We Need A Little Christmas
Reverend Raymond K. Petrucci
No matter the time of year, the faith, joy, and hope of the Christmas season always is welcome, always is needed. Watching the old year end and the next year begin, thoughts of what has been and of what is hoped for fill our minds. Human nature is a funny thing; it expects to glory in rebirth and redemption, but always falls back into the same old sins. Yet, redemption has been won for us and the gates of heaven have been opened. How do we grasp the prize and seal it upon our hearts? How do we defeat those instinctive responses, those powerful temptations? We might find it beneficial to begin at the beginning. Wisdom demands that we face the storm clouds as they are forming and know what circumstances initiate the injurious paths of our lives rather than seek answers in the ruins of the tempest. When we possess a greater understanding of what forces within us upset the equilibrium of our lives, we can arm ourselves against their onslaught.
Quary the granite rock with razors or moor the vessel with a thread of silk; then may you hope with such keen and delicate instruments as human knowledge and human reason to contend against those giants, the passion and the pride of man.
John Henry Cardinal Newman
I believe that Our Savior, born into the world, fulfills not only a mission to redeem us, but also to light the path to the fruits of that redemption. Cardinal Newman might be accurate in calling us to keenly be aware of the destructive power of those massive stumbling blocks: passion and pride. Although passion and pride have their rightful place in our lives, allowing them to move unchecked and without moral governance invites harmful results for others and for one's self. Hence, Christmas enters bringing with it the impulse to adopt an attitude of humility and thoughtfulness before a divine mystery. This incarnate Word of God grows into full manhood to reconcile us to the Father and to teach us the way to salvation: to hear the word of God and to keep it. Living the faith authentically is the hallmark of Christian discipleship. We need to enforce this commitment through the resolve of mind and heart to form a conscience soaked in the holy water of a spiritual life in Christ.
At this point, I wish to dissuade the reader from thinking that he is awash in a plenitude of platitudes. The effects of giving full reign to our passions and pride easily can become catastrophic. If a person is indifferent to this fact, he is paving a road leading to tragic consequences. In response to the trials of his time, Pope Leo XIII composed a Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel in which we pray for that warrior angel to battle the forces of evil and the protect the faithful from the wiles of the devil as he searches the world in hopes of devouring souls. This graphic illustration of the goal of evil reveals the seriousness of examining the influences of our lives and what those values are making of us. The feeling of life imbued in the Christmas season invites an examination of life that might lead to an exigency to reform that life or to an appreciation of how God's grace has blessed that life. Our task is not to miss the opportunity of finding out.
And so, Christmastime has come and the arrival of a New Year. I reiterate that no matter what day of the year has come, we often need a little Christmas to bolster our good works and to soothe our wounds. Pray for an abundance of gifts of people of good will, people of honesty and integrity, people willing to face themselves and the challenges before them, and especially, people of true holiness. Yes, Christ was born into the raw and cold realities of the world, but he also was surrounded with love and care exemplifying the best of human existence. Both publically and ecclesiastically, we have witnessed both gloriously good works and horrendously severe evils. May we learn that not only in the world around us, but also in the world within us, we encounter the best and the worst of this mysterious and complex being that is man. The Babe of Bethlehem cries out to be heard and calls out to the world to follow Him. What will you choose to do and what moral norms will you reflect in your life? Whether it be shepherds on their night watch or three Magi following a star, the positive response to the summoning of faith is to become a seeker of the heavenly kingdom and to be transformed into a manifestation of the King.