News & Articles

Every Thanksgiving, before we gave thanks and broke bread, my father would read to us George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation. As a child, I may have dismissed it with a roll of the eyes, but now, as a father myself, I realize the enduring relevance of Washington's words. As I prepare to read the proclamation to my family this year, I am aware that its invitation into gratitude resonates powerfully with me.

Washington's proclamation acknowledges divine providence in the formation of our nation, seeking God's ongoing guidance, favor, and protection for our efforts while also seeking pardon for our transgressions. He believed that thankfulness was not merely a tradition but a crucial element for the nation's continued well-being and success in upholding its ideals. At Pacifica, we embrace the understanding that a posture of thankfulness is fundamental to fulfilling our mission of teaching students to think and live well.

In the 247 years since the founding of our great nation, much has unfolded. Our collective interests lie in the ongoing health and success of the country as it strives to cultivate its founding principles that foster "a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." Balancing protecting liberties with self-governance (or self-restraint) remains a constant challenge. It is a delicate balance between freedom from tyranny and totalitarianism and the responsibility of each of us to govern our actions in a way that is good for ourselves and others.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn's (a Russian writer and Soviet dissident) 1978 address to Harvard University graduates, "A World Split Apart," remains eerily relevant. Towards the conclusion of his cautionary—and prophetic—remarks to the West he said this:

But as long as we wake up every morning under a peaceful sun, we must lead an everyday life. Yet there is a disaster which is already very much with us. I am referring to the calamity of an autonomous, irreligious humanistic consciousness.

It has made man the measure of all things on earth—imperfect man, who is never free of pride, self-interest, envy, vanity, and dozens of other defects. We are now paying for the mistakes which were not properly appraised at the beginning of the journey. On the way from the Renaissance to our days we have enriched our experience, but we have lost the concept of a Supreme Complete Entity which used to restrain our passions and our irresponsibility. We have placed too much hope in politics and social reforms, only to find out that we were being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. It is trampled by the party mob in the East, by the commercial one in the West. This is the essence of the crisis: The split in the world is less terrifying than the similarity of the disease afflicting its main sections.

As I reflect on the timeless insights of both Washington and Solzhenitsyn, I consider once more what I am thankful for amid this disorienting season; the Church and the fellowship of the saints.I am thankful for the men and women, the bride of Christ, who encourage me in the “gratia et veritas'' of our Lord. They invite me to order my life—and my loves—in accordance with reality under the Lordship of Christ himself. This alone is where I find my peace and joy.

I am always thankful for the truly unique gift that our country, along with its real challenges, is to its citizens—offering us protected liberty and opportunities to cultivate lives of faith and flourishing for our good and the good of others. I am profoundly grateful for the freedom to create and cultivate places like Pacifica Christian. Thanks be to God!
 

This Thanksgiving, I invite you to read both Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation and Solzhenitsyn commencement address, A World Split Apart. Both are worth your time and consideration.

On behalf of Pacifica, I extend thanks for all that God has provided to us and commit to using our talents and skills for the betterment of this community and to the glory of God.

With thanksgiving,

David O’Neil
Head of School

Pic: Thanksgiving 2022