FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART
OP / ED BY DR. ROBERT KENNEDY
Some time ago, I was browsing a few blogs and felt a profound sympathy as I read one confession that says, “Thanksgiving is one of the worst holidays our family has suffered through time and time again.” After telling of an initial incident on Thanksgiving, the blogger stated that each Thanksgiving, from one to the following, strange incidents ranging from petty inconveniences to significant catastrophes kept occurring.
For example, there was one year when the family oven only cooked half their turkey. One side of the range had stopped working, and while the turkey thawed on one side, it was frozen on the other. And for whatever reason, the entire oven caught on fire. Other freak incidents happened Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving until the family concluded it had become a pattern and maybe a curse. The blogger argued that maybe she was probably reading way too much into what was occurring, but each Thanksgiving, she faced the fear that it was to be “a cursed holiday.”
Of course, her blog kept me thinking, for I was sure that what the blogger identifies as the “cursed holiday” for her and her family is more typical than many would care to admit. Some persons have had death’s occurring on the evening or morning of Thanksgiving, along with other incidents that, time after time, upend their plans, and make them think that their Thanksgiving is a cursed holiday. As a result, instead of praising God and giving Thanks, they approach the day with a heart of grief and brokenness.
Some families break up before and at Thanksgiving and feel that if they went to a family gathering, they would carry too much anger, bitterness, guilt, and shame. Some go to their Thanksgiving gathering with sour faces, and as they stand apart, everyone can see that they are there but not there. Some have stayed away from the family gathering because they hear, “who is coming to dinner.”
In a Thanksgiving sermon, later published as an article, Msgr. Mannion, pastor emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul parish in Salt Lake City, noted that many approach Thanksgiving with a curse upon themselves. They curse themselves without even knowing it when they think, speak about, and evaluate their lives pessimistically. They argue that their personal history has been disastrous and meaningless. They say their present existence is pointless, valueless, and so on. But they put themselves into a hopeless and skeptical future, which is to say that they call a curse instead of a blessing on themselves.
The real point of Msgr Mannion (a point with which I strongly endorse) is that if we would have an attitude of blessing and thanksgiving and speak more of the blessings than the curses, we would be able to break those curses to which we often give so much attention at Thanksgiving and otherwise.
Here, Mannion argues that to have an attitude of blessing is to look at our past and recognize it as good and fruitful – despite the difficulties and failures. It is to look to the present and, without overlooking the shadow side, to remember it as worthwhile and creative. To bless is to look to the future and, despite our worries about it, have an attitude of hope and expectancy. (https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column/53953/thanksgiving-day-invites-a-generous-attitude-of-blessing)
The Apostle Paul reminds us, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)
Yes, many things that happen to us at Thanksgiving might fit the pattern of a Satanic attack – a curse. And those of us who claim the assurance of divine protection feel surprised. Sometimes we find that an arrow or a bullet that we hoped would pass lands upon our family or us. The arrows or bullets come at Thanksgiving time, and we wonder how this can be because the same thing happened the year before, last year, and the current year. Yes, there seems to be a pattern, we say. And it seems that God has been allowing it.
Well, while I might not be able to analyze and know the truth about your incident dogmatically, let me assure you that you can trust God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your understanding;In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6 NKJV)
God is watching, so, “In everything, give thanks.” The encouragement did not say for everything we are to give thanks, but “In everything, give thanks.” In reflecting on the phrase, Paul Tillich said, “There are no limits to situations in which to thank, but there are limits to things for which thanks can be expressed.”
And after cataloging some of the things for which we should not give thanks and those for which we need to be giving thanks, he makes this summation, “We can give thanks for our bodily and our mental powers, for the darkness of our unconsciousness, as well as the life of our consciousness, for the abundance of our nature and the creations of history, for everything that is, and manifest its power of being.” (Paul Tillich (1963), The Eternal Now, New York: Charles Schribner’s Sons, pp. 173-185.)
Let me encourage you to list the multiple things you need to give thanks for, then focus on whom you need to give thanks to. Remember, the Creator comes first. Also, remember all those who have brought blessings into your life. And bless those who have sought to curse you too. It is biblical, “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.” (Matthew 5:44)
And don’t forget that by blessings others and saying thanks to them, you will be transforming your own life. Because, as has been found, Thanksgiving is a medicine. It will bring joy into your soul, a bounce in your steps, and make you a delight to be around.
Give thanks. God can help you to break the curse. He can turn every curse into a blessing.
