November 18, 2018 | Rev. Gary Nicolosi
It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving. In my sermon that day I had pointed out that thanksgiving means giving thanks to God for all that God has given us. I thought it was an apple pie kind of sermon, nothing controversial about it. Yet, after the worship service one man in the congregation took me aside.
Tom was one of the most loyal members of the church, always willing to share his considerable mechanical skills with any building project. If the rectory needed repair, Tom was there to do the job. He was a church stalwart, and I relied on him on many an occasion. And so, when Tom spoke, I listened.
“Gary,” he said, “I just can’t accept what you said in your sermonthis morning. You know that my son was born deaf. Since my wife and I first discovered he was deaf, I keep asking God why, but I never get an answer. All I know is that there are a lot of people in this world that have suffered some tragedy or other, and many of them, like me, find it difficult to give thanks. Frankly, I findThanksgiving the most painful day of the year.”
My heart went out to Tom. He had spoken about his deaf son several times before, and each time there was anguish on his face. He simply could not reconcile being thankful to God with all the pain and disappointment he had experienced through his son.
Some of us may be in the same situation this Thanksgiving. Perhaps you have had a child die. Or you are struggling with aspouse who has Alzheimer’s. Or you are battling cancer or heart disease or some other serious illness. Perhaps you have lost your job – or even your marriage. You know what it is to suffer from a broken heart. You know the twinge of sadness, the ache of loneliness, and the pangs of sorrow. So, I have to admit there are good reasons why some of us might resist being thankful this Thanksgiving.
And yes, I have had my share of tragedies and heartbreaks as any of you. None of us are ever spared some kind of sorrow or suffering in this life. Still, I am profoundly thankful this Thanksgiving, and let me share my reasons with you.
Most basic of all, I am thankful for the gift of life. When you think about it, life is such an incredible mystery. There was a point in time when each of us did not exist. Then, thanks to the miracle of birth, we came into this world and received the gift that makes all other gifts possible – life itself.
My father died when I was about to turn sixteen, and that broke my heart. Yet I am profoundly thankful for the parents who loved me, raised me to respect every human being, and sacrificed to send me to some of the finest Catholic schools and universities in the country, and then on to law school.
I am thankful for the gift of friends who were at my side in good times and tough times. I am thankful for all the teachers and professors who not only taught me knowledge but gave me wisdom and the ability to think critically and well. I am thankful for the law firm in which I worked as an associate. I am thankful for my wife who took a big risk in marrying a brash New Yorker who was abandoning law to become a priest, and for my daughter who is the joy of my life.
There are so many other things for which I am thankful – the gift of learning new things – the gift of a world of such incredible beauty and diversity – the gift of books and music and art and food – the gift of being a priest and serving as Interim Rector at Nativity – the gift of health and the quality of our medical care here in Arizona – and the gift of living in the United States of America which, with all its problems, remains a beacon of hope for the whole world.
Right now we have thousands of migrants coming through Mexico from Central America who want to enter our country. Notice: there are no migrants leaving our country. No one, not even Hollywood movie stars who don’t like Donald Trump, want to leave America.Some threaten to leave, but none do so.
There is a reason why people come here and want to stay. Quite simply, there is more opportunity and freedom in this country than any other country on the planet. If you were lucky enough to be born in the United States or now live here legally, you won theworld’s lottery.
I don’t always feel comfortable saying that America is the greatestcountry on earth, but I do know that we are certainly the freest, most prosperous nation on the planet, with the most vibrant democratic institutions and the best universities and think tanks in the world. Our economy and consumer choice is second to none. Some complain we have too much choice but no one says we have too little.
People in this country protest, yell, scream, get in the face of politicians, organize and vote – all of which says we are a lively, strong, vibrant democratic republic. Our political debates in this country are heated, emotional, intense and sometimes too polemical – and thank God for that! I don’t know of anothercountry that is more culturally alive and politically diverse as America. This Thanksgiving, whatever our politics, we can countour blessings that we live in “the land of the free and the home ofthe brave.” May it ever be so!
I could go on… Life is precious. Life is sacred. Life is good. Yes, bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people, but I still would rather live in an imperfect world than not to live at all.
Some of us may know from news reports the tragedy of the thalidomide babies of years ago. Pregnant mothers who took the drug thalidomide gave birth to infants who were severely deformed. In the United States that event set off a debate in the legal community: Is there such a thing as wrongful life – a life in which it would be better not to have been born? In other words, in some cases, is non-existence preferable to existence? It’s aninteresting philosophical question.
Several years after the thalidomide births, interviewers asked the thalidomide children how they felt about the matter. Were they happy to be alive? Or, given their severe disabilities would they have preferred never to have been born? Not surprisingly, not one of the children expressed any regret about being born. On the contrary, they seemed to delight in their lives – more so than even so-called “normal” people – perhaps because they intuitively understood how precious life is.
