At the pleasure of his grace, Bp. Timothy, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Christ is in our midst! He is, and ever shall be!
So, we just our annual American celebration of Thanksgiving; and I hope that yours was passed peacefully, and with happiness. I hope that you will keep in mind that the Advent Fast begins this Tuesday, so, let’s enjoy those leftover turkey sandwiches while we can, yes?
So, let’s talk about Thanksgiving, shall we? After all, we’re supposed to be Orthodox, and Thanksgiving is primarily viewed as an American, Protestant… thing. Images of Pilgrims and Indians, turkeys, football games, the American flag, uncle Fred asleep in the recliner, the antacid in the medicine cabinet; is there any room here for an Orthodox context? I’m so glad you asked! Why, yes, there is a perfectly acceptable Orthodox context for Thanksgiving, and perhaps we should have gone over this BEFORE Thursday, so I beg your forgiveness, and perhaps this is something we can remember for next year. Now, this idea came to me when I was scanning Facebook one evening last week, and a Protestant commentator I sometimes enjoy named Alfonzo Rachel had posted how it seems that we go from Halloween straight to Christmas: that one night our society enjoys acting like the devil one night; then two months later, goes into an orgiastic celebration of consumeristic greed, wanting to be rewarded with stuff, even though most of us know in our hearts we belong on the “naughty list.” Meanwhile, he notes that we’ve all but forgotten Thanksgiving. A couple of days later, Jewish conservative social commentator Dennis Prager posted a video positing that the value most lacking in our society, the one thing that could most quickly turn our society around and end all the unrest and animosity in our culture would be a sense of gratitude. He said that it is impossible to be angry or depressed while being grateful, and it is impossible to be happy while being ungrateful. Simple, yes, but deeply profound as well. It got me to thinking, and I even reply posted Rachel, and even got a like from him to my response (which validates my whole internet existence); and that response is the basis for what I want to share with you today.
To start, I would like to agree with these commentators that there is a lot of ingratitude in our society today. Over and over again, the one word I hear most often used to describe our culture, and especially its young people is ENTITLED. To be fair, however, I don’t believe that this is limited to the youth; after all, where do you think they learned it? Our commercials are saturated with luxury cars, fancy clothes, beauty products, weight-loss gimmicks, labor-saving contrivances, and all manner of STUFF that will supposedly make us happier if we buy it; so we run ourselves ragged, making ourselves miserable to buy the stuff that will make us happy; we clutter our houses with all of it; then we see the next commercial with the next exciting whatever-it-is, and we go back to work to earn the money to but the next big thing, still unhappy. Why do we do this? Because, those commercials repeatedly tell us, “You deserve it… you deserve the very best…” We fall prey to lying politicians who promise to give us “free stuff” if we vote for them (ahem, berniesanders-harumph!) We even call these spending programs “entitlements.” And so much of this happens this time of year. We hold elections in November. We start the holiday shopping season in November. We even have a new “holiday” (though it’s not holy at all) that we call “Black Friday,” which we did not have when I was growing up. Think about it: one day we say we are grateful for what we have; the next we clog the markets trying to get a bunch of stuff that we don’t have. We even fight each other for it! I remember the Cabbage Patch War of ’84; the Furrbie Fights and the Tickle-Me-Elmo Conflagration of the 90’s, with grown adults fist-fighting each other over toys for their spoiled brats (forgive me! I mean “precious little ones!”). We have news stories every year on how many folks get trampled to death trying to get into stores on Black Friday. And think about this: from Halloween Night to News Year’s Eve is basically one, long, non-stop bacchanalia of gluttony! All the Halloween and Christmas candy; all the school and office Thanksgiving pre-celebrations; all the school and office Christmas parties (or “winter celebrations” for the more politically correct among us…); all the Christmas parties hosted by friends and family; all the drinking that goes on at these parties, and on Christmas Day, and on New Year’s Eve; it’s as though we can’t get enough! We as Americans glut ourselves for two solid months! Then we obsess over weight loss! How did this happen? Now, I don’t mean to be a party-pooper. I’m not Ebenezer Scrooge. I don’t begrudge anyone celebrating a time of joy; but I think that our society has lost perspective, and we are seriously off-balance; and in the end, that is NOT joy, but slavery to our passions and our obsessions.
