Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-11-27
CAUSE FOR THANKS
BISHOP E. X. HUGHES.

Give thanks at the remembrance
u his holiness. PISA. 1854.
II the spirit Of gratitude is to be
awakened in the hearts of those who
receive this Thanksgiving message. it
viii be necessary that we think to-
gether of some ground that is unmis-
takably common to all 1t is prob
ably true that. II we wished TO do
SO. we could find reason for thankful
ness in the material side of our lives;
for We have not been reduced to star
walton or nakedness or homeiessness.
But without doubt there would be vast
differences among us in this respect.
Some Of us have walked with steady
feet up the ascent OF prosperity 9th
ers of US have slipped down the hill.
which we had before climbed toward
ease and independence.
From this you will see that II our
thankfulness is to be unanimous, its
feld must be above our differences in
situation and in opinion, Our graft
tude must go up toward him who is
the owner Of the earth. with its sill
yer and gold: toward him who by the
discipline OF the worlds suffering pre-
psres men for the painless and death
less country; toward him who pre-
sides over all our craftsmanship and is
to be at last the ruler OF all rulers.
In this effort to gain a common and
lofty ground for our gratitude. let
us raise our thanksgiving to the very
highest thing and let us heed this an
Client commandment, Give thanks at
the remembrance ot his holiness"
You win note that this text con
meets thanksgiving with remembrance.
Perhaps more than any other day in
the year this holiday is a day for a
personal retrospect The only date
which would challenge its field in this
respect is New Years day. and that,
as even its name indicates. looks for
ward rather than backward: 1t is a
day for resolves rather than for re-
membrance Whatever may be the rea-
son for a mans gratitude. 1t has to
do in some form with his memory.
II he is thankful for his future II is
because he throws into it tho conf
dence that he has won from HIS past.
This is true In reference even to the
gratitude that a man would feel for
the promised heaven He who is thank
full for worldly success gives thanks
because he remembers; he who is
thankful for bodily health gives thanks
because he remembers. And he who
Is thankful for the highest things gives
thanks at the remembrance of Gods
holiness Thanking is simply remem-
boring seasoned with justice and rev.
erence: 1t is thinking backward over
the past and upward TO God. II is
thought climbing from the lowest to
the highest. 1t is the mind travers-
ing its old journeys. recognizing that
Gods company was all along the
ways. and lifting up here and there
memories Of the divine holiness. The
word Of the psalmist thus states the
process through which one must come
to his real thanksgiving.
But we have here given not merely
the path along which gratitude comes.
but also the goal which gratitude must
reach. Unless mans heart arrives
at God. the day is without meaning.
An atheistic people could have no
Thanksgiving day. Such a day with.
out God would be an eye with nothing
20 see. a voice with nothing to hear a
neart with nothing to love. It is
true that men might have a Thanks
giving day wherein they should pass
from house to house and from man
to man. giving praise to humankind
for help, and friendship.
But in the ordinary sense a Thanks
giving day is impossible without a
God. 1t is the conception that he
broods in holiness over our lives that
alone gave the day It's historic begin
ming and continues 1t until now This
psalmist thinker leads us straight to
this thought True gratitude cannot
stop short OF God II ever a man is
the victim of his own unfaith. IL must
be on Thanksgiving day. lie cannot
be grateful to nothingness. At that
time no man can really get on unless
he has a God In deepest truth he
can have no gratitude because it is
impossible for him to obey the com
mand, Give thanks at the remem-
- /, L.