Killing Off Baby Jesus

Copyright (c) 2010 originally published in The Valley Patriot, reprinted with permission.

That is what Christmas is about these days. Killing off and eliminating Baby Jesus from the Christmas season. It’s infanticide,of sorts.

For example, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukah and Season’s Greetings are okay, but Merry Christmas is out. Holiday Gathering and Tree Lighting Day are okay, but Christmas Party is not. Santa Claus and his reindeer and elves are in all the stores and homes, but St. Nicholas has long been forgotten.

The extended gift buying in December, and now November, has become the norm. The shift occurred during World War II, when many Americans were stationed overseas in the military. People here bought their gifts early in December to insure that the packages would arrive in time for Christmas. Merchants enjoyed the extra revenue that year, that they expanded advertising and sales of Christmas merchandise earlier into December on an ongoing basis. Commercialization is now rampant.

Christmas carols are often diluted or replaced with secular songs. (Heaven forbid we say the name of Jesus in public.) Prayers are nowhere to be found in family celebrations, and employees are told to take down their pictures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, because they might offend someone.

This de-Christianization of Christmas has greater problems. Other things get killed off with Baby Jesus. For instance, Advent is gone. It is the pre-Christmas preparation for the coming of Jesus, and it has been replaced with the extended gift buying season mentioned above. February 2 is another example. It has traditionally been a marking of the Presentation of Baby Jesus in the Temple. It is 40 days after Christmas, because in Hebrew tradition, the 40th day after birth is considered the last stage of birth when the mother brings the child to Temple. This Feast Day has been replaced with Groundhog Day.

All is not lost, though. There are ways we can reverse the trend. We can speak up about the dangers of removing Nativity scenes, and point out the benefits of keeping them. Instead of remaining silent, we
can dare to say Merry Christmas to others. We can also bring St. Nicholas back into Christmas celebrations, and curb extensive gift buying, replacing it with Advent and its wonderful practices for reflection and preparation.

We can do something new, like learn the genealogy of Jesus. His lineage is recorded in two places in the Bible, Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38. One account is from Joseph’s side, and the other is from Mary’s side. Both accounts are rich with interesting characters that can be weaved into the Christmas story. The origin of the date of Christmas, December 25, is another topic that can be researched. For many years, people thought it was arbitrarily chosen in an attempt to override a pagan holiday, but it was not. Recent research by Thomas J. Talley testifies to that.

Taking any of these steps can gradually bring Baby Jesus back to life, and lead to a revitalization of Christianity, something we terribly need. Ben Stein, a speech writer for Presidents Nixon and Ford, could see this back in 2005. At that time, he provided some insightful commentary about what I call the infanticide of Baby Jesus.

He said, “I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.”

Along those lines, Merry Christmas to all! ;-)

Kathleen Laplante is a member of the Catholic Church. She can be reached at klaplante2@yahoo.com

Copyright (c) 2010 originally published in The Valley Patriot, reprinted with permission.

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image - http://www.evangelchristianschool.org/holiday.php

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!

This is for your reading pleasure on this wonderful Labor Day 2011.

It is floating around on Facebook.

 

Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha a worrier, Thomas a doubter, Sara impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Abraham was old,… and Lazarus was dead....

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!

Re-post this if you know you are not perfect but that God is working in your life anyway =)

image - http://www.examiner.com/presbyterian-in-oklahoma-city/a-new-look-at-the-old-testament-the-story-the-story

NPR & Women "Priests" - Will They Cover The Other Side Too?

This NPR article is so obviously one-sided and absent of important information for people to become knowledgeable of the topic:  Female Priests Defy Catholic Church At The Altar

Heresy

I listen to NPR sometimes.  This was truly disappointing.  So I wrote to them.  Here is what I said:

Dear Sir/Madam:

How about having an interview, and writing an article about, the all-male priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church, similar to this one that I wrote:  A Woman In Support Of An All-Male Priesthood

This would clarify the errors and one-sided perspective in Lily Percy's recent article, and give people balanced information on the topic. If you would like me to tailor an article for your organization, I would be happy to do so. I would be of any assistance you need. Please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Laplante
contact info included

P.S. I've also written this article, Roman Catholic Womenpriests - Not!


image - http://www.npr.org/2011/06/12/137102746/women-priests-defy-the-church-at-the-altar

Sean Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop Of Boston, Blogs About Homosexuality

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Cardinal Seán O'Malley

Divine Providence is at hand.  Sean Patrick Cardinal O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. Archbishop of Boston, Massachusetts, just blogged about some of the same things I did in Part 2 of my series, Separating The Sin From The Sinner - and on the same day.  :-)

Here are some excerpts:

"I want to begin this week addressing a very important issue. [emphasis mine]

Some say that the Catholic Church hates people with same-sex attractions. This is not true. In fact, if there are any members of the Church who hate people because of their sexual orientation, they need to go to confession..."

