Editorial

We must do all we can to keep ‘Christ’ in Christmas

“The angel said to [the shepherds],
‘Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a Savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.’
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
‘Glory to God in the highest
and on Earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’ ” (Lk 2:9-14).

Each Christmas, we hear St. Luke’s Gospel narrative about the Nativity, a story that has been a cornerstone of our faith and a teaching of many other Christian faith traditions for thousands of years.

And every year—if we’re honest—this humanity-changing event should cause us to pause to reflect on the great gift our Creator gave us through Jesus Christ his Son. It should truly be a time of awe and wonder.

But sadly, because of the interference, noise and messages being spread by secularists in society, the true meaning of Christmas is getting pushed further and further from the forefront and shoved on a backburner as a secondary thought to Santa, sales and Star Wars. Sacredness is no longer a holiday necessity.

If there’s one thing we Catholics and other people of faith cannot do, it is to allow society to dictate what the Christmas season is truly about.

We understand this is no easy task because merchants, store owners and countless websites are promoting the Christmas season as soon as Halloween is over—and in some instances, even sooner. If that’s not troubling, then this should be: many of those same businesses do their level best to welcome consumers into their “Christmas in July” celebrations. And we believe for many of those merchants, the birth of Jesus Christ has little or nothing to do with those summer-based sales.

The Nativity is a once-in-an-eternity event that should be commemorated and celebrated on Dec. 25 and in the days following, not in July or the day after Halloween or at any other time. But those with secularist mentalities are working to keep “Christ” out of Christmas. And we cannot let that continue to happen.

It seems almost every year a school or town is falling prey to political correctness. A school choir cannot sing religious-themed Christmas songs. A Nativity scene cannot be displayed in a town square. Employees in some stores are forbidden from wishing customers a “Merry Christmas” and instead must offer them a “Happy Holidays.”

What’s next? We can only wonder what will be done to push “Christ” further and further from the true meaning of Christmas.

Our response to this and all of life’s challenges must have faith at its core.

Each of us is called to holiness, and our faith instructs us to preach Jesus Christ by word and example.

Our charge as Catholics is to see Jesus in others and be Jesus for others, not only in church on Sundays but every day with family, friends, co-workers, strangers—anyone and everyone who crosses our path.

We believe we can do just that if we live the title of Pope Francis’ 2019 postsynodal apostolic exhortation to young people, “Christus Vivit,” showing “Christ is alive” in our hearts, words and deeds.

As Pope Francis told young people and has said throughout his pontificate, holiness is the habit of doing good. We need to look no further than the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12) as a great Scriptural foundation in our call to holiness.

And that foundation also must include celebrating the Nativity every Dec. 25 and during the Christmas season through Jan. 6: “For behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Lk 2:10).

Christmas is a time to celebrate God’s infinite love for us through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ.

May we let others know that story is at the heart of our Christmas.

And as Pope Francis wrote earlier this month in his apostolic letter, “Admirabile Signum” (“Enchanting Image”) about the Christmas crèche, may we always remind others that this baby (Jesus) is “the source and sustenance of all life. In Jesus, the Father has given us a brother who comes to seek us out whenever we are confused or lost, a loyal friend ever at our side. He gave us his Son who forgives us and frees us from our sins” (#3).

—Mike Krokos