Now, I did promise an Orthodox perspective on all this, didn’t I? Yes, I did; and I’m so glad you reminded me. Here it comes; and I’m introducing it in the form of a pop quiz: What do we as Christians call the celebration of the Lord’s Supper? The Eucharist, that’s right. It’s a big, funny, 50-cent church word, and it comes from the Greek “ευχαριστία” meaning Thanksgiving! Think about it… every time we have the Mass, we are celebrating Thanksgiving! Now some might ask, “How can you have Thanksgiving, when you stand for two hours waiting for a bite of wine-soaked bread? Where’s the turkey and dressing? Where’s the pumpkin pie and eggnog?” I will explain it. In the Celtic Mass that we use, you remember the prayer that says, “we offer unto Thine excellent majesty of Thine own gifts and bounty…” In the beautiful Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, in the Elevation of the Gifts, we hear similar words: “Thine own of Thine own, we offer to Thee, in behalf of all, and for all”. What do these words mean? Well, firstly, we recognize the words of the Psalmist, that “the Earth is the Lord’s; and the fullness thereof; the world, and all they that dwell within…” (Psalm 24:1), and in the Apostle’s words, “that every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). We express it in the Liturgy in this way: God loves us, and He gives us wheat and grapes. We take the wheat and turn it into bread. We take the grapes, and make them into wine. We eat and drink some of that ourselves, thanking God for His gifts; but we also take some of that bread and wine, and offer them as gifts back to God, which you see placed on the altar here. Now, God doesn’t need our bread and wine; you know it, I know it, God knows it; but it is meet and right for us to do this, because it is necessary for our souls. Now, the Lord takes this bread and this wine, and He says (in effect) “It’s nice that you gave me these things, even though they came from me in the first place. I don’t need them; but do you know what I’m going to do? Since you gave me these things, I’m going to turn them into the Body and Blood of my dear Son, and I’m giving them back to you as real food, and real drink, that you may live with me eternally, because I love you.” So, we consume the medicine of immortality, we consume what the Lord gives us; and then we, in gratitude, in Thanksgiving, offer our very lives to the same Lord Who gave His own life for ours, and we undertake the process of Theosis, of reshaping our lives to look more like Christ’s. We partake of Him, and we begin to become like Him It is said, after all, “that you are what you eat.” So, as we begin the Advent Fast this week, I urge you, dear ones, to think Eucharistically, to take on an “attitude of gratitude.” Now I know that’s not easy; I’m not trying to sell you rainbows here. I know we have health problems; we have financial problems; we have family and relationship problems; we’re overworked, over-stressed, underpaid, and under-loved by the people around us. But God has not forgotten us. He knows what we need, even more than the advertisers giving us all those great door-buster deals. I tell you the truth, that if you can think Eucharistically, it will armor you up against the selfish materialism so rampant in this time of year. You won’t be so hung up on “stuff”; and you won’t be so subject to “Charlie Brown Syndrome” (I think you folks know what I mean). Thinking Eucharisitcally will help you through the Fast, because instead of gobbling up every goodie and sweetie that passes in front of your nose, you will have constant drumbeat of gratitude going on in your heart. Jesus gave us His very best. As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of His Advent, let us also, in gratitude, offer to Him our very best, to Him and through Him, Who reigneth with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Christ is in our midst! He is, and ever shall be!
So, we just our annual American celebration of Thanksgiving; and I hope that yours was passed peacefully, and with happiness. I hope that you will keep in mind that the Advent Fast begins this Tuesday, so, let’s enjoy those leftover turkey sandwiches while we can, yes?
So, let’s talk about Thanksgiving, shall we? After all, we’re supposed to be Orthodox, and Thanksgiving is primarily viewed as an American, Protestant… thing. Images of Pilgrims and Indians, turkeys, football games, the American flag, uncle Fred asleep in the recliner, the antacid in the medicine cabinet; is there any room here for an Orthodox context? I’m so glad you asked! Why, yes, there is a perfectly acceptable Orthodox context for Thanksgiving, and perhaps we should have gone over this BEFORE Thursday, so I beg your forgiveness, and perhaps this is something we can remember for next year. Now, this idea came to me when I was scanning Facebook one evening last week, and a Protestant commentator I sometimes enjoy named Alfonzo Rachel had posted how it seems that we go from Halloween straight to Christmas: that one night our society enjoys acting like the devil one night; then two months later, goes into an orgiastic celebration of consumeristic greed, wanting to be rewarded with stuff, even though most of us know in our hearts we belong on the “naughty list.” Meanwhile, he notes that we’ve all but forgotten Thanksgiving. A couple of days later, Jewish conservative social commentator Dennis Prager posted a video positing that the value most lacking in our society, the one thing that could most quickly turn our society around and end all the unrest and animosity in our culture would be a sense of gratitude. He said that it is impossible to be angry or depressed while being grateful, and it is impossible to be happy while being ungrateful. Simple, yes, but deeply profound as well. It got me to thinking, and I even reply posted Rachel, and even got a like from him to my response (which validates my whole internet existence); and that response is the basis for what I want to share with you today.
