Every Thanksgiving, we remember the American tradition of thanking the Lord for all His gifts. We always thank Him for friends, family, jobs, health and other “good” things. It is only right to do so.

This year, I see a lot of discouragement and anxiety about the economy, about losing jobs and possibly having to do without what we have become accustomed to. That is understandable, but are we in danger of losing perspective? Let me explain.

Years ago, as is the usual custom of our Archdiocese, a priest friend of mine was transferred from one parish to another. He was very popular, and on his last Sunday at the old parish, it was obvious that the congregation was sad. There were tears, expressions of regret and my friend was just as sad leaving behind a beloved congregation. He gave an outstanding “farewell sermon” and concluded with this sentence: “To all of you who have been a thorn in my side, ‘thank you’ and to all of you for whom I have been a thorn in your side ‘you are welcome’.” Needless to say, this brought the house down.

But with that sentence, he was also making an important statement: we usually only give thanks for what we like, for what is pleasant, for what is easy, for what we want. We forget that our greatest growth in holiness, our greatest achievements, our most meaningful victories are made possible by the tough times, the hardest challenges, the least favorite events. Think about it a moment: remember the time that you struggled and strived to understand calculus, algebra, grammar … you name it, when you would much rather have been outdoors playing with your friends, or watching a movie, or anything else? But you kept going and finally broke through and mastered a subject that seemed invincible. Weren’t you proud of your success? It is the victory over tough challenges that makes us better individuals.

Tough times, difficult chores, challenging adversities are not pleasant, nor do we look for them, but when we overcome them we become holier, better people. It is the same with the spiritual challenges that God puts in our lives to make us holier individuals. We may grumble and fuss and ask God “why me?” but when, with His grace and His guiding hand, we achieve a small victory over our sinfulness, we look back with gratitude.

This year I propose that we add something new to our Thanksgiving list: in addition to thanking the Lord for our families, friends, jobs and health, let’s add at least one item that is making us anxious, that is forcing us to re-evaluate our lives and our priorities. We may not like them, but they are also gifts from God; gifts that will make us better persons and holier people, if we just welcome them in a spirit of gratitude and humility.