November 23, 2006
It matters little whether you were a high school dropout or earned a doctorate from a prestigious university, the first lessons we learned were not given by any instructor in a classroom, but rather by our moms at home. For example, when we were infants, we instinctively grabbed things and put them into our mouth. So, our first lesson was really basic and brief: “No!” Yet, whenever we did something right, mom would say “Yay!” Yes, our first lessons in life were simple and straightforward, but boy, were they important!
As we commemorate Thanksgiving, it would be good to think about one of the first lessons we learned from mom and dad. Remember when someone gave us a piece of candy or served us a piece of cake. What were we told? “Say thank you.” That’s right, one of the first things we learn is to say “thank you.” If indeed this is one of the first lessons we learned, how is it possible that we can so easily forget to be thankful? It is even curious to note that some people have begun calling Thanksgiving “Turkey Day.” Why? Because on “Turkey Day” you don’t have to say “Thank you” to “You-Know-Who!”
One wonders how and why it is that a person can doubt the existence of God. Considering the evidence of a Creator’s plan when one looks up, down, in, and out—to doubt is indeed quite dumb. If you found an old pocket watch on a forest floor or by the edge of the ocean, you would immediately recognize that its existence didn’t simply “emerge.” The perfectly positioned springs and sprockets, not to mention the beauty, wonderful metal work and design, would clearly indicate even to a small child that the watch didn’t sprout from the earth like a mushroom or wash ashore like a shellfish. In short, there is something more than natural in human life—there’s something obviously supernatural.
Speaking about first lessons, isn’t it true that the first lesson we learn in the Bible is that God created the world. Yes, God created the world, not some “force” or “energy,” rather, a person—a Divine Person with power, intelligence, and a will. In Genesis we read that He created everything in order and with a purpose. God “works” to establish order and harmony simply by willing the cosmos out of the chaos. Since God is the author of existence, He has authority over all that exists. So when we speak of the “laws of nature,” we implicitly acknowledge the One, the only One, who can make or break the laws.
Father Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk and popular writer, once reflected upon nature and the inherent “holiness” in God’s creation. He writes, “The forms of individual characters of living and growing things, of inanimate beings, of animals and flowers and all nature, constitute their holiness in the sight of God. The clumsy beauty of this particular colt on this April day in this field under these clouds is a holiness consecrated to God by His own creative wisdom and declares the glory of God.”
This holiness which Father Merton speaks of is related to the “obedience” we see in nature, that is, the sun, moon, stars, and everything under them living in conformity to the plan and purpose of their Creator. Centuries ago, Saint Francis said the same. However, he added that only one of God’s creations refuses to live in perfect obedience to God—namely, man.
Friends, there is no virtue in accepting God’s existence—that’s common sense. There is, however, virtue in accepting His authority—that’s humility. When we act infantile and reach in the direction of a dangerous and even deadly choice, He shouts “No!” When we listen to His Voice and do what is right, we feel peace and joy—that’s God saying “Yay!” This Thanksgiving, let us be grateful for our family, friends, and great food, but let us not forget that faith, expressed in humble obedience, is the way of loving Him and saying “Thank you!”
Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR
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