To start, I would like to agree with these commentators that there is a lot of ingratitude in our society today. Over and over again, the one word I hear most often used to describe our culture, and especially its young people is ENTITLED. To be fair, however, I don’t believe that this is limited to the youth; after all, where do you think they learned it? Our commercials are saturated with luxury cars, fancy clothes, beauty products, weight-loss gimmicks, labor-saving contrivances, and all manner of STUFF that will supposedly make us happier if we buy it; so we run ourselves ragged, making ourselves miserable to buy the stuff that will make us happy; we clutter our houses with all of it; then we see the next commercial with the next exciting whatever-it-is, and we go back to work to earn the money to but the next big thing, still unhappy. Why do we do this? Because, those commercials repeatedly tell us, “You deserve it… you deserve the very best…” We fall prey to lying politicians who promise to give us “free stuff” if we vote for them (ahem, berniesanders-harumph!) We even call these spending programs “entitlements.” And so much of this happens this time of year. We hold elections in November. We start the holiday shopping season in November. We even have a new “holiday” (though it’s not holy at all) that we call “Black Friday,” which we did not have when I was growing up. Think about it: one day we say we are grateful for what we have; the next we clog the markets trying to get a bunch of stuff that we don’t have. We even fight each other for it! I remember the Cabbage Patch War of ’84; the Furrbie Fights and the Tickle-Me-Elmo Conflagration of the 90’s, with grown adults fist-fighting each other over toys for their spoiled brats (forgive me! I mean “precious little ones!”). We have news stories every year on how many folks get trampled to death trying to get into stores on Black Friday. And think about this: from Halloween Night to News Year’s Eve is basically one, long, non-stop bacchanalia of gluttony! All the Halloween and Christmas candy; all the school and office Thanksgiving pre-celebrations; all the school and office Christmas parties (or “winter celebrations” for the more politically correct among us…); all the Christmas parties hosted by friends and family; all the drinking that goes on at these parties, and on Christmas Day, and on New Year’s Eve; it’s as though we can’t get enough! We as Americans glut ourselves for two solid months! Then we obsess over weight loss! How did this happen? Now, I don’t mean to be a party-pooper. I’m not Ebenezer Scrooge. I don’t begrudge anyone celebrating a time of joy; but I think that our society has lost perspective, and we are seriously off-balance; and in the end, that is NOT joy, but slavery to our passions and our obsessions.
Now, I did promise an Orthodox perspective on all this, didn’t I? Yes, I did; and I’m so glad you reminded me. Here it comes; and I’m introducing it in the form of a pop quiz: What do we as Christians call the celebration of the Lord’s Supper? The Eucharist, that’s right. It’s a big, funny, 50-cent church word, and it comes from the Greek “ευχαριστία” meaning Thanksgiving! Think about it… every time we have the Mass, we are celebrating Thanksgiving! Now some might ask, “How can you have Thanksgiving, when you stand for two hours waiting for a bite of wine-soaked bread? Where’s the turkey and dressing? Where’s the pumpkin pie and eggnog?” I will explain it. In the Celtic Mass that we use, you remember the prayer that says, “we offer unto Thine excellent majesty of Thine own gifts and bounty…” In the beautiful Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, in the Elevation of the Gifts, we hear similar words: “Thine own of Thine own, we offer to Thee, in behalf of all, and for all”. What do these words mean? Well, firstly, we recognize the words of the Psalmist, that “the Earth is the Lord’s; and the fullness thereof; the world, and all they that dwell within…” (Psalm 24:1), and in the Apostle’s words, “that every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). We express it in the Liturgy in this way: God loves us, and He gives us wheat and grapes. We take the wheat and turn it into bread. We take the grapes, and make them into wine. We eat and drink some of that ourselves, thanking God for His gifts; but we also take some of that bread and wine, and offer them as gifts back to God, which you see placed on the altar here. Now, God doesn’t need our bread and wine; you know it, I know it, God knows it; but it is meet and right for us to do this, because it is necessary for our souls. Now, the Lord takes this bread and this wine, and He says (in effect) “It’s nice that you gave me these things, even though they came from me in the first place. I don’t need them; but do you know what I’m going to do? Since you gave me these things, I’m going to turn them into the Body and Blood of my dear Son, and I’m giving them back to you as real food, and real drink, that you may live with me eternally, because I love you.” So, we consume the medicine of immortality, we consume what the Lord gives us; and then we, in gratitude, in Thanksgiving, offer our very lives to the same Lord Who gave His own life for ours, and we undertake the process of Theosis, of reshaping our lives to look more like Christ’s. We partake of Him, and we begin to become like Him It is said, after all, “that you are what you eat.” So, as we begin the Advent Fast this week, I urge you, dear ones, to think Eucharistically, to take on an “attitude of gratitude.” Now I know that’s not easy; I’m not trying to sell you rainbows here. I know we have health problems; we have financial problems; we have family and relationship problems; we’re overworked, over-stressed, underpaid, and under-loved by the people around us. But God has not forgotten us. He knows what we need, even more than the advertisers giving us all those great door-buster deals. I tell you the truth, that if you can think Eucharistically, it will armor you up against the selfish materialism so rampant in this time of year. You won’t be so hung up on “stuff”; and you won’t be so subject to “Charlie Brown Syndrome” (I think you folks know what I mean). Thinking Eucharisitcally will help you through the Fast, because instead of gobbling up every goodie and sweetie that passes in front of your nose, you will have constant drumbeat of gratitude going on in your heart. Jesus gave us His very best. As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of His Advent, let us also, in gratitude, offer to Him our very best, to Him and through Him, Who reigneth with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.