Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
We have an expression, "It (something) disappeared into thin air!"
But air isn't thin. In fact, it's very thick and very heavy. Open the door of a sealed room and notice how the windows and other doors shudder. Watch how creatures from tiny insects to Lockheed C5 Galaxies swim through the air. Watch how the air can erase a town or village from the map.
Air is very, very dense. It's weight crushes down upon us every moment of our lives.
Life is like that. Sometimes it's too heavy to bear. I don't think we could stand it if we didn't continually Thank God for life.
What are you supposed to do when you see the misfortunes that fall on other people? When you watch the evening news or visit the hospital or attend a funeral, you must thank God for the sorrows you have been spared.
Your pity for other people and their troubles is not satisfying. You would not dare to take their sorrows from them, nor would they give them to you if you asked.
No, the Lord gives a cross suited for each and every person and you cannot have someone else's. But their sorrows do remind you of God's mercy, for you would be crushed if they fell on you.
It has been said that life is too serious to be taken seriously. We need the relief of humor, certainly; but that is only one of the ways we cope with its weight. We also celebrate with song and dance and symbolic rituals. We also share the weight of life with others, as we bear one another's burden.
Sometimes, of course, people just quit. Overwhelmed, they slip into depression or substance abuse or ennui. They busy themselves with business. They meddle in other people's lives, violating the boundaries that permit freedom and integrity to each person. They pursue entertainment hour after hour. (Two hours of TV per day = one month a year) They fret, worry or obsess. The greatest and most appropriate relief is gratitude. "Thank you, God. You are good, all good, supreme good."
May God bless you on this Thanksgiving Day. May he keep you in this grace through the Christmas season.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.