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Giving Thanks for Those Who Witness Through Their Lives

November 18, 2024

From the Office for Social Ministry

“Gratitude, the ability to give thanks, helps us appreciate the presence in our lives of the God who is love and to recognize the importance of others, overcoming the dissatisfaction and indifference that disfigure our hearts.” ~ Pope Francis, homily during the canonization of missionary St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini.

For Catholics, every November begins with the celebration of All Saints Day honoring persons who inspire us to live our faith. In Hawaii we remember the missionary saints, Fr. Damien and Mother Marianne. Another missionary saint is Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, known as the “Father of Migrants.”  A 19th-century Italian bishop, Scalabrini was dedicated to serving the needs of marginalized migrants. During Scalabrini’s canonization, Pope Francis praised him for “giving thanks” for migrants, quoting the saint saying “precisely because of the migrations imposed by persecutions, the Church pressed beyond the confines of and of Israel, and became ‘catholic’ thanks to the migrations of our own days, the Church can be an instrument of peace and of communion among peoples.”

This year at the conclusion of their annual November meeting, US bishops echoed this “saintly” message by giving thanks for and testifying to the positive impact of migrants.  “From the founding of our nation, immigrants have been essential to this society’s growth and prosperity. They come to our shores as strangers, drawn by the promises this land offers, and they become Americans. They continue to provide food security, health services, and many other essential skills that support our prosperous nation. Together, we must speak out on behalf of the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” and ask our government to provide fair and humane treatment for our beloved immigrant brothers and sisters.”

Pope Francis also often draws attention to modern-day martyrs who gave thanks for and testified to their faith by sacrificing their lives in service with the vulnerable. In September, after his Angelus prayer, he expressed sorrow over the death of Juan López, a Catholic catechist (Delegate of the Word) and environmental activist in Honduras who was shot and killed for speaking out against destructive mining practices and river pollution causing forced migration in his country. “I join in the grief of that Church, and condemn every form of violence,” Pope Francis said. “I am close to all those who see their elementary rights violated, and to those who work for the common good in response to the cry of the poor and the earth.” A month later, the pontiff prayed for Fr. Marcelo Pérez of Chiapas, Mexico,” a zealous servant of the Gospel” and peace advocate who spoke out against the cartel violence and land disputes destroying homelands of Mexico’s migrating indigenous populations. “May his sacrifice, like that of other priests killed for their fidelity to the ministry, be a seed of peace and Christian life.” Both Juan López and Fr. Marcelo Pérez were killed leaving liturgical services they were leading in their local communities, celebrating the Eucharist—a word that literally means “giving thanks.” Their lives offer a profound reminder of the Greek word “martyr” which means “witness.” These witnesses testify to a faith unafraid to challenge the powers of the world, inspiring us to care for people and the earth.

A new book, Ecomartyrdom in the Americas: Living and Dying for Our Common Home, focuses on how faith challenges all to "re-imagine and re-embody the relationship between human beings and the earth." The book documents that modern martyrs are emerging from those who risk their lives to protect the planet. According to a recent Global Witness report, at least 196 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2023, and many, 49% of them, were Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants. These figures reveal a harsh truth: as people strive to protect their homes, communities, and environment, they literally risk and lose their lives. Their courage echoes the faith of saints and martyrs who stood firm in becoming witnesses for justice and peace.

As we gather with loved ones this holiday season to share the blessings in lives, let’s remember to give thanks for our ancestors including martyrs who witnessed to their faith by giving their lives. To learn more about how our Catholic faith connects “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor,” please read Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home and explore living faith in action resources on the Vatican’s website www.humandevelopment.va. This Thanksgiving let’s also take to heart Pope Francis's words on “gratitude” when he’s canonizing saints: “It is essential to thank the Lord each day and to thank one another. In our families, for the little gifts we receive daily and so often do not even think about. In the places we spend our days, for the many services which we enjoy and for all those people who support us. In our Christian communities, for the love of God that we experience in the closeness of our brothers and sisters who, often silently, pray, sacrifice, suffer and journey with us.” Let’s give thanks for all the saints who work for justice, peace and care of our common home. Mahalo.