Thanksgiving
On this day of gratitude and thanks, I, like millions of other Americans, will take a moment to reflect. Although Thanksgiving is acknowledged to be just that, a day of thanks, our increasingly secular society seems to be a little vague on the nature of the thanks that we are giving. While we can easily identify WHAT we are thankful for, it might be less clear to some as to whom we are giving thanks TO. Is it our government? Our economy? Our welfare state? Our 401K? Is it good genetic make up? Good fortune? Lady Luck? Is it our farmers? The local soup kitchen? Mr. Obama? Nancy Pelosi? Is it ANY of these?
No. It’s not, primarily. We may give thanks to all of the above in a fashion, but, in essence, we are giving thanks to God, our creator and sustainer. With the exception of the Native American faith, the Thanksgiving Holiday, per se, is not a part of the tradition of the world’s religions. Consequently, the holiday is viewed, by some, as secular. As such, it is in danger of being shorn of the religious feeling with which it began. Yes we give thanks for the harvest and for our livelihood and for our health and well being. But we should remember, as the Native American’s did, that our thanks is, ultimately, to God, from whom ALL blessings come. Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Amen.