So Much to be Thankful For; Be the Light
November 21, 2018
So here we are on the eve of yet another Thanksgiving. A day that is clearly an Americana celebration initiated by George Washington in 1789 to commemorate the victory of the Revolutionary War and the Ratification of our enduring Constitution. The actual holiday we celebrate was declared such by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 to be on the last Thursday of November with Congress later declaring it the 4th Thursday of that month in 1941, where it has remained ever since. It is a day like no other set aside to give thanks to God for all this nation has been blessed with. (A national holiday that oddly enough Thomas Jefferson refused to endorse, for fear it would breach the separation of a state imposed religious worship on the people…thank God we followed the lead of Washington and Lincoln on this one). Over the years the purpose of it has adjusted itself to not only thank God for the gift of a nation (like none other in human history), but also a time to celebrate the overall gifts in our lives that we all too often overlook and take for granted. A time to not only reset our priorities of what is important but also a time to see the importance of those around us. A time to celebrate the value and dignity of every human person.
Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of classic books like Treasure Island, spent his childhood in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 19th century. As a boy Stevenson was fixated each night on the old lamplighters who went with a ladder and the torch from light to light setting them ablaze for the night in order for people to see. His parents witnessed this excitement in him night after night but couldn’t understand why he was so engrossed in such a routine and simple task. One day his father approached and asked him “Robert why is it that you find such joy in what those men do” Without hesitation his enthusiasm came front and center and he said “Father look at what those men are doing; they are punching holes in the darkness”. With that, his parents never looked at that task the same. His father wept tears of joy that his young son was able to see a world where darkness was not the final word but rather man has the ability to punch those holes in that darkness. His son was not resigned to accept darkness as final, but rather something that can be overcome. So this Thanksgiving perhaps we all should take a lesson from that young boy and punch our own holes into the darkness. Perhaps we can be the ones who help others do the same and find ways to help them overcome their own darkness. Maybe be the ones who through decency and charity find ways to reach people who themselves feel so unloved and so unworthy that their own behavior leads them to self-destruction. Perhaps we overlook past transgressions and as St Francis taught “Seek to understand rather than seek to be understood”. I would dare to suggest that on this Thanksgiving part of being thankful is to also perform actions that illustrate our level of gratitude for the abundances we have in life.
I will wrap this by communicating a story of a priest we had in my parish who told the story of one late night he went for a long walk to clear his mind after an intense counseling session and stopped off to get a slice of pizza and a Coke from a new pizzeria in town. He decided to walk there and placed his order. He paid for his purchase and started to walk home with it all in his bag. As he was walking over the railroad tracks back to his rectory he spotted a man on the platform with his legs dangling over the tracks in the pitch black. The reflection of his shirt was the only thing visible. Something inside the priest told him to walk over and see if all was okay. He walked up to the man and saw he was sobbing. The priest sat down next to him and asked him if he would like to talk. He offered to share his pizza with the man. When he opened his pizza box there was somehow 2 slices in there. The priest thought to himself that this small gift was from God (He went back the next day to the pizzeria to pay for the extra slice he thought was given to him by mistake, but the owner told him it was no mistake and that his own father instructed him years ago that any man of God who comes in is to be given double of what he asks for, for you never know the need they will encounter in their mission). The pizza turned out to be the man’s favorite food and it helped start the conversation. This man on the tracks it turns out was a suicidal Iraqi war veteran suffering from PTSD, who was an alcoholic and addicted to pain medications. His family had disowned him and he was waiting to jump in front of the next train to stop the suffering. The priest and he moved off the platform and back on to a nearby bench where they talked for over 2 hours. A family that only saw the addiction and the rage never knew that this veteran was suffering mentally from combat where he felt such grief over the numerous lives he knows he took fighting. He felt guilt, shame, hurt and anger. He questioned his own value and the complete loss of control over his own life. By the grace of God, this man of God walked this wounded man back to the rectory and in the morning helped him enroll in the hospital for treatment and long overdue therapy. This soldier now is the lead counselor at a local hospital in Bethesda Maryland helping others who are suffering, as he did. Two men brought together by an act of Divine intervention, have punched holes in the darkness for each other and now for others. That suicidal man has since reconciled with his family. (In another sign from God it turns out the train that soldier was due to jump in front of was delayed by over 40 minutes, due to “debris on the tracks” at Jamaica Station. Had that not happened the outcome would most likely have been tragic. Miracles are all around, we just need to open our eyes to see.)
Pope John Paul II was asked once “Judas Iscariot’s greatest sin, was it the payment in silver for the life of a man or was it the actual betrayal of Jesus?” John Paul said “It was neither, rather it was the refusal of Judas to seek forgiveness for his actions. For had Judas gone to Christ, even as he led the soldiers to him, and asked him for forgiveness, Jesus would have granted it without hesitation. For if Jesus could forgive two thieves on alternating crosses at Golgotha would he not forgive the man he chose to be his disciple?” It’s a strong lesson to us all that no matter what the transgression, actions or words spoken against us, we all have an obligation to see past it and see the dignity of each person and forgive. That is what Thanksgiving should be about. To be truly thankful means to be truly willing to accept our mission in life and do unto others as Jesus instructed us all to do. We start to do that, this nation as well as our families start to heal. That would give us even more to be Thankful for…..
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Brian, I just had the chance to read this article tonight. What a beautifully written essay that I found to be so uplifting. Really a joy to read. Love and light to you, Michelle and Liam.