THE P RTAL
March 2015
Australia Pages - page 8
The musings
of the Ordinary,
Mgr Harry Entwistle
Australia
Pages
F
licking through the Entertainment channels during a recent flight, I selected a programme
featuring several comedians talking about their celebrations on Christmas Day. It was a ‘Grumpy old
men/women’ type programme. Most of the participants made no claim to be religious, but they celebrated
Christmas and apart from the hard work and family tensions, they enjoyed it.
One man’s in-laws were antireligious, while his family were dyedin-the-wool Irish Catholics who
“believed the whole lot!” His in-laws
celebrated Christmas with presents,
fun, family and generosity, which are
what they saw as the essence of the
holiday. However, when it came to
Easter there was nothing to celebrate
because they have no time for stories
about an executed Jew. Easter was
about bunnies and chocolates, not
this “gruesome religious stuff.”
peace and good will
be expressed to further God’s plan for
his creation. This pattern is to bring
order out of chaos; to bring harmony
and healing to all through the valuing
of all life and working for the ultimate
good of all, namely reconciliation
between God and his creation.
The true nature and cost of love is
shown to us on the Cross where God
himself suffered with us, for us and
because of us. His wounds are those
of anyone who loves, and anyone
who respon ds and leads a Godcentred life rather than a self-centred
life will suffer. It was C.S. Lewis who
reminded us that if we wish to avoid
suffering we must not love anyone or
It is interesting that non-religious
people are happy to celebrate the
birth of a child in Bethlehem with
the joy that usually comes with a new birth. What they anything.
seem to connect with are the virtues of love, caring,
giving, compassion, flowing from a hoped for peace flawed and self-centred
and good will between all peoples that the Christmas
Separating the virtues which are clear in the
story highlights.
Christmas story from the God who came to reconcile
us to himself, can only express a flawed self-centred
This story, with its account of the birth in a stable view of humanity. It leads to the devaluing of human
with shepherds, animals and wise men, can be an life with its scant regard for the unborn, the weak,
inspiration to non-believers who identify with the vulnerable and those who do not submit to the
laudable sentiments, but do not identify with the One prevailing cultural view of how society should be
who is love, joy, peace and compassion. The Wise Men ordered.
fell down and worshipped Jesus before they offered
him their gifts.
By disassociating God’s values from the worship of
God, life tends to be lived on the self-focused basis of,
God made Flesh
“What do I want and how can I get it?” rather than
The Christian faith is a religion about a relationship on a God-centred basis of, “What does God want and
with a person, not simply a moral code delivered how can I achieve it?”
by a person. What Jesus taught, said and did, are
inseparable from who he is, namely the Word of God
Perhaps this is why many of the non-believing
made Flesh.
secularists in the Western world are happy to celebrate
the ‘true meaning’ of Christmas, but stick to spiced
Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom fruit buns and chocolate eggs in the weeks leading to
of love, mercy and compassion, but these virtues must Good Friday and Easter Day.
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