REVIEW #12: FORMED Now! -

The Spirituality of Thanksgiving 

This week across this great land we will celebrate Thanksgiving. While some may find it difficult to find things to be grateful for, I do believe there is much for which we can give thanks. And it’s true that this year may look different than every other year. We may not get to celebrate in the way we are accustomed. How are going to give thanks this year? What does this seemingly secular holiday off our faith?

In this short video, The Spirituality of Thanksgiving, Dr. Tim Gray helps us to understand the spiritual component to Thanksgiving. He goes on to explain that if we are looking for how to give thanks this year we could turn to the Psalms to find beautiful prayers of the thanksgiving to give us inspiration. Read my review of this video to see if it would be a good preparation for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Title

FORMED Now! - The Spirituality of Thanksgiving.

https://watch.formed.org/videos/spirituality-of-thanksgiving

Presenter

Dr. Tim Gray is the President of the Augustine Institute and a professor of Sacred Scripture.

Length 

About 18 minutes. 

Style of Content

• Formed NOW! is filmed on a set at the Augustine Institute. Dr. Gray speaks while seated without visual aid or additional video or images. 
• TBH - The video and sound are fine. The lighting on the set is pretty harsh, but it isn’t bothersome. Dr. Gray seems a bit weary and maybe that is okay. Maybe it is how many of us are feeling. Maybe this is the exact situation in which we need good counsel on how to be grateful. 

Content

Dr. Gray unpacks the theology and spirituality of Thanksgiving. He explains that Thanksgiving can be a particularly Catholic holiday in that the core of our prayer as a people of God is our prayers of thanksgiving. He goes on to explain the traditional Jewish prayers of thanksgiving. Dr. Gray invites his audience to live with a spirituality of thanksgiving. In addition, Dr. Gray walks through some Psalms from the Old Testament which are prayers of thanksgiving.

Why you should watch these videos

If you’d like to grow in your understanding of God’s presence on Thanksgiving, then you should check this out. If you are feeling like you need to grow in thanksgiving in general, this video may help you.

Why skip it

If you aren’t looking for a deeper Christian or Jewish understanding of thanksgiving, then you may want to skip this.