By MIKE MANNO
Well, next week is the big day and we eagerly await the annual visitation of that jolly fat man who brings Christmas cheer around the world. Yes, it’s that jolly fat man that is the center of our season; we used to think it was Jesus and His Birth that we celebrate. Apparently, that’s wrong.
You see, the mere mention of the name Jesus will bring you condemnation. Interestingly, reference to God, or the Almighty doesn’t seem to have the negative connotation that the mention of Jesus does.
Now it’s perfectly normal to wonder why, after all, the jolly fat man is based on a saint, but nobody says that anymore. Saint is a reference that is almost as objectionable as Jesus. So while some refer to him as “Jolly Old St. Nick,” that reference is divorced from the real life fourth-century bishop of Myra, and largely used to depict a cartoonish character, dressed in red with a long beard, who rides through the sky in a sleigh pulled by eight (or nine, depending on how you count them) tiny, flying reindeers.
That St. Nick, the cartoon character, is OK. Bishop Nicholas is not; just as Jesus is not. Why, might we ask?
Christmas is being eliminated from school calendars, despite the fact that it is still a legal federal holiday. The wishing of “Merry Christmas” has been banned in many quarters, although it is making a bit of a comeback — more on that later. Schools and businesses are allowed holiday parties, but not Christmas parties. In some places the colors red and green — traditional Christmas colors — are banned: no red or green frosting on your “holiday” cookies.
And, of course, no hymns may be sung that have any reference to Jesus. Those beautiful melodies we grew up with are either banned, or the words changed to reflect that joyous day when the jolly fat man brings presents to the kids and love to the world.
But no Jesus; God is apparently tolerable since He can supposedly represent an amorphous concept that is universal and, at least, somewhat acceptable, even to nonbelievers.
But Jesus is another matter. He represents something solid, something specific, a way to live, and believe. Jesus, and the Christianity He blessed the world with, literally built Western Civilization, established schools, universities, and hospitals; that civilization gave the world beautiful art, music, and literature. And it gave us norms for living.
So why is He omitted? Why are Jesus and His birthday forbidden subjects?
I think it’s as simple as us losing the culture war. And it’s not a matter of fighting and being bested; it’s because we’ve rolled over and let our cultural opponents claim the high ground. We’re on the verge of surrender because we don’t stand up for what we truly believe; if we did, an angel would top every Christmas (not holiday) tree, Christian hymns would be part of every school Christmas (not holiday) program, crèches would be seen in public places — not banned, and the true spirit of Christmas, man receiving his Savior, would dominate the season.
But we’ve stood by and watched the culture take all of that away. “Inclusiveness” means that Christians can be stripped of their voices since our message may give offense to some; our values are not shared by a culture that does not recognize the values that Christianity and Western Civilization have brought to the world. Instead they believe that we promote a continuation of white male oppression of women, blacks, native persons, aborigines, and whoever else is considered part of the “oppressed” classes.
Thus we must be consigned to a corner of the culture where we can do no harm; teach no religious doctrine or rules. After all, people have the right to live whatever style of life they choose, and to enjoy the pleasures and/or prerogatives of whichever of the 71 genders Facebook recognizes. There are no absolutes, facts are a matter of opinion, relativism has run amuck, and those crazy Christians can’t tell us any different.
So now we have the world and society turned upside down, incrementally and almost without a peep. Where have our leaders been when issues like abortion and same-sex marriage were discussed? Nowhere — they’ve abandoned the battlefield in the name of harmony with our non-Christian friends and their government benefactors. There has been no strong stand against this new version of our culture.
Catholic politicians have been allowed to deceive us about these things because there is no downside to allowing the culture to redefine itself. I only know of one pro-abortion Catholic who was told by her bishop to stay away from the Communion rail until she repents.
What about a Catholic vice president who presided at a same-sex marriage; why was there no official response and discipline from his bishop? Where is the pushback when a Catholic student group is denied recognition at a state school because it asks that its leaders follow the tenets of the Church? Why is the defense of that group left to others? Why is there no full-press pushback by our Church leaders? It is as if all the officers have left the field of battle to those they are charged with leading. Is it any wonder then why the leaderless laity is frustrated and looks to others — many outside the Church — for leadership?
I mentioned above about the “Merry Christmas” greeting. Have you noticed how that is coming back as more and more businesses now allow their employees to use it? Why? Why has “Merry Christmas” made a comeback against cultural norms?
It’s because one leader, our president, stood up for “Merry Christmas.” Mr. Trump, for whatever you can say about his personality and his blunt style, took the issue on and, as of the last count, is winning. One man, with influence, led on the issue and faced down the cultural agnostics. Think of what would happen if our bishops did the same thing. Think of what strong messages, not just lip service, might mean to society.
I know they’re in a bad spot right now. The homosexual abuse scandal, police raids on chanceries, and grand jury investigations have far too many cowering under their desks, or burying their heads in the sand.
It is Christmastime; if ever there was at time for our bishops to shout Jesus from the rooftops, it is now. The missionaries who, facing torture and death, brought Christianity to the world should be our examples on how to evangelize, how to stand up for our beliefs, how to convert the world — not accommodate to it.
“Sad to say,” writes Philip Lawler in his new book, The Smoke of Satan, “many Catholic leaders and Catholic institutions have chosen, in our days, to accommodate themselves to the will of man….We — the spiritual heirs of the Maccabees, of the martyrs of Rome and North America — should not be too quick to look for clever ways to excuse ourselves from our obligations to defend and promote the Faith.”
Unfortunately, that is what happens to a leaderless army. We need our colonels and generals back, leading the charge. Without them, we merely form a ragtag band of Christian guerrillas, trying to stand against the hordes. However, with our bishops living up to their commissions, there is no power that can defeat the Church.
Remember, Jesus said the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church, but He didn’t say the Church would always thrive everywhere for all time.
We have seen what one man has done for “Merry Christmas,” and, frankly, for other cultural issues. Think of how, with proper and bold leadership, we can meet the other challenges our new cultural warriors present. Prayer, the Spirit, and bold bishops are what are needed.
As we welcome our Savior next week, let that be our prayer, to strengthen our Church by strengthening our leaders. Pray for our bishops, they are in the crucible, and they need our prayers.
Merry Christmas from my wife, Luanne, and me — and may the strength of the Babe born in a stable fortify all of us so that we do not shrink from the battle we must wage.
You can reach Mike at: DeaconMike@q.com.
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