Amidst the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation to make Thursday of the last week of November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. By giving thanks to Almighty God the Creator for all the blessings given to the United States, President Lincoln thought to preserve the nation from a threat of Confederacy’s secession, because the blessings from God were given to both the Union and the Confederacy. As written by William Seward, Secretary of State, President Abraham Lincoln called all Americans to come together to thank and praise God in these words:
The
year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of
fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly
enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others
have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail
to penetrate and even soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the
ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
In
the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has
sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and provoke their aggressions,
peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws
have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in
the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly
contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful
diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to
the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the
ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron
and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than
heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that
has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country,
rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to
expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No
human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great
things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing
with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It
has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and
gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American
people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United
States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign
lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of
Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.
And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to
Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble
penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender
care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the
lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently
implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the
nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine
purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
It is noteworthy that the proclamation calls all
Americans to humble penitence for the nation’s perversity and disobedience, in
submitting to God’s tender mercy for healing from wounds of the division. As a
matter of fact, humility is an absolutely necessary condition not only for expressing
gratitude but also for contrition. The proclamation is, therefore, more than Thanksgiving.
It is a call for humility. Otherwise, nobody would genuinely have a sense of
gratitude and address thanksgiving.
In Christianity, humility is the primary virtue, as
St. Augustine has put it. It means that Christian faith is found upon humility.
And arrogance will pull us away from God, making us more susceptible to demonic
influence of Satan. The more affected by demon, the farther we drift from God.
Then our unity with each other and with God would be fizzled. The proclamation
reminds us that the same principle is applied to the national unity.
Thanksgiving is not just when everything is going in
our way. When we have things as we
desire, even those who have no faith can feel grateful. The question for the
faithful Christians is, “Do you feel grateful to God for His providence, even
life is difficult?” If we are humble, we do. We are always grateful and give
thanks to God no matter how much we have and no matter how our life’s
circumstances may turn.
So, Paul wrote to Christians in Thessalonica amidst their
persecution:
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who
are laboring among you and who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you, and
to show esteem for them with special love on account of their work. Be at peace
among yourselves.
We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,
cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one
returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good both for each other and
for all.
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In
all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ
Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise
prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every
kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22).
Upon acknowledging the hardship of the Thessalonian
Christians, Paul urges them to seek goodness in each other and avoid evil to
maintain peace and unity amidst tribulation. The bottom line is humility so
that the Thessalonians would not grieve the Holy Spirit – not offend God. This
way, they could keep their faith community impervious to Satan’s evil attacks
to divide and break. In this spiritual context, they could rejoice always, pray
unceasingly, give thanks to God in all circumstances.
The Gospel Acclamation Alleluia verse for Thanksgiving
Day Mass is:
In all circumstances, give thanks, this is
the will of God for you in Christ Jesus/ In
omnibus gratias agite: haec est enim voluntas Dei in Christo Iesu omnibus vobis (1
Thessalonians 5:18).
So, how do we recognize what we are grateful when life
is so difficult and even seems hopeless?
If you had no family to dine with for Thanksgiving
dinner….if you were homeless and had no place to go for Thanksgiving, would you
still give thanks to God and rejoice and pray? Or, would it make no sense to
you to rejoice, pray, and give thanks to God, when life had turned in such a
difficult way? If your sense of gratitude depends on your material possession and
comfort?
I wonder how many Christians ask such questions on
Thanksgiving Day, while enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with families and friends.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit, having mature
faith, enables us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks to God in all life
circumstances, especially during difficult times, as willed by Christ. This
way, we are always content no matter how much or less we have. So why do we
need to go crazy about Black Friday bargain sale, if we truly observe the
spirit of Thanksgiving Day, as proclaimed by President Lincoln, echoed by Paul’s
message to the Thessalonian Christians?
It makes no sense for faithful Christians, who truly
observe the Thanksgiving Day to go on shopping spree on the following day.
Those who become fanatic about Black Friday sales show their materialistic bent
in consumerism, if not necessarily gluttony.
Observing Thanksgiving Day is a reflection of our
gratitude, which is upon our humility. Through our humility, we submit
ourselves to God. And this is the essence of faith, which means “trust”. So,
David sung out of his humility and faithfulness to God:
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing
I lack (Psalm 23:1).
Humbly trusting in God’s lead and providence, David
found himself lacking nothing, therefore, wanting nothing, because he is
confident of God’s providence. There is a sense of security in God, and it is
peace (Psalm 23:4).
Perhaps, those who go on Black Friday shopping spree may
suffer from insecurity deep inside due to a lukewarm or immature faith, not
truly able to rejoice and give thanks for what they already have. And chances
are, they may tend to take things for granted, and therefore, are at risk of
sin of ingratitude. So the Gospel Reading of Thanksgiving Day Mass (Luke
17:11-19) admonishes our disposition quench the Holy Spirit by falling to sin
of ingratitude. In this Gospel Reading, ten lepers begged Jesus to heal, and
Jesus healed them all. But only one of them thanked him but the other nine
simply went away without expressing their gratitude.
Thanksgiving Day is a critical opportunity to examine ourselves for a hidden inclination to insatiably crave for more and to fall into sin of ingratitude. In fact, this vice is a root contributing factor for our conflicts in various ways, including a war. Therefore, as written by William Seward and proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln, we are to pause for a day to give thanks to God for what we have as a blessing and rejoice over it and pray over it together for peace and unity. The proclamation, indeed, bears the spirit of Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonian Christians to persevere the persecution without having the Holy Spirit grieved and their unity fizzled, by rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks all the time.
Let us not forget, giving thanks to God is also giving
our praises to Him. That is why the proclamation says, not just “Thanksgiving
Day” or “Day of Thanksgiving’, but a day
of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens, as reflected in the First Reading of
Thanksgiving Day Mass (Sirach 50:22-24).
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