On Transitions and Thanksgivings

 

One constant source of reflection, and amusement, for me is in the taking of the monastic vow of stability some 28 years ago. The traditional model of monastic stability meant making one monastery your home for life. The visible sign of that was the monastic cemetery as one's final resting place.

Amusement shows up in noting that, since making my first vows in the Order of the Holy Cross 28 years ago, and continuing them in the Community of Solitude, I have moved 14 times. Overall, I have moved 43 times so far in my life. That is not the picture of stability in most people's minds, at least on the surface.

While stability of place is very helpful for many people to enter more deeply into the life that is in front of them (having a career, raising a family), many can find themselves "wearied by the changes and chances of life", as we note in one of our Compline prayers. Finding stability of the heart amidst those changes is a challenge when so much else is changing.

One key element in staying focused is to maintain an element of gratitude and thanksgiving. Focusing on what is good and going well in life, makes for a different disposition than always focusing on what is changing or not going my way.

As we enter the month of November, there are a variety of events to help us look at thanksgiving and gratitude. The most obvious one to most of us is the National Holiday, known as Thanksgiving. As I have looked at prayer books from around the Anglican Communion, I am amused by the fact that The Episcopal Church, primarily located in the United States, only observes a Thanksgiving Day based on a national holiday, and that there is often a strong emphasis on the National Holiday in its observation. Other Provinces in the Anglican Communion have a local feast to observe a Harvest Thanksgiving, which will vary in date depending on one's latitude and hemisphere.   For me, this has been a day to celebrate the abundance of the fruits of the earth and to celebrate family and friends.

On our church's calendar are the observations All Saints Day and All Souls Day (Commemoration of the Faithful Departed).   All Saints Day grew as a remembrance of unnamed martyrs of the early church, who didn't have their own feast day. It has grown to be a remembrance of all sorts and conditions of saints, and celebrates a triumphal gathering around the throne of God, when all will be right with the world. All Souls Day commemorates the faithful departed, usually those near and dear to us, especially those who have died in the past year. I am grateful for my ancestors in the faith who have been stewards of God's creation, our common humanity, and the church and brought us to where we are today (warts and all).  

 

I suspect that many in the congregation hope that the transition time is over for the parish, since the new priest is here. I hope that we will all be patient with ourselves and live into the transitions that are still ahead of us. Our stability will not be found in keeping things constant amidst the changes and chances of the world, but in recognizing that God is our stability, amidst those changes and chances. God is present in all times and places and continues that presence even as other things around us change.

Let us continue to offer thanks for all the blessing God has provided as we gather together to celebrate the divine presence in our daily lives.

 

Pax et Bonum

 

Paul +