Sometimes giving thanks isn’t easy. For many, 2019 hasn’t been a year of remarkable import; the grueling pace of life and public attitude of conflict have seemingly joined together in an unholy matrimony, determined to steal the joy from situations at every turn. Political environments steal joy. Money woes steal joy. Uprooting and transplanting family steals joy. Cancer steals joy. With the multiple overwhelming outliers helicoptering everyday life, it’s hard to be thankful for anything, much less be joyful.
And yet, we have much for which to give thanks—as hard as it may be to recognize. Our lives are centrally focused most of the time—and not in a bad way—but in a ‘I have a family to take care of and bills to pay’ way. But were we to simply take a breath, look around, and engage with the world around us in intentional ways, we would experience the unbreakable force that is the human spirit. Globally, endeavors are underway to improve the quality of water, air and overall life for communities in need. Thanks be to God. Nationally, projects seeking to provide assistance to those in desperation are funded by volunteers’ time, talent and treasure. Thanks be to God. Locally, this church is attempting to make a difference in the lives of the community by feeding the hungry (Mobile Meals and the Advent Project), clothing the naked (giving coats and clothing to Skyline Ministries), tending the sick (taking food and medicine to the homebound), shielding the joyous (caring for our youth and giving them a hopeful lens through which to view the world), and growing with grace.
We have much for which to be thankful, if we simply focus on the ‘good’ of life occurring around us rather than fixating on the dreary, the dark, or the desolate. Despondency can take root if we are not watered by the hope that abounds in faith. All it takes is a little perspective to see that there are plenty of people in this world still fighting to respect the dignity of every human being and protect their neighbors by loving them as themselves. This Thanksgiving, choose hope. Choose to see the good in people, seek to find the commonality that bonds us as sisters and brothers of a beautifully dysfunctional yet loving family. Far more unites us than could ever separate us, all we have to do is keep running the race. When we’re tired, we can look to others around us for support—because we have a community for that. When we’re lonely, we can call on others for company—because we have a community for that. And when we feel like the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, we can remember that the world doesn’t have the final say—because no matter what happens, God’s community exists to thwart that.
Whatever is happening in your lives, good or ill, remember that you are loved. Pull your children, your mates, your families and friends, and even people you hardly know close and be thankful for them. Life can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be hopeless. Remember that you have been marked and sealed as Christ’s own forever, and that there are people in this community who will not let you fall because they love you, they’re thankful for you, and they will walk through fire with you if you simply reach out. And for those in times of joy, be ambassadors of thanksgiving. Allow your joy to infect those around you, to uplift those in despair. Practice resurrection. Practice Thanksgiving.
And Thanks be to God that we have one another to do so.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+