Published in the Westchester Guardian, December 2014
Why am I crying silently? Why am I hurting and my soul in distress? Why are there so many feeling the same way? Christmas should be celebrated with pure joy. Unlike Easter, which should be celebrated with a pure gloriousness, this Feast of the Nativity creates immense tension mainly because it is a religious feast in a multi-cultural society (so beneficial in many ways) with an economy based on consumerism and capitalism. Multiculturalism creates issues via the fact that a cultural segment inundates/overwhelms me with commercialization to improve their profit margin and I find this difficult to shut out of my life.
The history of Christmas as a Holiday, beginning with its root as a rebuttal to an Imperial Roman celebration, is very familiar. Appearing in only two (Matthew and Luke) of the four Gospels, this Feast was celebrated as early as 200 A.D. which is also the time when the Latin Church began observing December 25th, as the birth of Jesus Christ. (The Pocket Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Image Books 1985). Though many may not be believers in Jesus Christ as Savior, still, they celebrate and exalt kindness, so badly needed in our world, at Christmas.
In his book, The Purpose of Christmas, (Howard Books, 2008) Reverend Rick Warren reiterates that this day as a time for celebration, salvation and reconciliation. We can readily agree that The Birth we celebrate is very much ignored; in my opinion, if we focused instead of the birth of Christ, then the celebration truly becomes one of joy and the trappings of commercialization will become lessor appendixes. (Reminds me of the moral of The Grinch -original, cartoon version – the stolen gifts had no effect on the celebration.)
For me, the real joy, The Truth, is difficult to truly comprehend, for it extends and amplifies an event beyond the material/physical component of our world – the unseen; the spiritual manifested in the physical person. Two separate worlds joined together and nothing has ever been the same since! Christ’s physical presence in our world lasted for approximately 33 years – ending in the victory of the first Easter, a miraculous singularity in human history.
Today a battle is being fought within our secular culture: material concerns and our busy-ness overwhelm the spiritual, yet when the trappings are diminished or removed, miracles can, and will happen. The profit motive has dissolved the spirituality of the season. Our children are overwhelmed by propaganda for “the next best thing” that will make them happy. Seeking to achieve and maintain joy through the material becomes a trap, a continuous cycle; an addiction! The cult of Materialism, the idea that acquiring things will create peace, joy and happiness, will drag them down for a very long time, in the absence of qualities that do bring inner joy and lasting peace: kindness, love, ethical behavior and the willingness to lend a hand to someone in need, for example. (The art of making money has evolved into even cutting at least one thirty eight second scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas for the sake of adding more commercials. It’s playing a second time for an hour, so maybe this classic will be shown in its entirety. Sacrilege!)
Blessed John Paul II wrote, “It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed towards ‘having’ rather than ‘being,’ and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself” (Centesimus Annus, 36, © Copyright 1991 – Libreria Editrice Vat). Joy enhanced due to The One’s Birthday should be celebrated. Presents should not be the goal: presents should be the results of this joy rather than joy resulting from presents. Getting something, i.e., flowers, for just the reason of getting is a wonderful idea. Giving for just the reason of giving is fantastic.
Fr. Thomas Merton’s critiques still applies to today, “It is good that somewhere in the world there are men who realize that Christ is born. There were only a few shepherds at the first Bethlehem, and it is the same now. The ox and the ass understood more of the first Christmas than the high priest in Jerusalem. And it is the same today”. Not with our priests today, but with the current leaders of society – politicians, capitalists, socialists, etc. If we take that next step of opening our eyes to something beyond our vision, we may see so much more.
What occurred when Thomas Merton made that leap? “The emptiness that had opened out within me, that had been prepared during Advent and laid upon my own silence and darkness, now became filled. And suddenly I was in a new world.” What we think has been lost, leaving a void, creates an expanse for Faith and Truth to enter, creating new freedoms and liberty. The results of such discipline, he continues, “You know that Christ is born within you, infinite liberty (love): that you are free! That there are enemies which can never touch you, …! That there are no more limitations! … That you are standing on a threshold of infinite possibilities!” (A Thomas Merton Reader revised edition, ed. Thomas P. McDonnell, Image Books. 1974. Due to my illness, the messed up bio-chemistry of my brain, I may experience some portion of what the average person can accomplish, but God willing, I may experience it nevertheless.
Gift giving should not overwhelm, but support the traditions and other positive aspects of this day: special recipes cooked to perfection (most of the time), desserts of course (always save room for more), hearty and healthy wishes, many hugs & many kisses, greeting cards, family get-togethers (comes with issues) and music (overplayed at times). The trappings of this Holiday are all aimed towards joy. These trappings have evolved and continue to evolve and most of the time that’s a good thing strive to find something deeper that will draw us closer to what’s important – God, faith and family. Tradition is a very important aspect of growth – spiritual, emotional, etc.
Christmas is not just one day, but a feast within a special season, ending with the Epiphany – Tuesday, January 6th, 2015. Time from daily chores and work should be made to continue the celebration, visiting relatives, exchanging gifts. But don’t tell the manufacturers – they will tell us to buy more gifts, spend more money and expect presents every day. The battle between religious ministries and secular consumerism is won’t be over any time soon. So what, if non-Christians appropriate and celebrate Christmas as just a holiday without an understanding of the deeper meaning of the day? Out of respect, I will wish them a Happy Holiday!
Glenn Slaby Blog