While Thanksgiving tends to remind us of an American story consisting of pilgrims, Native Americans and a feast that gives thanks we often are not reminded of the actual historical occasion that gave birth to this annual national holiday. The year was 1863 and our country was in the midst of the Civil War. The Civil War was undoubtedly the greatest national experience of suffering that we have ever experienced. In November of 1863 the nation was still reeling over the Battle of Gettysburg which took place on July of that year.

On that month of November President Lincoln declared a proclamation for the nation to give great thanks to God for all the blessings we have because:      

They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

Thanksgiving then is an act of national humility. In 1863 we recognized our sins before God and, in an act of submissive humility before our merciful Creator, we gave thanks for the blessings we still had in the midst of the great collective suffering that our nation was enduring. In our words our nation was finding meaning in the horrific experience of the Civil War and collectively celebrated it. Looking at it in this light, it becomes quite apparent how Thanksgiving should have a special place for us as Passionist as the original spirituality of this holiday closely resembles our own spirituality which we call Paulacrucian in reference to St. Paul of the Cross, our founder.

Today we face a different reality. Our struggles are no longer internal and isolated from the rest of the world. We live in a global reality where our economic and security interest are closely tied in with the entire human community and the earth itself. While we still face internal and external sufferings we collectively are not reflecting and recognizing our social sins before God. Without this powerful spiritual exercise we do not allow ourselves to be open to changes we need to make and we doom ourselves to an even darker and more painful future until at some point we can recognize what we, as a society, have done wrong.

Let us begin today to reflect on our own nation’s policies in perspective to the economic, environmental and violent suffering we face. Let us consider the economic and military repressions that have impacted our global society due to our own national policies. Let us then give thanks to the Creator of all life for the continued mercy that is bestowed on us in the midst of our sins and pray that God give us the wisdom to move on.

As with all the Passionist communities worldwide the Asian members are by no means strangers to social ministries. We had the opportunity to hear so many of the unique social ministries that these communities have organized in light of their own local realities. In India we were able to visit some of these powerful ministries in a poor village called Randham. Social ministries refer to ministries of the Passionist communities that serve the society in which they exist. In Randham we were fortunate enough to visit a number of these ministries, some which are traditional and others which are new and innovative. A traditional yet very powerful social ministry that they offer is education. The goal being to give the emerging generation the real opportunity to gain a quality education that will allow them to improve themselves and their own community in this highly competitive world while integrating the spiritual dimensions of social responsibility.

Other more unconventional ministries included a micro-credit Cow Loan program, a rice and peanut farming project and housing development. The cow loan program is particularly creative. The aim is to supply the local villagers with a natural resource that can sustain them. In India the cow is a very sacred animal, part of this is the religious tradition of Hinduism, but another part of this is that the cow is a great resource for the community. The Passionists have created a loan system where the villagers will have access to a 0% interest loan to purchase a cow. The villagers will then go to the Passionist milking station to sell the milk and a percentage of the milk will go to repay the loan for the cow while the rest go to them. After the cow is payed off they then keep the entire profit of the milk.

This is one example of a Passionist social ministry in Asia that is helping the poorer members of our society by giving them a number of opportunities through work, education and basic services. At the meeting we heard how diverse the social need is with the other Asian communities which include Japan, Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Papa New Guinea and Vietnam. The issues where diverse but we heard a commitment from these communities to promote a network of solidarity so that at a global level we can all support each other in promoting the Christian work of true charity which Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in his recent encyclical is justice. The Passion for Justice blog will become more diverse as we develop further solidarity with each other and sometime soon you will hear other voices throughout the world sharing our issues, concerns and social spirituality.   

As we go off to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States I would ask that all of us adopt the spirit of solidarity with the poor members of our human community and to offer a prayer for them and the missionaries who serve them. Consider and reflect on this spiritual quote from Saint Paul of the Cross and may all of us celebrate is the true spirit of Thanksgiving.

Therefore, let us love the dear God, who loves us so much placing everything in the Wounds of Jesus and offering them to the Divine Father, begging him through the grace of his most holy Son that he give remedy to all the evils and send his faithful servants so that the power of the Cross and Passion of Jesus Christ will triumph.