As a parent of a Down syndrome daughter, it breaks my heart to learn that Iceland now boasts having eradicated Down syndrome by insuring that every Down syndrome fetus is aborted. Even in the United States where we have no such policy, 75% of Down syndrome fetuses are aborted. When parents are told that the child in the womb will have Down syndrome, most choose abortion. I wonder if they have any idea what a blessing Down syndrome children are, or how much love they give to the world as adults.
Take Michael Hughes, for example. He passed away peacefully on Christmas morning 2011 at the age of 65, an exceptionally long life for someone with Down syndrome. Michael lived his whole life in Moundsville, West Virginia. He was an avid Pittsburgh Pirates fan and could recall the batting average of every active Pirate baseball player. Throughout his life, he held several different jobs in the community and was active in the local social group for people with disabilities. He loved music and parties – and was always ready to go dancing.
Michael was also a member of Trinity Episcopal Church and served as an usher in the congregation. He took an interest in greeting church members with a welcoming hug – always accompanied by a twinkle in his eye and a broad smile on his face. Michael liked to hug people because it was his way of expressing empathy for everyone – as if he sensed that all peopleare embraced as members of God’s family.
Michael died after a brief illness, but what family members and friends remember about him is his joyful spirit, his love of people, his sense of humor, and his kind, gentle demeanor. His church thinks Michael is now a heavenly usher, greeting everyone who gets to heaven with a big hug, a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face. For those who knew him, there is no doubt that the world is a better place because Michael Hughes lived in it. (1)
Yes, life is a gift. On this Thanksgiving Sunday, I am thankful for the gift of life, for every life, no matter how weak or vulnerable,because it’s better to be alive than never to have existed at all. Whether you are a Christian or not, or even whether you believe in God or not: we should all be able to agree that life is precious and worthwhile.
Any human being who receives love or shares love with others, or climbs a mountain, or takes a walk in the desert, or boats on a lake, or sees a sunrise or sunset can appreciate the gift of life.There are those moments of exhilaration when we know that it’s good to be alive, even with all life’s heartaches and heartbreaks. It’s better to have lived and experienced all the joys and pains of being human than never to have lived at all.
However, we Christians can take the gift of life one step further by being thankful for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ. A Christian is a forgiven sinner called into companionship with Jesus. Now that is something to be thankful for – to know that God loves me, Godforgives me, and God accepts me, just as I am. I am God’s child. I live in God’s world. In this life I am called into God’s family, thechurch, and in the next life I will enjoy God’s presence in heaven.So how could I not be thankful?
Now here is the good news: No one who is a Christian has to be burdened by guilt or live with unforgiven sin. When Jesus died on the cross for us, God pressed the delete button and wiped away all our sins as if they had never existed. When we trust Jesus to be the pardoning God he wants to be, we can live joyful lives as his beloved children forever.
Several years ago in a large city here in the West, rumors spread that a certain Catholic woman was having visions of Jesus. The reports reached the archbishop. He decided to check her out, since there is always a fine line between an authentic mystic and the lunatic fringe.
“Is it true, ma’am, that you have visions of Jesus?” asked thearchbishop.
“Yes,” the woman replied simply.
“Well, the next time you have a vision, I want you to ask Jesus to tell you the sins that I confessed in my last confession.”
The woman was stunned. “Did I hear you right, bishop? You actually want me to ask Jesus to tell me the sins of your past?” “Exactly. Please call me if anything happens.”
Ten days later the woman notified the bishop of a recentapparition. “Please come,” she said.
Within an hour the archbishop arrived. He trusted eye-to-eyecontact. “You told me on the telephone that you actually had a vision of Jesus. Did you do what I asked?”
“Yes, bishop, I asked Jesus to tell me the sins you confessed in your last confession.”
The bishop leaned forward with anticipation. His eyes narrowed.“What did he say?”
She took his hand and gazed deep into his eyes. “Bishop,” she said, “these are his exact words: ‘I CAN’T REMEMBER.’” (2)
Isn’t that the truth? Thanks to the new life in Jesus Christ that youand I have received, our sins are forgiven – so much so that it’slike we never sinned at all. When we confess our sins to God, God presses the delete button. God forgives us – totally, completely and unconditionally.
So, take up the challenge and live a thanksgiving lifestyle –all year round. Live as someone who is thankful for the gifts of life and new life in Jesus Christ. Live as someone who is loved by God today, tomorrow and forever, because in Jesus Christ you are. Live joyfully, abundantly, generously and gratefully, because you are blessed to be alive in this world and someday you will live eternally with God – and that is something for which you and I can be truly thankful.
Dr. Gary Nicolosi
November 18, 2018
Text – I Tim. 2: 1-7; Mt. 6:25-33 Thanksgiving Sunday, B
1. Joseph Hughes, “Michael’s Story: A Brother’s Remembrance”in Down Syndrome News, Vol. 35, 2012, #6
2. Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah, 2000) 115-116