AMDG
Every
year more and more of Christmas is taken over by the Grinch. That is Secularism, which intends to keep God
out of the public square, out of the community, out of the public school
regardless of community values, and out of private business. They give lip service to “religious freedom”
but keep your faith within the walls of your church and the privacy of your
home. The secularists will not concede
any right for Christians and their clergy to speak out on moral issues that
are not “politically correct” even within the confines of the church building
under the umbrella of so called “anti-bigotry laws”…….opposition to the
homosexual lifestyle as immoral even though those with same sex attraction are
most welcome in the Church; opposition to same sex marriage; forcing Christian
institutions, businesses, and individuals to provide health insurance that
include abortifacients, contraceptives, and abortion itself by government fiat
and fines.
Overrun by Secularism.
In our culture today, originally very Judeo-Christian, but now very
secularized, prayer in the schools is supposedly against the Constitution;
manger scenes on public property are “illegal”, even saying “Merry Christmas”
is becoming taboo. The net result of
this secularization: Christ is taken out of Christmas, which was a celebration
of the Savior’s birth since the 4th Century……the reason for the
season. There is nothing in the
Constitution about the so called “separation of Church and State”. Thomas Jefferson first used the term to
protect the churches from government encroachment and prevent an official
religion. But today secularism and its
collection of Godless beliefs is slowly becoming the de facto official
religion.
Secularists are starting to throw “Solstice Parties” just before Christmas. It was originally a pagan feast in the Roman Empire that celebrated the return of the sun as the days start to get longer again after December 21. Since no one is sure of the date of Christ’s birth, the Church substituted Christmas for the feast in the 4th Century to overcome the debauchery of the week long celebration. Now they're bringing it back.
Secularists are starting to throw “Solstice Parties” just before Christmas. It was originally a pagan feast in the Roman Empire that celebrated the return of the sun as the days start to get longer again after December 21. Since no one is sure of the date of Christ’s birth, the Church substituted Christmas for the feast in the 4th Century to overcome the debauchery of the week long celebration. Now they're bringing it back.
I
have told my students in Catholic Poland:
“Over the centuries, the Polish people have successfully resisted and overcome
radical Islam, Nazism, Communism, and other threats, but the greatest threat of
them all is Secularism” because it is materialistic and atheistic in its
essence. It’s more than indifference to
faith; its intent is to ultimately eliminate religious belief. Under the influence of the very secular European
Union and material prosperity, the Church is slipping in Poland and was
stronger under Communism. Secularism is
a grave threat here too and we are oblivious to it because it is so gradual
that we cannot see our religious freedom eroding.
The
commercialization of Christmas encroaches upon Advent. Sixty years ago the Christmas shopping season
started after Thanksgiving, originally set aside to thank God for our
blessings, but now just another holiday, “Turkey Day” thinking that the very
religious Pilgrims only thanked the Indians.
Now the Christmas season starts after Halloween; forget about Advent. It supposedly starts with “Black Friday”
where stores try to insure a profitable year (in the black) by offering great
bargains to attract people while supplies last.
People flock to the stores minutes after midnight so as not to be left
out. We bought our “Black Friday Special”
recliner at Big Lots on Thanksgiving Day.
Then the commercial internet sites get into it on “Cyber Monday”. It’s
all about buying “things”.
Why
do we give gifts in the first place? Let’s
remember that God gave us His only begotten Son to teach us how to live, save
us from our sins, and open the gates of Heaven for us if we only follow Him and
accept His teachings. We
give gifts to our loved ones and to charity to celebrate God’s great gift to
us. Let’s give gifts that educate our children and strengthen their
faith; let’s give of our time, talent, and treasure to the Church, to
charities, and to the poor because we are doing it unto Christ……the Giving
Tree, food pantries, soup kitchens, the K of C Coats for Kids campaign, etc.
It’s OK to say MERRY CHRISTMAS! Better yet is to wish people a “Beautiful and
Blessed Christmas”. Saying “Happy Holidays” is a
surrender to secularism and so is sending a Christmas card with no relation
to the
birth of the Christ child, who is the reason for the season. Let’s send Christmas cards with a genuinely
Christmas theme, not simply sleighs, reindeer, penguins, and snowmen. That is also a profession of faith. Sending Christmas greetings and good wishes
is really a small communication of love, remembering, and caring. Let’s look at it that way and not simply as a
required chore.
Perhaps
we could make a concession to Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim friends and say “happy
holidays” to them as we invite them to celebrate with us in our Country which was
founded as a Christian country and still is.
Share with them the reason for the season with an ecumenical spirit of
respectful interfaith dialogue and ask them to share their religious customs
with us. If we should live in India,
Japan, or Saudia Arabia they certainly would expect us to respect their culture
and not be “offended” by manifestations of their faith in public places.
