Thanksgiving
Day
November 26, 2015 10am
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
Footprints in the Desert
There
is a story about a French traveler who was crossing the desert with a Bedouin
guide.
Several
times a day, the Bedouin would kneel upon the sand and pray. The traveler was not a believer, and he
became increasingly annoyed with the many stops they had to make for the
Bedouin’s prayer.
One
evening, when the guide was beginning his prayer, the French traveler
interrupted him. He asked, “How do you know there is a God?”
The
guide thought for a moment and replied. “I’ll make you a deal; I will answer you, if
you first let me ask you a question.”
The
traveler agreed. So the guide asked, “This morning, when we awoke, how did we
know that it was a camel that passed by our tent during the night, and not
another person like us?”
The
traveler replied, “Why, we could tell by
the footprint of the hoof in the sand.
The print certainly wasn’t from the foot of another person.”
The
guide then pointed to a spring of clear water and a grove of fig and date trees
and beyond them to the western sky. The
setting sun was glowing with beams of red and gold.
The
Bedouin pointed to the sun and the precious water and the fruit trees. He simply said, “Neither is that the footprint of another human being.”
Humility and Thankfulness
That
Bedouin guide exhibits two virtues that are closely connected – humility and
thankfulness.
I am
not sure which comes first. Are we first
humble and because of that, able to recognize the footprints of God in our
lives?
Does
our humility then lead to thankfulness?
Or are we first thankful and because of that, able to see everything
around us as footprints of the Almighty One?
Does
our thankfulness then lead to humility?
Whatever way it happens, humility and thankfulness are closely connected.
Footprints of God
And so
today, we see the footprints of God:
maybe
in the graciousness of a salesperson at CVS or Safeway or Home depot;
or
maybe in the faithful care of one friend for another who is sick and in need.
We see
the footprints of God:
maybe
in the decades-long love of two persons in marriage;
or
maybe in the amazing advances of science and medicine that enhance human life
so very much.
And we
see the footprints of God:
maybe
in the bountiful meal we will have today and in the steady availability of food
and water in our country;
or
maybe in the vast mystery of the universe.
Maybe,
as the first reading from the Prophet Micah says today, we are walking humbly
with God and see the footprints. Maybe
our humility leads to thankfulness.
Or
maybe, as Saint Paul urges today, we are regularly giving thanks to God and see
all that we have as footprints. Maybe
our thankfulness leads to humility.
Either
way, humility and thankfulness are sister virtues. Thanksgiving Day and our celebration of Mass
today are meant to bring them alive in each one of us.
