[Author’s note: Throughout
history the winter solstice has been venerated as the moment when our sun, the
giver of life, was welcomed as its prelude to Spring. The ancient seers knew that what is seen
above is reflected below. Spiritually
this time of year is celebratory as the universal or divine energy of the
Supreme Architect awakens what winter had put to sleep.
Religions also adopt this time of year for their respective traditions
and Christianity, the tradition I grew up with, is no exception. Distinctively, Christianity celebrates the
birth of Jesus and foresees the great Light he brought into the world. Your stance on his divinity should not be a
barrier to the joy this season brings to all who are open to it. When we look to all great prophets and
teachers in the spirit of brotherhood and love the need to denigrate another’s
holi- or holy-day should quickly vanish.
So the differences we might appreciate at this time of the season are
between the many who value the spiritual traditions on or about the winter
solstice and the few who see November and December as just two more months of
the calendar year. Unfortunately for us
all, of the few there are those who for their own reasons cannot accept or
respect neither the spirit nor the traditions surrounding this special
time. It gives way to the politics of
political correctness and the need to sterilize everything to the point of
irrelevance.
I, for one, don’t mind the inclusion of other traditions so long as they
add to the celebration of the season.
But we must keep something in mind and that is the Christian celebration
was and remains the predominant one and is forever linked to the founding of
this great nation.
If you are put off by the story of the baby Jesus look to it as an
important life lesson for a family. Try
to see the birth of a newborn as it should be, a blessing that brings a new
beginning and new life. Look into the
eyes of any child and behold the innocence that we all brought with us at
birth.
Those who celebrate the divinity of Jesus sing his praises within their
churches and their homes. We can all,
however, enjoy the decorated trees and light, the packages, and uplifting
renditions dedicated to Frosty and Rudolph.
All this is possible without becoming a heretic in your own mind.
Love joins, hate separates. With
this in mind I will leave you with a sage observation by Carl Jung: Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. Jesus taught that to find the Kingdom of God
we must look within.
Allow yourself a moment of calm, open yourself to great possibilities, and
leave the jaded vestiges of popular culture aside: Merry Christmas.]
Like all young boys and girls
Christmas was a magical time marked by baked goods, lights and
decorations. Even the adults appeared a
bit more relaxed and prone to the festivities and celebrations. Anticipation filled the air and every day a
window on the “count-down” calendar to Christmas was opened. Christmas carols filled the air and there was
a sense of joy and optimism that was palpable.
Growing up as I did in a Latin
American culture I had the added advantage of Three Kings Day. As the only non-Catholic in a Catholic
parochial school I became a student of comparative religion as of the first
grade. My friends would ask me about
Santa and I would ask them about the Magi.
Not too many years later we all enjoyed the benefits (i.e., toys and
stuff) of December 25th followed by January 6th, the
Epiphany. As I was exposed to the
Christian meaning of Christmas Three Kings Day seemed the ever more appropriate
day for gifts.
Preparations for Christmas followed
Thanksgiving. We would start decorating
the house to the sound of Angels We Have Heard On High and All I Want for
Christmas. We always went out the week before
Christmas to buy the tree. We would not
dispose of the tree until after Three Kings Day. I continued this tradition but found that in
the United States things were a bit different.
The tree went up a day or so after Thanksgiving and was seemingly gone
by New Year’s. I called my mother who
explained that we would have done the same except for the fact that Christmas
trees just weren’t available any sooner.
Once again my perceptions had played tricks on me.
Christmas day was a flurry of
activity. We wanted to attack the tree
in search of bounty and my parents would sit us at the table with our stockings
while they quickly drank their morning coffee.
At some point the song Dreaming of a White Christmas would play and we
would ask our parents what a white Christmas was like; we looked out and could
only behold a tropical paradise! One by
one, in turn, presents were opened and we made a point of oohing and aahing at
the least of any of our gifts. It was
the process we loved.
Caroling with friends was common and
many parties led up to Three Kings Day.
I had learned the ritual of preparation from my friends and then educated
Mom and Dad. First you go outside and
find the most tender and appetizing field grass for the camels. I was told that the three camels would eat
the grass out of one box. So with grass
in the box and placed under my bed I would go to sleep anticipating the arrival
of the Magi. Like Santa the Magi never
woke me up; I would awake and find one or two toys in the box. Smiling I would give thanks as the Magi
returned to wherever they came from. I
knew Santa came from the North Pole but I never learned where the Magi called
home.
Like Thanksgiving our custom was to
prepare the Noble Bird. Again, we would
linger around the dining table recounting tales of Christmas past and listen to
the childhood stories of our parents.
Half the fun was realizing that they, too, were once children just like
us. It gave us hope that there was a
future for us as well.
But the most important lesson I have
learned from Christmas is that, regardless of faith or background, it is a day
within a season that draws our attention to friends and family. For those who can see, it lifts our spirits
and shows us the good of which the human soul is capable.
While many see the dark storm clouds,
these will soon give way to sunny skies.
The days of evil and darkness will be subdued and conquered by the
majority of us on planet Earth. That
majority want good, not bad; freedom, not slavery; peace, not violence.
Believe and your dreams will come
true! I look at my grandchildren and I
see the possibility for a better future.
All it requires is for good men and women to concentrate, pray and believe.
With this in mind I wish you all a
very Merry Christmas and all that is good for you and yours for 2014.
Strength and Honor (for one without
the other is useless)
Hugh
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