This Thanksgiving Day is special, religious leaders agree.
By: Anne Sweeney
In the Princeton area, the quintessential American celebration of peace and plenty is shadowed by the events that have devastated our community. Think of recent headlines. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Anthrax. Hundreds of jobs eliminated. The loss of the captain of the flight that crashed in Queens. The untimely death of a young boy.
Our religious leaders are challenged to make sense of it all. Every denomination lost people of faith in these disasters. Members of the clergy are dealing with a tragedy that has far-reaching consequences as well as immediate tests of belief.
This year, sitting down to a feast of thanks, we may find it difficult to count our blessings. We look for words and rituals that will give honor to those lost and comfort to those who remain.
Although Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, the tradition of giving thanks for the harvest is as old as time and a key aspect of virtually every faith.
Giving thanks is at the core of Islam, where the faithful rise each day and thank God for the gift of life. America’s Thanksgiving has its roots in the Hebrew festival of Sukkot. Our Pilgrim forebears meant it to be a spiritual and communal celebration.
"This year, we have an opportunity to reaffirm our faith and our trust in one another and to overcome our fears," says Rabbi Dov Elkins of the Jewish Center of Princeton. The synagogue lost three members on September 11.
Thanksgiving can be a first step in dealing with new realities of grief, fear and anger.
"God didn’t do this murderers did," says Monsignor Walter Nolan, pastor of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church. The parish lost three parishioners and several relatives of church members in the World Trade Center attack. Monsignor Nolan echoes other clergy who warn that we are dealing with real evil and must be prepared to combat this in ways both spiritual and practical.
"We are just beginning to see what the long-term effects of September 11 will be," says Monsignor Nolan.
The need for pastoral care and community support will be evident for years to come. It’s a process that will take time and soul-searching.
"It’s important that we don’t look for a quick fix, spiritual or otherwise," says the Reverend David Davis, pastor of Nassau Presbyterian Church. Since the 11th, Nassau Presbyterian has instituted weekly prayer services at noon each Wednesday for "the foreseeable future."
"The Princeton community is on a shared journey," says the Rev. Davis. "I don’t think we’re done grieving yet there is too much to lament." He recognizes the need to move on, but believes that it is important for us as individuals and as a community to go through the grieving process.
Deborah Hunsinger, assistant professor of pastoral theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, agrees.
"The only way out of grief is through it," she asserts. "This is a time for us to dig deeper into our spiritual side," she says, something that many Americans overwhelmed by the demands of careers, families and community don’t do enough.
"We tend to follow a cultural pattern of consumerism and do a superficial, patchwork job on our souls. It’s time to focus on what is in your heart, not in your life," Prof. Hunsinger says.
The Reverend Richard Kunz, rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, sees the same materialism as a barrier to finding our best selves.
"Thanksgiving is a good time to remember that what we have is due to the goodness of God, not our own merit," he says.
Since the first Thanksgiving, the harvest feast has been a communal festival. Today, that celebration of community can also help us to cope in a frightening new situation. There is still much to be thankful for.
Monsignor Nolan notes that even in the face of devastating loss, his bereaved parishioners remain grateful for the lives they had and the love they shared. They are also grateful for the support of their families, friends and the community.
"So many wonderful and inspiring stories have come out of this tragedy," he says. "We can take comfort in that."
"While words may elude us, rituals comfort us," Rabbi Elkins quotes from the Thanksgiving Haggadah. Perhaps this Thanksgiving calls for new customs or ceremonies to affirm faith in God, our country and ourselves.
One ritual might be to light a candle for the innocents and the heroes of the September 11 attack and for those who grieve for them. Additional candles could be lit by various members of the family for our nation, for our protection, for peace.
Prof. Hunsinger suggests rituals for families and individuals that might involve a long-term commitment, such as joining a prayer or study group, attending religious services and committing to an ongoing volunteer project.
"The important thing to avoid is isolation," she asserts. "We need God and we need each other. A public affirmation of faith and prayer is essential in the face of tragedy."
Charitable donations are especially welcome at Thanksgiving when we share our bounty, but it can be just as rewarding to share one’s time by helping at a soup kitchen, shelter, hospital or home for the elderly.
Many churches and synagogues plan special Thanksgiving services that combine traditional harvest services with remembrance and reflections of an America that is forever changed.
In addition to Thanksgiving services at various houses of worship, an interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service will be held Thanksgiving morning at 11 a.m. at the Princeton University Chapel, sponsored by the Princeton Clergy Association and the university chapel. "Giving Thanks By Giving" will be the subject of the sermon to be preached by the Reverend Patrick Connor, S.V.D., president of the Princeton Clergy Association.
This year, especially, people’s needs will be spiritual as well as physical as we are called upon to provide comfort to our friends and neighbors, as well as food to the hungry and shelter to the homeless.
"People ask me what to say to people who are bereaved, frightened or lonely," says Father Connor. "I tell them there’s no need to say anything, although I do recommend avoiding phrases like ‘It’s God’s will’ or ‘God took him.’ Better to say God welcomed that person. Better to offer a hug and a willing ear than clichés."
Certainly, the events of September 11 have brought Americans together in a new spirit of national unity and a new appreciation of the freedom, security and prosperity that we have long taken for granted.
"Thanksgiving offers us an opportunity to come together as a people and to bridge the deep rifts which have marked our public life for decades," notes the Reverend Christine Reed of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Princeton.
"Many members of the boomer generation came of age during the 1960s and Watergate," she says. "There is a tradition of distrust of government that needs to be examined in the light of September 11 if we are to fulfill our responsibilities as Americans."
Abdel Rehim Riad, a founding member of the Islamic Center of Central New Jersey who emigrated here from Egypt, says that "we should give thanks for all of the people who came to the United States and made it such a great country. This is the most advanced system on the face of the earth and Americans are the most generous people," he affirms.
"America is the promised land for mankind. Those of us who come from less free societies truly appreciate it. We have the right to raise our voice in the face of injustice. And a major tenet of Islam is that we have the responsibility to care for this promised land God gave us," Mr. Riad says.
Indeed, the crisis has also made us more aware of the needs and views of others, says the Rev. Kunz.
"We see the suffering of our fellow Americans, of the Afghan refugees. We are making an effort to educate ourselves about other faiths and cultures. We are more aware of how we are perceived as a nation and what kind of legacy we will leave."
Whatever our shortcomings as a nation, the legacy of our founders remains intact. In 1776, there were no democracies anywhere in the world. We can be thankful that our founders had the courage to, in the words of Thomas Paine, "begin the world over again."
Says Rabbi Elkins, "We may not have what we had before September 11, but we still have what has made us the envy of the world values, democracy and freedom."