Thanksgiving Day
(Sirach 50:22-24; I Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19)
Several characteristic Christian themes converge in today’s
celebration of Thanksgiving. We give
thanks to God for all the good of creation.
Nature is abundant so that humans may have more than what is necessary
to survive. We also recognize how European
immigrants needed the assistance of native people to overcome the challenges of
settlement. Thanksgiving then represents
reconciliation among peoples, one of the great benefits of Christ.
A third characteristic of Thanksgiving is community. Thanksgiving alone would be almost
meaningless. We come together in love
with family and friends. We also
remember those who live in need, at least with our prayers and quite possibly
after some practical effort of support.
Although thanksgiving is not an expressly Christian feast,
we can hardly not show gratitude to God for giving us His Son, Jesus
Christ. He cleanses us of the desire to
eat and drink too much today. More than
that, he brings us the hope that that the joy and love we experience will be
multiplied innumerable times in eternal life.
Thursday of the
Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Four years ago, a man entered a religious goods store and committed horrible crimes. He sexually violated two women and killed one of them. The barbarism resembles the happenings which Jesus foresees in today’s gospel. He says that lawlessness and destruction will take place everywhere at the end of time.
In all likelihood the evangelist Luke embellished the prediction of Jesus with accounts of actual events. Not long before he wrote his gospel Roman troops decimated Jerusalem. They not only destroyed the Temple beyond hope of rebuilding but evidently ravaged the people. Such marauding is typical of foreign soldiers sent to punish a nation. It is no wonder then that the first reading describes the downfall of Rome in such graphic terms. “Babylon” is a code word for Rome since both were associated with extravagant hedonism. According to the reading, Rome is completely devastated. It is as if an earthquake swallowed up the city.
Both Luke and the author of Revelation mean to encourage Christians to live righteous lives. They see Jesus as coming to save his people when the situation becomes most desperate. He will recognize them by their courage to stand erect in hope of being rescued. The righteousness and courage which the Scriptures bespeak include efforts to build a society of justice. We cannot be able to eliminate all crime and misfortune in the world. But guided by the gospel and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can approximate the peace of the Kingdom of God.
