If it’s wrong to gorge on cookies and electronic toys on December 25th, it’s also wrong to gorge on cynicism and criticism in the name of Christ.
Read the rest of my latest for The Catholic Weekly.
Images: Christ Child by Waiting for the Word via Flickr (Creative Commons) and complainer via Pixabay
Thank you Simcha. You’re doing some excellent work in the Catholic Weekly. I needed that helpful reminder. The only gripe I’ll indulge in is walking around shopping centers (or malls) bemoaning the horrible pop-Christmas songs they insisting on playing IN MID NOVEMBER. I swear if i hear one more breathy person moan-warbling ‘Joy to the World’ I will smash the personalised Vegemite stand. /rant
I wait, I just remembered something. Iguess I should admit that I got a little huffy at Trader Joe’s when the guy stocking the giant pallet of Advent calendars said that there weren’t any religious ones.
“Not even ONE baby Jesus–?!” He shook his head. I absolved him, saying “it’s not your fault”, and stalked away with sour owl urine face. Yep, I felt a little high and mighty, with a smattering of misery.
When I dragged myself to confession yesterday, the good old Irish priest said at the end, “when you are tempted to be angry when you see a bunch of Santas, decide instead to pray for our secular society.” I said,”K”, then thought to myself, “Santa doesn’t make me angry.” A reminder to pray for society is fine advice though.
I laughed about it today. My husband appreciated the term “miserablist”. Seriously, why should they have the honor of being called “Trads”? Good call. Yes, miserablist.
/How to thread the needle? How do we recognize the solemnity of Advent as a time of preparation, /without coming across as a quasher of joys, which is the least Christian thing you can be?
Good post. I think your point is laudable. But when I write about the Christmas season and the contradictions in our society, where almost everyone ends their celebrations on the day the feast of Christmas instead of starting to celebrate on that day, I do so not to be a quasher of joys, but as a sharer of what I learned myself late in life with others who too might never had heard it all before. I try to make people can realize they will better enjoy the joys of Christmas, if they don’t gorge themselves on all the treats and parties and lights and carols ahead of time. The Christmas season starting at Christmas itself gives plenty of time to celebrate, and the celebration is made more joyful with anticipation and self denial beforehand. Besides, having someone teach you what the Church intends, that advent should be a time of waiting and preparation, is a gift, like the one you gave your children when you taught them what it all means.
I don’t comment often, but I just had to say I loved the line about Chico Marx.