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For the first two decades of my life, the song “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go” meant, among other things, being treated to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of my maternal grandmother.
Grandma P. came to mind not only because this article will appear in the Thanksgiving Day edition of The Catholic Spirit, but also because her saying “eternal vigilance is the price of peace” is one of her ongoing legacies in our family, now almost two decades since her death. Grandma’s mantra reminds us that many of life’s challenges that rob our peace could be preventable, if we live intentionally and with foresight.
Sadly, not all of life’s adversities are preventable. We cannot control certain life events, most notably our death and the end of time. Jesus tells us that in today’s Gospel passage. But as he does so, we hear Jesus also say to be vigilant. How can we be vigilant about what we cannot control? We can be vigilant in our preparations for the consequences of such events. Most notably, will we be prepared for when we stand before the Son of Man to give an account for our life? How do we prepare?
The prophet Isaiah gives us a clue. He prophesizes the coming of the Messiah, who we now know is Jesus. Isaiah says, “In that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.” As his disciples, we are to participate in Jesus’ saving mission; we are to follow in his footsteps: to be people who do what is just and right in our land. Furthermore, just as Jesus came at a particular time in history, God also created each one of us in a certain time, with specific people and events in our lives.
Our archdiocesan patron, St. Paul, adds to the answer when he writes “may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” Love for God and love for the others who God intentionally places in our lives — the great commandment of Jesus — is key.
How do we grow in love? This Thanksgiving Day, I propose gratitude: that when we are grateful, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to increase the virtue of love in our hearts and in the hearts of those around us.
Holiday family gatherings can be a blessing; they can also be unpleasant. We can be vigilant. We can choose to focus on past hurts or the ongoing shortcomings of our relatives, or we can choose to follow Jesus’ example. On Thanksgiving Day, let us strive to be grateful for the people God has placed in our lives, for the gifts God has given them, and given us. Perhaps we can take time in our celebration to share one way that we each have been blessed this past year; one way that we are grateful to God and to the people around us, and see what impact that has on our love for God and one another.
For when we live justly, when we live with gratitude that spurs us to love, we can have joy in our hearts as we sing about going to grandmother’s house and, more important, as we face the tribulations that life brings our way. We can even approach our eternal judgment with hope.
Father Bambenek is assistant director of the Archdiocesan Synod. He can be reached at [email protected].
Sunday, Nov. 28
First Sunday of Advent
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