Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Fr. Chuck's Column, November 18, 2018


This weekend we have our display and observance of Kristallnacht, and this Thursday we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is an interesting juxtaposition of these two events: one a sobering reminder of humanity’s inhumanity (and also the power to persevere and survive) and the other a reminder and call to gratitude and thankfulness. All in one week!
There is again, unfortunately, rising strife and dissention in our world today. We see it all over the globe, and we see it in our own homes. How many of us, as we gather at the table to celebrate Thanksgiving, will scrupulously avoid any mention of politics and pray silently that our relatives do likewise? We don’t want to spoil our family gathering with a political argument!
However, it is important that we embrace the truth. That is why we dredge up memories, terrible memories, of events like Kristallnacht, racial lynchings, gulags, the rape of Nanking, numerous genocides, and many other terrible blights on human history. We remember in order to strengthen our resolve to work so that these horrors will not be visited again on the human family.
This task is enormous and endless. We will fight this battle all of our lives. Where do we get strength to do this? Well, that is why we also celebrate Thanksgiving. Gratitude is a strength that helps us to not turn away from the unpleasantness of life but to keep working to heal it.
For Christians, Thanksgiving has special meaning. Eucharist comes from the Greek word meaning to give thanks. Our central ceremony, the mystery which binds us together as the Body of Christ and gives us hope, is at its root an act of giving thanks. Jesus at the Last Supper faced some pretty stark and ugly realities. He knew what would happen to Him, that His followers and friends would both desert and deny Him, that He would be unjustly condemned, tortured, and killed. And what He chose to do in that situation was an act of thanksgiving, of eucharist. That was certainly bold.
We draw our strength for the struggle, and it is no sham fight, from the Eucharist. It can empower us to forgive, to strive to understand those who differ with us, to proclaim the truth we see fearlessly but without shaming or putting down others. Eucharist is our strength.
I invite you to join us this Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. when we as St. Austin Catholic Parish celebrate Thanksgiving. All are welcome.


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