Reflection
It is the day before our American Thanksgiving, a holiday that defies our usual attempts to overdue holidays. It remains simple…a gathering of family and friends around an abundant table that represents the generosity of the Earth and of God. Hopefully, it is a time to recognize these are gifts that are not ours to possess but ours to share.
The first reading for today’s liturgy is from the Book of Daniel. It might well describe an over-the-top Thanksgiving Feast, lavish and decadent in its self-indulgence. Into that great banquet, the King summons Daniel, who, though a captured slave, speaks truth to power.
You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.
You had the vessels of his temple brought before you,
so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers,
might drink wine from them;
and you praised the gods of silver and gold,
bronze and iron, wood and stone,
that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence.
But the God in whose hand is your life breath
and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.
Our faith in God should empower us to likewise speak truth to power. We see injustice that surrounds us. We see vulgarity that debases others. We recognize what are clear falsehoods. At times, we are surprised and inspired when others, like Daniel, say “No” to that injustice, that vulgarity, that falsehood. It might be the inspiring work of now Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker movement. It might be courageous bishops pushing back on the inhumane treatment of detained immigrants. It might be the anonymous “good Samaritan” who intervenes to stop a bully from berating a store clerk. Maybe even it’s an unflinching journalist challenging elected officials.
In today’s gospel from Luke, we are assured not that it will be easy to give witness to God’s love but that it is right in the eyes of God to speak and act in ways that uplift others, that honors the dignity of every person, that expresses the love God has for each person. At times this may make us uncomfortable or unappreciated or worse, as Jesus says to the crowd. But in our everyday lives we can all find opportunities to be prophets like Daniel, to speak what we know is the truth. Around the table tomorrow, practice sharing the Good News of God’s love. Say it out loud. Show your love and appreciation. This is where “practicing our faith” begins.
