Reflection - Announced from the Press Box

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/122517-dawn.cfm
Isaiah 62:11-12
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:15-20

According to some theorists, alternate universes actually exist, and both people and events are different in these alternate universes. In one or more of the multitude of those alternatives the Biblical story of the shepherds could well evolve in a decidedly dissimilar manner to that with which we are familiar:

And in that region there were workers sharing a beer after a long day at work, keeping watch over the evening football game. And a TV spokesman for ESPN suddenly appeared to them, and the TV volume increased and the screen glowed with the announcer’s proclamation. The men were astonished. And the spokesman said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy from the Midtown Mall. It is good news for all the people; for to you is given this day, in the city where you live, a sale of extraordinary bargains.

And this will be a sign for you: you will find each store with a banner on its door and a welcome mat at each entrance. And suddenly there was, with the messenger, a choir of great multitude praising the local merchants and saying, "Glory to the Midtown Mall, which has brought to us savings beyond belief.

When the announcer faded from the screen and the game resumed, the workmen said to one another, "Hey! When this game is over let us go to Midtown Mall and see this sale which has come to pass, the one which the Announcer has made known to us." And so, when the final score was proclaimed, they went with haste, and found bargains even on the simplest things. And when they saw the extent of the markdowns they made known the announcement which had been told to them concerning this event; and all who heard of it wondered at the windfall of which the workmen spoke.

Sometimes I feel like I live in an alternate universe.

Christmas Day has passed and, as usual, I have, along with most everyone else, tried unsuccessfully, to love all my neighbors. What difference has it all made?

There was a recent Fox News editorial, written by a minister, in which were listed many of the things which have been accomplished in Western Civilization because of Christianity. It itemized just a few of the world events which the author proposed to have been positively changed or affected over the past two thousand years because of the belief in an Incarnate God. I have no particular reason to doubt the author’s veracity. Much of what he described was in accord with my own understanding of the events recorded in history. Admittedly, he ignored some of the more questionable events like the Crusades, the Eastern Schism and the religious wars. Even so, several civilizing achievements appear to be the direct result of Christian influence.

Still, the author’s list was questionable. It could reasonably be argued that, given time, those alleged historical achievements of Christianity would have come to pass anyway. In any case, achievements, either great or small, are not enough.

A recent court case in Washington DC has made the essence of the issue evident. It was reported that the Archdiocese of Washington DC filed a lawsuit after Metro Subway authorities rejected their proposed December subway advertisement. It was a simple sign, with a four word message: “Find the perfect gift,” read the ad’s tag line, which was set against a silhouette depicting shepherds with their flock of sheep looking up into a starry sky. The court ruling, which has already been handed down, declared, among other things, that there is a secular Christmas and a religious Christmas. That is the crux of the matter.

It’s not enough —

• To smile at everyone you meet.
  
• To keep most of the ten commandments most of the time.
  
• To close your speeches with “God bless America.”
  
• To be tolerant of those who think differently.
  
• To treat your customers fairly.
  
• To avoid fights with your neighbor.
  

It’s not enough —

• To tell everyone to “Have a nice day.”
  
• To bite your tongue and not flip off the inconsiderate driver.
  
• To do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
  
• To respect the rights of others.
  
• To care for the poor and the homeless
  

It’s not enough to do any or all of these things. These and similar practices make for the kind of communities we want to live in. They also do a good job of providing a basis for the judge’s verdict, for they take certain consequences of active Christianity and make those consequences into the substance of our faith. In our day, in our time there is a secular Christmas. In our day, in our time there is a secular Christianity. It is a Christianity which encourages, even actively promotes friendliness, fellowship, neighborliness, fair treatment, a welcoming attitude — but it is not enough, for it misses the soul of what Christianity is about.

If you offer warm greetings and a hearty handshake what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Atheists do the same? It is not enough. If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the non-believers do the same? It is not enough.

"I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." 

But that’s sort of where we began, isn’t it: Here we are, Christmas Day has passed and, as usual, we have tried unsuccessfully to love all our neighbors. Why is this so, since it is a critical element which is supposed to differentiate secular from sacred Christianity?

We would Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us; but success eludes us. And yet it impassions us even as it escapes our grasp. That too is part of sacred Christianity; for the realization of such love—a love for all our neighbors— is only possible for those reborn through a previous love, for those reborn through loving God with all one’s mind and all one’s heart and all one’s soul. Only that is enough. Only that will enable us to love even those who hate. Only that is sacred Christianity.