Here is a great and timely Doonsebury comic.
Giving thanks does not come naturally to humans. It is something that is learned. It is a social grace. This morning I was sitting in my room thinking of some of the things that happened the last couple of days and thinking how many times I forgot to say thank you. Now I have time to think how much I or the parish have benefited by somebody’s generosity or the well executed accomplishment of their job and so I am at least able to offer a prayer for them.
This time of year it is important to remember to be thankful for that which we often take for granted. A gentleman going in for surgery called this morning and said that his daughter actually beat him into the operating room with her own unexpected problem. So today I call to mind how grateful I am for what health I have. Every time I get a cold I think about how appreciative I am going to be when I can breathe properly again. What an absolute blessing that is. Yet after I wake up and think, “Wow, I can breathe again!” I go back to taking it as just the state of things.
Not too long ago I had some house guests. We were having dinner. Due to health problems some of the menu had to be modified. Even at that, one of the guests still needed to be excused for a few moments to attend to some personal health concerns. Again, what a gift it is (and it is ALL gift) not to have to worry too much about such things. But even if I did, we were able to enjoy a great meal together and had the means for each to eat as their body demands.
I often wish in the midst of such a meal that everyone in the world could experience such an evening at least once. That is a
form of thankfulness I suppose. And it is thankfulness that truly adds to the specialness of the experience: to be aware that it is all gift, to be cognizant of the fact that it need not be this way save for the grace of God, to know how rare, considering the rest of the world and history of man, our gathering at meals actually is. It is mind blowing.
That is not to say we should be dower in enjoying our opportunities to feast as we do at Thanksgiving. In fact, I think after remembering how thankful we should be we should make effort to pay attention and truly enjoy ever moment, taste, smell, sight, every contact with our brothers and sisters so as to not waste a moment of this overwhelming grace. Don’t squander a morsel of it! “Remember the poor starving children in (insert whatever you may have been told here” is a good saying. Not in order to force you to shove down your throat more food than you could care to eat, but to remember that this meal and the safety and warmth of the place in which you eat it is a rare bird in deed and to enjoy the experience down to the very marrow of it so as to express your understanding that you are so very blessed.
Giving thanks does not come naturally to humans. It is something that is learned. It is a social grace. This morning I was sitting in my room thinking of some of the things that happened the last couple of days and thinking how many times I forgot to say thank you. Now I have time to think how much I or the parish have benefited by somebody’s generosity or the well executed accomplishment of their job and so I am at least able to offer a prayer for them.
This time of year it is important to remember to be thankful for that which we often take for granted. A gentleman going in for surgery called this morning and said that his daughter actually beat him into the operating room with her own unexpected problem. So today I call to mind how grateful I am for what health I have. Every time I get a cold I think about how appreciative I am going to be when I can breathe properly again. What an absolute blessing that is. Yet after I wake up and think, “Wow, I can breathe again!” I go back to taking it as just the state of things.
Not too long ago I had some house guests. We were having dinner. Due to health problems some of the menu had to be modified. Even at that, one of the guests still needed to be excused for a few moments to attend to some personal health concerns. Again, what a gift it is (and it is ALL gift) not to have to worry too much about such things. But even if I did, we were able to enjoy a great meal together and had the means for each to eat as their body demands.
I often wish in the midst of such a meal that everyone in the world could experience such an evening at least once. That is a
form of thankfulness I suppose. And it is thankfulness that truly adds to the specialness of the experience: to be aware that it is all gift, to be cognizant of the fact that it need not be this way save for the grace of God, to know how rare, considering the rest of the world and history of man, our gathering at meals actually is. It is mind blowing.That is not to say we should be dower in enjoying our opportunities to feast as we do at Thanksgiving. In fact, I think after remembering how thankful we should be we should make effort to pay attention and truly enjoy ever moment, taste, smell, sight, every contact with our brothers and sisters so as to not waste a moment of this overwhelming grace. Don’t squander a morsel of it! “Remember the poor starving children in (insert whatever you may have been told here” is a good saying. Not in order to force you to shove down your throat more food than you could care to eat, but to remember that this meal and the safety and warmth of the place in which you eat it is a rare bird in deed and to enjoy the experience down to the very marrow of it so as to express your understanding that you are so very blessed.
2 comments:
Do you mean Archbishop Niederauer?
Niedemeier is the character in Animal House - I understand the archbishop has a great sense of humor so he may get a kick out of it.
"..to remember that this meal and the safety and warmth of the place in which you eat it is a rare bird in deed and to enjoy the experience down to the very marrow of it so as to express your understanding that you are so very blessed." Amen.
Fr. V., you must be thankful to be so tall --you can eat lots yet not have to worry about your tummy or your backside needing to apply for its own zipcode.
Happy Thanksgiving Day, all.
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