November 23rd, Thanksgiving Eve: “The Secret of Being Content”

Philippians emphasizes the Christian experience of joy even in the midst of trials and through this we learn that thanksgiving is the result of rejoicing in the Lord. While St. Paul teaches us that this rejoicing is “in the Lord,” our sinful nature has a different approach. We do not look at the Lord who is behind the gift, but we are preoccupied with the gifts themselves. This, however, won’t do. Think of how children often treat gifts. They are easily discarded after the stimulation from the latest toy runs dry. Gifts are often quickly forgotten or become the objects of boredom. Think of how we view our gifts as falling short. When we look at our spouses apart from Christ, they are entirely inadequate. If we wanted to we could easily find grounds for utter discontentment in them even though they are gifts from God in heaven. Our income and job is always inadequate when we forget the Lord’s promises that He will always provide for us (and through our jobs we complain about, the Lord does indeed provide). Our vocations seem inadequate and other vocations always seem greener on the other side of the fence. Our homes, cars and clothing are never new enough. Our sin ruins everything and we aren’t really thankful when all we want is to replace what we’ve been given to enjoy. Stare at the gift itself and this is the surest way of losing all contentment, joy and thanksgiving! The leper who came back to Christ in Luke 17, however,  is our teacher. We must return to Christ to know thanksgiving. Christ is the One exception to the rule when it comes to gazing at a gift; we are to gaze upon The Gift: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that His salvation means to us. “Even angels long to look into these things (1st Peter 1:12).” When we know Christ, we learn the “secret” in the face of “any and every circumstance” as St. Paul says. Contentment, joy, and thanksgiving is ours when we know the Giver behind the gifts. 1st Timothy 4:4-5: “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” We see what we have in our lives as holy when we see these as coming from the Lord. In Christ we are thankful for our spouses because the Lord has given them to us; they are from heaven! In Christ, we are thankful for how the Lord provides for us regardless of the hardships. In Christ, we are thankful that He actually works through us in holy vocation. In Christ, we are thankful that our possessions are signs of the fulfillment of His promise to provide. But in going further, we are thankful that Christ is our righteousness since He fulfilled God’s law for us; we are thankful that in Christ our sin was nailed to the cross and we are covered by His blood; we are thankful that in Christ who rose we shall live past death; we are thankful that we are joined to Christ through Word and Sacrament; we are thankful that in having been joined to Christ we have received the Holy Spirit; we are thankful that having received the Holy Spirit we are made thankful; and we are thankful that we are children of God, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rm 8:17). We are thankful that we have nothing to fear since the Father has given us the kingdom (Lk 12:32), and we are thankful not only for earthly provision, but for the “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1st Peter 1:4).” Indeed in Christ, we have so much to be thankful for. We now know the secret. It is Christ and in Him we are content so that now thanksgiving flows. In Christ, Dr. Espinosa

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