This year, amidst the toil and agony of an angry world, we have a great deal to be thankful for. In our house we have a new life (Josiah Anthony), we have a good new roof over our heads, food in the kitchen, friends who pray for us, opportunities to worship God in our faith, educating our six children at home, and one child who stood before God and the whole church this year to declare she stands with God in the Catholic faith as an adult.

In many parts of the world personally choosing to do any of those actions would result in arrest, "re-education", torture, confiscation of goods, violence going to and from the store, and of course even death. I can see what I am thankful for, and I am not blind to hidden dangers of ideologies which put man's scientific law over God's Natural Law. I am not blind to how selfishness causes people to cross six lanes of traffic at 75mph almost killing six people because you cannot be bothered to fix a wrong turn on our own, stealing millions from companies for your "salary" rather than building it up with good wages and local investment, how elected leaders can bankrupt a country by creating funny money to buy votes, and the danger of growing totalitarian socialism groups brought on through professors across our college campuses, and lack of good faith formation in the domestic church.

I've seen evil face to face in my life. I know the dangers of the world those threats alone provide. I wish everyone could. Maybe we would appreciate what a gift we throw away through drug use, oversexualizing everything, infidelity, shutting down life in our families, following Marx and other false God's, or a lack of the Fear of God

So I am thankful today for the gift of a loving wife and six children who will grace our table. I am thankful for the extended family, and adopted Army/Church family I'm graced with throughout the world. In this country we can still I can breathe, think, and fight for justice. I am also thankful for the gift God gives us to make that fight, and suffer the pains which will come from it. Nothing good ever comes without suffering, and suffering for justice allows the blood of the lamb to mingle with ours. This can save at least a little part of creation in place in time. (Well at least the saints say so...)

So today I hope we can all pray for thanksgiving for all the good we received. Then looking at where we stand, as leaders of our domestic churches, commit our families to proclaim, "As for me and my house we stand with God." Joshua 24:15