Bishop Stowe: Look around the world and ponder the meaning of Thanksgiving.
As our great American holiday of Thanksgiving approaches, we are once again forced to alter our usual celebrations of feasting, family and football because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nothing has been normal for most of this year, and it is especially difficult as we draw near to our cherished end of the year holidays. Even in the midst of the uncertainty of this pandemic, we should not have difficulty finding motives for gratitude: The fact that we are alive being the primary one. Our own loved ones, the great examples of self-sacrifice and service that we have seen in the midst of this pandemic — especially in the medical community, and the many illustrations of our characteristic charity and generosity all around us are reasons to give thanks.
The Thanksgiving holiday traditionally motivates a spirit of sharing that appropriately leads us into Christmas. Even when constrained by these circumstances with our celebrations curtailed, we can think of those whose struggle is far worse. There are at least a half billion people in the world who are lacking basic nutrition and in the current crisis, having devastating impact around the globe, 130 million people are likely to die of starvation by the end of the year. Think of how the COVID-19 epidemic has created joblessness, interrupted the distribution of food supply chains and has created havoc in places much less capable of dealing with any more causes for suffering. These places are already suffering from chronic poverty, armed conflicts, the impact of climate change and the impeded flow of migrants trying to escape all of this.
Last month, Pope Francis sent an encyclical letter to all the world reminding us that we are all brothers and sisters and we must have concern for the global family of humanity. Perhaps as we have less family members around this year’s Thanksgiving table because of restrictions, we might open our hearts and minds to think about what kind of global table has been set and how those at tables around the world really are part of our family- are connected to us and affected by what we do and don’t do. Of course the pope calls us to pray and give thanks as a family, to show concern for each other’s needs, but we also must call upon our governmental leaders to reflect this concern for those who are suffering most- at home and abroad.
At home it is urgent that our Congress pass COVID-19 relief legislation. This is a matter of life and death in so many places. Families and communities are in need of lifesaving support. We see it in the number of people that approach Catholic Charities for help with meeting basic needs; we see it as temperatures drop and even the expanded facilities of the Catholic Action Center are at capacity for providing shelter. We see it as families deplete their meager savings because their benefits have run out. We know that one in five Kentucky children experiences hunger; when schools are closed access to meals becomes even more difficult for them.
On the scale of the global family, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is at work throughout the world to improve the lives of the impoverished and collaborating with them to find solutions to their own needs. From their on-the-ground perspective, CRS workers see how much the world needs the US’ assistance. As we advocate for our COVID-19 relief, we need to ask our legislators to be certain to include at least $20 billion for foreign assistance.
The pope reminds us of the parable of the Good Samaritan and our own opportunity to make the stranger a neighbor, and the neighbor a brother or sister. May our own ways of giving thanks help us set the feast on the global table of the human family.
John Stowe is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington.