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9th Sunday in Luke 2007 Thanksgiving Sunday "Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus." 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 Thursday as we know, is Thanksgiving Day. While it is not on the roster of Holy Days, which we celebrate, nonetheless it is religious in its core, in that it was established as a formal Day of Gratitude to the Giver of all Gifts. However, as with all Holidays, commercialism overshadows the meaning and the purpose of the Holy Days. A generation or so ago, it used to be, that we waited for Thanksgiving, then the flood of advertisements for Christmas and the decorations of the stores would begin. Not anymore. Christmas materials, trees, decorations and the like, began to appear as early as September. We are literally deluged by the Media, which has brainwashed our society, to its detriment. So, Thanksgiving today has been intertwined commercially with Christmas, although the merchandising is different. Our daily papers this month, will not let people forget to buy their Turkey, and all the trimmings that go with the sumptuous table. It all began with the Pilgrims almost 400 years ago. Having suffered much during the first years, the Pilgrims not even having enough food, they also lost more than half of their relatives and friends. For this reason, over the years, on Thanksgiving Day, they used to place 5 grains of corn on each plate, as a vivid commemoration, of what their folks went through, during that first disastrous winter. I wonder though, how many of the U.S. Families will relate to our Forefathers' tragic year, and how earnestly they will thank God, especially on this Day of Thanksgiving? In the fullness of our overabundant living, it would be so beneficial to have a reminder, comparable to what the Pilgrims had. I wonder though, how many Christians sitting at the Thanksgiving Table, in giving thanks, will make mention of those noble souls. The classical and so full of sentiments and instructions, are the very words of St. Paul's 1St Epistle to the Thessalonians, Chapter 5:16-18. "Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus." What uplifting and saving words. If only we could give these words substance, our happiness would be sealed, even if we were chained down by some human suffering. By giving thanks to God, we separate ourselves from the materialists, who live only for this world. By sheer coincidence, a prime example of a person, who lived only for this world, was the central theme of today's Gospel Lesson. One year this person's farms yielded such an overabundance, that he was faced with a great problem. Not for one moment did he even think to share some of the abundance with his many servants. But self-centered as he was, he figured out the solution. He would demolish his smaller barns and build greater ones, in which he would store his earthly goods, and then would say: "soul, you have many goods to last for many years. Therefore, eat, drink and be merry." But, that very night happily lying in bed thinking of his good fortune, he hears a voice through his conscience: "You rich fool; this night your soul is demanded of you. And all your fortune, for whom will it be?" This is the dialogue he had with himself. How selfish and self sufficient such people are! How opposite of the human spectrum they are, and surely they do not conform with the words of the Psalmist: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name." (Psalm 103:1) It is very natural for people to have dialogues with themselves. Will we have a personal dialogue on Thanksgiving Day? What will it be? Will we initiate this dialogue by saying: "Eat, drink and be merry?" Or, will we call upon our soul to bless the Lord for His Goodness, repeating the words of the Psalmist: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name." Each Thanksgiving Day, we recall the history of our Nation, and we have the opportunity to re-appreciate the heritage received from our Forefathers. It also offers an opportunity to meditate; that is, to think, and by thinking we come to thank. In meditation we see the power and providence of God in seven wonders: "the sky, the earth, the water, the vegetation, the moon, sun and stars, the sea, and most assuredly the gift of life." It is no wonder that the Psalmist in exultation said: "You are Great O Lord, and marvelous are Your works, for there are no words sufficient to describe and praise Your wonders!" The 150 Psalms of David are an inexhaustible source of praises to Almighty God for as many reasons as could be found. Our memory and our mind help us in our meditation, but it is the heart, which exults. The heart exults in the mercy of God, which we learn from so many of the Psalms. Thanksgiving Day is an opportunity to crystallize our thoughts, and submit ourselves to memory, to meditation and to the heart's emotions. This was emphasized by the Psalmist in the 33rd and 34th verse of Psalm 104, when he declared: I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praises to my God, as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the Lord!" But, the praises of our memory, for our mind , and for our heart, are not for the Day alone---but for our lifetime, ---as long as we live! For us Orthodox Christians, from the Day the Church was founded on the Day of the Pentecost, we don't have to wait once a year to thank God for His Blessings. The Lord commissioned His Apostles to go and preach the fulfillment of religion to all the Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything, He had commanded, and that He would be with us, even until the end of the world. (Matthew 28:19-20) In order that He would always be with us, He instituted the Sacrament of "The Holy Eucharist," or, as we know it, the Divine Liturgy. Each Sunday and on any weekday Liturgy, the Lord is the One who offers, and is offered, so that all may be united with Him. The word "Eucharist" is the Greek word for "Thanks." Orthodoxy demonstrates the genuine definition of thanksgiving in the Divine Liturgy. It is in the Liturgy, that thanksgiving is not only a commemoration, but our redeeming Lord's Body and Blood which we receive in gratitude, through Holy Communion. In closing, I would like to share a few thoughts by an unknown writer, in order to appreciate even more, the spirit of the day. It is titled "Thanksgiving Thought" When lengthening shadows fall across the day, and the peace of night blots out the weary way, somehow, as inner vision clears the mind, we glimpse the truth, to which we oft are blind. The things that really count, are things we cannot possibly count What value shall we place upon a smile, that lifts the heart, and makes our life worth while? And, what shall be the measure of a friend, in whom our daily joys and sorrows blend? How can you count those little unremembered acts of kindness and of love ---how do you get the facts about such things as courage, faith and hope, for lack of which we stumble, fall and grope? We cannot estimate the values, sound and true, that we receive each day, the whole year through. So, for the many blessings brought our way, our grateful thoughts center on this Thanksgiving Day --- the things that really count, are things we cannot possibly count. Amen. + Fr. George Papadeas
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