Thanksgiving Day 2021. Independent of the time, place, culture or moment in history, there is a shared human desire – to give thanks. This shared human desire, by its very nature must be “profoundly human”, so much so, that if this is missing, so will human nature.
What follows is the recognition that gratitude can not be abstract, it needs to be concrete. For us, as a people of faith, Scriptures give us many, many instances of this. Significant is to recognize how the act of giving thanks, on the threshold of entering the Land of Promise, the Israelites express their thanksgiving by a solemn pledge, nothing less than a covenant, that they would be uniquely different because they have been encountered by the Lord in a unique way. Most significant, is the celebration of the Eucharist. As we all know, the very word “eucharist” means thanksgiving. Jesus, as the Son of God and Son of Mary, enters into an act of thanksgiving for us and with us. This act of thanksgiving is a most sacred covenant that not only evokes the pledge of being uniquely different because of the ulƟmate uniqueness of the way the Lord encounters us but also, uniquely different because we have become the body of Christ.
This Thanksgiving Day, we will all have so much to be thankful for. Let us be thankful for how we have begun to learn to let go of mindsets and stereotypes that have used Thanksgiving Day to reinforce colonialism and prejudice. Let us be thankful for the way the Lord has been with us as we cross the worldwide desert called Covid-19. Let us be thankful for who we are becoming as friends, family, and Church. At the same time, let us partake of the covenant-making experience and pledge ourselves to be there for one another as we continue to be missionaries.
In a personal way, I am most grateful for the graced experience of walking with each of you in this journey called Our Lady of Soledad. Each of you has been my most favorite teacher, thank you for your forbearance. I admit to not being the best of students. To share in the culture that is OLOS, to share in the faith that is OLOS, to share in the love that is OLOS, to share in the sense of mission that is OLOS, is most unique. Thank you for the share you have allotted me.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Father Francisco Gómez, S.T.