing Thought

May we carry this gratitude into the rest of the day, sharing God’s love with those around us.

*A thankful heart keeps us aware of God’s presence in every aspect of creation.*