"As Catholics, we must oppose the hatred and rejection of homosexual persons that exists in our society. We do not want them to be the object of discrimination or violence. We believe, however, that God’s law is written in our hearts [natural law] and that to lead a fully human life we need to embrace His commandments."

"The Church’s efforts to defend the institution of marriage has been interpreted by some as an indication of the Church’s hostility toward homosexual persons. The way that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts framed the issue is unfavorable to Catholics or others who do not oppose anyone, but rather support an institution which is the cornerstone of society."

"It is encouraging that a number of Catholics who are homosexuals have expressed to me their conviction that marriage between a man and a woman is important for children and therefore for society." 


"Sometimes we are told: 'If you do not accept my behavior, you do not love me.' In reality we must communicate the exact opposite: 'Because we love you, we cannot accept your behavior.'”


It is worth reading his blog post in its entirety.

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images - http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/
http://www.imarksweb.net/642/written-on-the-heart-the-case-for-natural-law
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Separating The Sin From The Sinner - Part 2

Yes, God loves gay people, He certainly does, but He does not like their immoral sexual behavior, just as He does not like the immoral sexual behavior of men and women living together without being married, or the immoral sexual behavior of spouses who cheat on their wives.

He loves the gay person, He loves the cohabitators, and He loves the adulterers, but He does not like their illicit behavior.

For those who don't believe in God, this topic can be considered from the angle of natural law instead.  Here is a series of recent articles that may be helpful.  What Does it Mean to be a 'Political Animal'?, Moral Absolutes and the Humpty Dumpty Fallacy, and Who’s Afraid of Metaphysics? by Matthew O'Brien and Robert C. Koons.
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Every now and then, I hear statements about Catholics discriminating against homosexuals.  When that happens, I take the opportunity to clarify things.  This is what I wrote recently:

"...you mentioned to 'discriminate against homosexuals in the confines of your religion is your right.'  If you meant to use the word discriminate, pejoratively, you have it wrong, from the perspective of the religion anyhow. Catholicism does not discriminate against homosexuals. Catholicism believes homosexual behavior is immoral, and therefore, does not condone the behavior. The persons are welcome, just like anyone else. The behavior is not, just like any other behavior that is considered immoral in the religion's eyes, e.g. lying, stealing, gossiping, adultery, etc. All people are welcome, all sins are not. Some behaviors are considered venial sins; some are considered grave. All can be reconciled with confession and true contrition. I will say, though, that Catholic individuals themselves are human, and do discriminate against homosexuals perjoratively, that's for sure, but again, it's a love the sinner, hate the sin kind of thing. All sinners are welcome. Thank God there is the Sacrament of Reconciliation, i.e. Confession, to help people try to get back on track."

Like all other humans, Catholics err when it comes to this, but I doubt it is any more than teachers in public schools, athletic coaches, parents, prisoners, etc.  The bottom line is that we try to get back on track when we sin in this area, and in every other area, at least those who seek spiritual direction or go to Confession regularly.

It is unfortunate that people misinterpret applying consequences for immoral behavior as discrimination against a person.  If that were the case, all parents would be guilty of discriminating against their children, since they must point out and not allow their immoral/bad behavior. 

Separate the sin from the sinner.  Hate the sin, love the sinner.  These are the proper attitudes and behaviors for not only Catholics, but for everyone.  As mentioned in Part 1, how to live these concepts out is not always easy, but we must start with it as our intention, and hold steadfast to love.

Some gay people believe it too, as they realize heterosexuals are human and deserving of love, despite any errors on their part. >>>


Kathleen




image - http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/does-god-really-hate-gay-ppl/question-118395/?link=ibaf&imgurl=http://avoicenoecho.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/god_loves_gay_people.jpg&q=love%2Bhomosexual%2Bhate
http://toppun.com/Specials/GAY-PRIDE-BUTTON-SPECIAL-Love-the-Heterosexual-Hate-the-Sin.html.