In need

In recent years, when the Thanksgiving holiday has arrived, I've been struck by the contrast between the themes that I associate with the civil holiday -- joy, family, contentment -- and the materialistic orgy that follows the next day on "Black Friday." It's seemed like such an obvious contradiction.

This year, I had the realization that perhaps the contradiction isn't as strong as I supposed. In fact, perhaps there is a strong relationship between what Thanksgiving (at least the holiday) is and Black Friday. In a culture that associates psychological instability with a willingness to deprive oneself of anything one might want, ever (unless it hurts someone else, that is), it would only follow that Thanksgiving wouldn't be about being content with the present as much as being a reason to overindulge and consume in the present (which in reality, has the likely purpose to distract oneself from the present). With rabid, unchecked consumption and overindulgence being such hallmarks of our culture, it's easy for this worldview to permeate. Believe me, I didn't just eat food on Thanksgiving day, I ate as much of it as I possibly could, to the point of being uncomfortable.

What then, is truly being thankful? The portion copied in the post below of the Akathist of Thanksgiving -- purported to be written by the Russian Priest Grigory Petroff shortly before his death in a Soviet Gulag during World War II -- certainly has a "thankful" ring to it. Each year our parish has a service of this Akathist on the evening before Thanksgiving and each year I am struck at the beauty and profundity of the words. This year, what stuck out to me is the obvious humility and repentance in the words of the Akathist. Clearly, the writer of these words was very much aware of and felt in need of or dependent upon God.

To be in need in our culture, is often an occasion for protest; it's a wrong that needs correction. I certainly don't wish to demonize those who fight against injustice, but for many Saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church, being in need (materially, spiritually or otherwise) was seen as a blessing. In fact, there are many accounts of Saints actually seeking out hardship if life seemed too easy. Hardship was seen as being helpful for our salvation and naturally flowed into worship of God and not coincidentally, thanksgiving. I don't pretend to be an expert on what it means to be thankful, but it seems to me that at least on some level, having a humble outlook on life, both in regards to myself as well as others, creates the space from which thanksgiving naturally flows.

When it comes down to it, we all have difficulty in life to varying degrees. We are all, whether we would want to admit it or not, in need. In our humility we perceive our own limitations and need for and dependence upon God, better able to be content in our present circumstances, giving thanks for injustices and inefficiencies, which, with God's help, leads not to a materialistic correction, but to a thankful and ever deepening awareness and abiding in the love of God.