‘O come all ye faithful’ By Bishop Joseph N. Latino
These are the lyrics of a well known and well loved Christmas carol. Once upon a time this carol, along with displays of cribs and statues and decorations proclaiming Christmas time and the Christmas seasons and exchanges of Merry Christmas greetings, were welcomed and expected generally by everyone.
Today however, we live in a society that is directed by the attitude which rejects everything that is politically incorrect. Under the pretext of not wanting to offend anyone, certain symbols are no longer allowed or acceptable in public places. Traditional and familiar greetings identifying the season and the reason for all the cards, good wishes, the exchanging of gifts, visiting of friends and families are now reduced to simply wishing a “happy season” to those we meet.
Christmas, however, is not just a “happy season” time. It is the celebration of a particular birth – the birth of Christ the Messiah, the eternal Son of God. It is not just a time limited to tinsel, colored lights and good meaningless feelings and secular reasons to party.
How tragic it is that today we are living in a very vocal society that would strip us of our faith, our beliefs and our traditions. It seems to me that one who does not believe what I believe is free to choose not to believe. However, it is not true, or just, to refuse or deny me my right to believe. I refuse to accept the idea that my religious practices should be relinquished simply to avoid offending anyone; just as surely as I believe that I should not be offended by another’s faith or lack of faith.
We who choose to believe, celebrate the birth of one who came into a world that was sadly oblivious of his presence. He was recognized only by a few and shortly after his birth, he was sought by someone who tried to destroy him.
Sadly it seems to me our society today would prefer us to also be oblivious of his presence. It seems our society wishes to obliterate his name or anything and everything that suggests or refers to him, even to the absurdity of changing the name of a tree from “Christ-mass” to simply festival tree.
May we who boast and claim the name “Christ”-ian, always profess the reason we celebrate and never deny or accept any other reason.
We wish you all a very Blessed and Merry Christmas and may you and your families be worthy recipients of the Child Jesus’ greatest blessings. May we who believe and practice our beliefs, regardless of those who do not nor want to believe, be the ones who eagerly and faithfully respond to the invitation: O come all ye faithful!
