I love the letters to the editor published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. I think the editors work hard to select letters that are intelligent, and of a variety that keeps the page from being predictable.
Here’s the first paragraph from a recent favorite, published December 17: “The federal holiday, Christmas, rolls around each year with the same predictability as Haley’s Comet. Twelve midnight, Dec. 25 will usher in this day until Congress removes the holiday or the church decides the day has been ruined and establishes another one to honor the birth of Jesus.”
The rest of the letter goes on to interpret the First Amendment to the Constitution, but what caught my attention is the possibility that December 25 is “ruined.”
Historically, of course, there’s nothing special about December 25 as the date for the Christ mass. No one knows the actual date of Jesus’ birth. Indeed, Christians did not even think Jesus’ birth was important enough to celebrate during its formative centuries! (Easter was — and continues to be — the central thing.) By the 4th century, December 25 had become the holy day for Christ’s birth on the annual calendar for the faithful. That’s because it was the date of the winter solstice on the calendar in use at the time, and it was a huge pagan holiday. In a brilliant move, the Church, rapidly growing in cultural influence at the time, simply co-opted the date and made it a religious holiday!
I will leave it to you to decide whether pagan culture has returned the favor in the 21st century. I’m sure that’s what the newspaper letter writer is referring to, when he raises the possibility that the day has been “ruined.” Certainly, most of the time, effort and money expended on “Christmas” has little if anything to do with the birth of Jesus.
I find that, through the daily practices of the faith, I can keep my perspective on what is important about the Christ mass, and enjoy all the rest, without getting caught up in it. I’m able to stay focused through the simple practice of daily prayer — even if that is nothing more elaborate than sitting for 15 minutes with a mug of coffee and paying attention to my breathing, conscious that I am sitting in God’s presence, thankful for this day. The liturgical calendar is a great help to me, too. The Advent themes are watching, waiting, preparing. “What are you watching for?” provides a season-long question to begin prayer.
And so, I find that the Spirit can enter into that openness and work in me and I find that I’m able to focus on the birth of Jesus.
