Harvest thanksgiving is one of the three Feasts God commanded His people to observe annually in His honour: “Three times each year, you shall celebrate a feast in my honour. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as I commanded you, and eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for it was then that you left Egypt. 

And do not come into my presence empty-handed. You shall keep the feast of the Harvest with the first-fruits of what you sowed in your fields. You shall keep the feast of ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labour from the fields” (Exodus 23:14-16). The first feast, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was in commemoration of their departure from Egypt after hundreds of years in captivity. 

The second was Harvest Feast, to be marked with the first-fruits of their labour in the fields. This was a special opportunity to thank God for His enduring mercies. The third feast of ingathering was used to mark the end of the year. Of these three, Harvest Thanksgiving remains one of the best sustained traditions of the Catholic Church from time immemorial. 

Ingratitude is one of the sins deplored by Jesus Christ. “Were not ten made clean? And so where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17), Jesus queried the only leper, a Samaritan for that matter, who returned to give thanks to Jesus after discovering that he had been made whole.

Jesus was disappointed that it was only the stranger who showed gratitude at the miraculous healing. “Rise up, go forth. For your faith has saved you” (Luke 17:19), Jesus told the foreigner. From this statement, one can deduce that the other nine lepers might have suffered a relapse afterwards, since they did not demonstrate complete faith as the one leper did. “One of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth are guilty today is the sin of ingratitude” says Elder Lloyd P. George, a notable North American preacher who died on May 13, 1996, at the age of 75. 

Indeed, gratitude tends to be taken for granted today even among individuals in their daily interaction. After all, what has he or she done that nobody has not done before? we hear people say.

Harvest Thanksgiving offers worshippers the opportunity to express gratitude to God for His innumerable blessings all through the year, and to present their tokens to the Lord. The pattern of celebration varies from parish to parish, but there are common features of processional thanksgiving, usually in groups, and harvest sales and bazaar at the end of the Mass. 

In many parishes, there can be as many as three Harvest Thanksgiving Masses at different times in the year: Children Harvest, Youth Harvest, and Adult Harvest, in that order. Each is usually handled by the same committee but with different chairpersons to coordinate the different Harvests. The Bazaar is usually chaired by an invited personality who is fairly well endowed, and capable of galvanizing substantial financial support for the sales and pledges. 

The sole aim of Harvest Thanksgiving is to raise substantial funds for different Church projects, as the parish continues to grow. There is never an end to the growth of any parish, both in terms of membership, and the provision of facilities. A lot of fun is provided for children during their Harvest, including play things such as bouncy castle.

But Harvest Thanksgiving must be celebrated in the true spirit of love, forgiveness, and oneness. Jesus Christ was quite emphatic on this point. “Therefore, if you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there, before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then you may approach and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). 

In other words, your gifts will not be found acceptable before God who sees all hearts, if you are harbouring a grudge or ill will against your brother or sister. So, the best thing to do before the Harvest Day is to forgive all forgivables, and maintain a pure heart to enable God feel favourably disposed towards your gifts. 

The Lord’s Prayer has made it abundantly clear that you should not expect God to forgive you your sins if you fail to forgive your brother or sister who has wronged you. If you keep faithfully to this injunction, then you will have no difficulty in presenting your gifts to God on the day of Harvest. 

Harvest time is not a time for ostentatious display and pretentious pledges. Harvest Committees often find themselves chasing pledges and bazaar debtors for months on end after the Harvest Thanksgiving. They should henceforth refrain from so doing, beyond merely reminding the debtors to do the needful.

Let those who feel comfortable owing God carry on and face the consequences. It is advisable to pledge or purchase bazaar items strictly within your capacity. The worst thing anybody can do to himself or herself is to owe God, because it is God you are owing if you fail to fulfil your self-imposed financial obligation at Harvest.

This is one of the greatest sources of unanswered prayers, because the debt stands as a barrier between God and yourself. It is much better not to owe God at all; but if you must owe, clear your debt voluntarily and without delay. 

Some even have the appalling habit of piling up harvest debts from year to year. Remember that God never forgets, and He keeps accurate records! Harvest Thanksgiving is the occasion when we offer our hearts to God in total gratitude and submission, and we should do this in the right spirit.