Thanksgiving

On Thursday we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It officially was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War, even though it had been celebrated earlier than that. It is a day in which we give thanks for the many things that we have been given. Sometimes we want to ask ourselves, “What is there to give thanks for?” especially this year! This year is different; when I hear this phrase, I often am reminded of the questions that are asked at a Passover celebration by the youngest son, “what makes this night different than any other night?” In the Passover celebration, the father answers the questions with the story about the passing over from the slavery of Egypt into the promised land. We can even relate to the plagues that helped to bring about the freedom of the Jewish people from Pharaoh.

Yes, this year is different, it is a challenging one in so many different ways. We have had to cancel many of the things that we really enjoy, and even had to be separated from the reception of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and some are still separated at this time. We have seen the devastating effects of this illness, not just those who have gotten sick from it, but the other effects. The physical effects are obvious, but there are also many more. When you also pair it with a very divided, brutal, and angry election season, it makes it even more challenging. One of the more difficult things that I have seen are the moods of people, I so many times catch myself saying that I am tired when someone asks me how I am doing. I have heard a number of times how tensions are high and people are finding it easy to snap at other people, my sisters were talking about some of their conversations in their jobs. I myself have gotten a number of people angry about something going on in the parish. Masks or no masks, more singing or less, Democrat or Republican, sports or no sports, the list can go on and on.

So again, with this year being the way it is, what is there to be thankful for? In one of my favorite movies Pollyanna, there is a line that is credited to Abraham Lincoln, “When you look for the bad in people, you will surely find it.” We can do that as well when we apply it to everything else, even 2020. In our world, there are bad things that happen, but there are also good things as well. We can choose to focus only on the bad things that are happening and let it take our joy away, or we can be reminded of the good things as well. The main thing that we can focus on that is good is that no matter what happens, God will always be there for us, even if we do not feel him. So, take some time this week to be thankful for the gifts that God continually gives us in our lives, and let his joy and peace flow through us.

God bless,
Fr. Ken