Fr. Oligschlaeger: Gratitude perpetuates joy, vanquishes fear
Being grateful builds up and strengthens the joy that Jesus wants all people to have.
That joy chases away fear and allows people to offer themselves fully back to God.
“Jesus has given us all that we need to live a joyful life here on earth so that we may share the selfless love of God with others with no strings attached,” Father Greg Oligschlaeger proclaimed at the Boonslick Ministerial Alliance’s 2025 Ecumenical Community Thanksgiving Service.
Held on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day in the Nelson Memorial United Methodist Church in Boonville, the event brought together about 60 people representing 12 ecclesial communities to praise and thank God with one voice.
Fr. Oligschlaeger, pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul Parish in Boonville and St. Joseph Parish in Pilot Grove, was chosen to give the message at this year’s event.
“Gratitude helps us to love God and our neighbor, as the greatest commandment tells us to do,” he stated.
He acknowledged the difficulty in this era of giving thanks and at the same time being truly grateful.
He drew a parallel to the 10 people with leprosy whom Jesus healed in Luke 17:11-19.
Leprosy at that time was not only a horrible and disfiguring disease, it also meant being completely cut off from family and the community.
In healing the lepers, Jesus helped restore them to their rightful place in society.
They had acknowledged Jesus as master and begged him for mercy. In response, he told them to “go show yourself to the priests.”
They were made clean and whole on their way to the Temple.
“Understandably, nine continued on,” Fr. Oligschlaeger noted. “They didn’t want to disobey Jesus, they didn’t want the miracle to go away.”
Some of them might have been shouting, “Praise God!” and “Thank you, Jesus!” all the way to the Temple to meet with the priests.
“They had to be thankful,” the priest stated, “but they did not SHOW gratitude.”
Only one — who was a Samaritan, making him a double outcast — ran back, threw himself down before the Lord and worshipped and thanked him.
That’s what gratitude looks like.
Stronger than fear
Fr. Oligschlaeger cautioned against only giving thanks for what one has or how that benefits oneself. Jesus wants all people to give themselves wholly back to him in gratitude for living, regardless of whether they feel “blessed.”
“God created us in such a way that an attitude of gratitude can actually chase away our fears,” the priest noted.
He pointed to neurological studies showing that anxiety and fear activate the part of the brain that perceives immanent threats, “while gratitude activates areas associated with calm, peace and joy, making it difficult for both states to exist at the same time in that part of the brain.”
“The more one practices gratitude, the stronger these positive neural pathways become, making it easier to access the feelings of gratitude and calm,” Fr. Oligschlaeger noted.
The human brain cannot simultaneously hold intense feeling of both fear and gratitude, so gratitude has the power to push fear out of the brain.
“Practicing gratitude activates the brain’s region associated with positive emotions and reduces activity in the area responsible for fear and stress responses,” he said. “This makes a person more resilient to fear, stress and anxiety.”
Faithful followers of Christ trust that God only wants what’s best for them.
“Unlike Adam and Eve, who wanted to become LIKE God, a grateful child of God truly appreciates the many talents one has received from God and shares those gifts,” said Fr. Oligschlaeger.
That appreciation leads to trust and faith and a belief that God is never outdone in generosity, giving the conviction to proclaim as the prophet Joshua did in Chapter 24 of the book bearing his name: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
“Let us all share the blessings and grace God has lavished upon us, so that others will come to know the love of God,” Fr. Oligschlaeger exhorted.
Lastly, he urged everyone spending time with relatives and loved ones to cultivate a grateful attitude that breaks down divisions by focusing on neighbor before self.
“Let us choose to bear with one another, and forgive one another, as the Lord has forgiven us,” he said, echoing St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.
“Each day, we are compelled to choose to put on for all to see, self-giving love that is the divine gift of charity,” he said.
Many local ministerial alliances organize ecumenical Thanksgiving prayer services in the days leading up the holiday as a chance to pray as one faith community and take up an offering for local people in need.
These services are a long-standing tradition in many parts of the diocese and offer a rare opportunity to gather, share Scripture, sing and pray united with members of other Christian congregations.