Why do we have all those lights and
decorations? Why
do we decorate our homes and our city park so beautifully with lights? Let’s do it in honor of Christ, the light of
the world. May your light shine as well.
Let’s add on in our front yards a manger
scene which explicitly demonstrates the reason for the season. Including the shepherds demonstrate that God
sent the Christ child to the Jews and to the poor which He and His Church have
a special love for.
Why have a Christmas tree (not “holiday
tree”) with a star on top?
It is an evergreen tree, denoting life eternal which God offers to us. We decorate it to celebrate God’s gift of His
Son and eternal life. Be sure to put a
star on top to remind the world of the Magi who followed the star to pay homage
to the new born king. Let us not forget
that God gave this message to the astrologers from probably present day Iran to
demonstrate that He also sent His son to the gentiles and the affluent.
Why do we party and visit each
other? It is to
celebrate this great event in history, God becoming one of us. Because God is love, we party for amicable fellowship
together with our family, our friends, our colleagues at work without going
into excess. Visiting friends and relatives,
especially the sick and the elderly, are great gestures of love. Caroling by our Yacht Club in nursing homes is
very significant. In bringing Communion
to the sick and the elderly, especially in the nursing homes, I have found that
they treasure visits and feel very lonely without them.
Why other customs?
Let’s look at Santa Claus from the Dutch for St.
Nicholas, the candy cane as his crozier and that of Christ, the Good Shepherd (red
for sacrifice & white for purity), and the stocking in which He would put gold
coins for the dowry of a poor girl. For
more detail as on the holly and the Poinsettia, see my blog #52.
Mary
with child and Joseph on the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem, 90 miles and four days on foot as seen on the
map below as they prepare for the coming of the Savior during their Advent. This shows how tough St. Joseph was. How many of us can walk for 22 ½ miles over hill
and dale in one day and then with aching
muscles repeat it for three more days?
Preparing our Hearts for Christmas
During Advent. To get the most out of Christmas with
all of its joy, its magic, its graces, its blessings, and spiritual growth,
preparation is a must. That’s what
Advent is all about. When Adam and Eve
were evicted from Paradise, God promised a Redeemer, a Messiah, who would
restore what they lost to those that believe in Him and follow His
teachings. The Jews waited 4000 years;
we relive that wait in joyful anticipation with each week symbolizing a wait of
a thousand years. You can buy an Advent
Wreath in the Parish Hall after Mass for your dinner table and light an
additional candle each Sunday. Let’s
prepare for Christmas with more prayer, spiritual reading as bible study,
watching excellent Advent programs on EWTN cable and satellite or www.ewtn.com,
Mass attendance in addition to Sunday, and by all means, a good Christmas bath
for our souls…….Confession. Then we put
up the Christmas tree a day or two before Christmas and celebrate the 12 days
of Christmas, keeping the tree up until after the feast of the Epiphany (the
Magi) on January 6.
The most important of all is Christ
and the Christmas Spirit. It consists of peace and love for
all.......forgiveness, reconciliation with our enemies and adversaries often
within our own extended families, charity, generosity, and joy that only Christ
can give. May everything that we do in relation to Christmas be directed toward
developing the Christmas spirit. Then our Christmas will indeed be happy,
merry, and joyful.
Let’s
look at Christmas the way the angels announced the birth of the Messiah to the
shepherds. “Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to men of good will”.
Let’s use Christmas and its customs and everything we do in the new year
be all for the greater glory of God (Ad majorem Dei gloriam”). That’s what Christmas is all
about…….gratitude and celebration for God’s great gift to us, His Son. Let’s bring the true, the good, and the
beautiful into Advent and Christmas…….not simply decorating, partying, and
buying more stuff. Join the Knights of
Columbus campaign to put Christ into Christmas……..and Advent too. Let us not forget that the first six letters
of Christmas are the most important.
Let us close with a link to a flash mob of students of Thomas Aquinas College, a great books school in Santa Paula California. For the second consecutive year they pulled it off in a large mall outside of near Los Angeles. Click on http://thomasaquinas.edu/flashmob2014?utm_source=Thomas+Aquinas+College+List&utm_campaign=4aa411876c-December_E_Letter_OFFICIAL_DEV_12_09_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_934026db06-4aa411876c-241861441#video
Let us close with a link to a flash mob of students of Thomas Aquinas College, a great books school in Santa Paula California. For the second consecutive year they pulled it off in a large mall outside of near Los Angeles. Click on http://thomasaquinas.edu/flashmob2014?utm_source=Thomas+Aquinas+College+List&utm_campaign=4aa411876c-December_E_Letter_OFFICIAL_DEV_12_09_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_934026db06-4aa411876c-241861441#video
