It is that time of year where Christmas movies are ubiquitous on the television. There are channels that have dedicated that past several months to showing these movies and other channels that run a high rotation. The funny thing is, most of the Christmas movies have very little to do with Christmas. They may take place around the “date” of Christmas but certainly, for the most part, there is very little “Christ” in the Christmas movies. Don’t misunderstand me, I am a fan of a good Christmas movie but I am also more and more aware of how subtly these movies avoid the faith aspect or distort it into a minor and passing thought in the overall plot.
We can begin with one of the great classics, “It’s a Wonderful Life” where Clarence the Angel is seen as a bumbling helper of God but any other expressions of faith are left to the imagination. Or one of my family’s favorites, “A White Christmas” where even in the wonderful musical not a single Christmas Carol is heard. “A Miracle on 34th Street” shows us a Santa Claus but with not one strand of faith or history linking him to St. Nicholas. The myriad of other Christmas movies may, if at all, touch lightly on faith and religion but more often than not the focus is on a love story or adventure where Church, prayer, and acts of faith are absent and ignored. (And we won’t even go into whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie?)
The point of this whole thing is not to be overly critical of “Christmas” movies but to be aware and true to who we are as Christians where Christmas’ focus isn’t on all the wonderful things that happen around Christmas but rather we are focused and joyful because of the Incarnation of the Son of God. I am not a film critic but here are my simple thoughts on focusing on why we celebrate Christmas
It’s a Wonderful Life…suicide and changing the past aren’t the answers as we are called to trust in the providence of God’s love. “He who attempts to escape obeying withdraws himself from grace. Likewise he who seeks private benefits for himself loses those which are common to all. He who does not submit himself freely and willingly to his superior, shows that his flesh is not yet perfectly obedient but that it often rebels and murmurs against him.” (The Imitation of Christ: Book Three #13 by Thomas à Kempis) Obedience in love is not the accepting of tragedy and suffering but rather searching for the presence of God’s love, mercy and grace in the unity with others. When we are tempted to think the world is better off without us or others we fail to see how God’s plan is fulfilled in loving trust of others (including God) in the most trying circumstances. Think of how easy it would have been for Mary and Joseph to give up…for the Wisemen of the East to stop searching…for the shepherds to just continue with their work.
White Christmas…love and helping are wonderful but only in the context of sacrificial love. “God has made himself visible: in Jesus we are able to see the Father. Indeed, God is visible in a number of ways. In the love-story recounted by the Bible, he comes towards us, he seeks to win our hearts, all the way to the Last Supper, to the piercing of his heart on the cross, to his appearances after the Resurrection and to the great deeds by which, through the activity of the apostles, he guide the nascent Church along its path.” (Deus Caritas Est: #17) Pope Benedict XVI our fundamental understanding of love in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. God leads us along the paths of sacrificial love because he has shown us the perfect example in Jesus Christ and love that is foreshadowed by Mary’s yes and Joseph’s obedient care for the Holy Family. Christmas is a time where we can easily reflect, not just today but throughout the year, on how we are called to serve, love and bless our family, friends and communities each day? Christmas is a love-story of grace.
A Miracle on 34th Street…believing and trusting in goodness are important when they are grounded on the eternal. The Prologue to the Gospel of St. John, (1:1-18), is the other Christmas story. In his commentary of the Gospel Francis J. Moloney shares this insight, the Prologue “expresses the major christological beliefs of Christianity: the Word preexisted creation with God; creation was through the Word; divine filiation is possible for believers; Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God, the Word become flesh; he shares in divinity of God, yet he has taken on the human condition.” (p 41 from “The Gospel of John”) We believe in a divine goodness, a love that goes beyond the moment and the myth and enters with an eternal union of goodness, holiness and peace. Christmas is a time when we seek to encounter this goodness once more at the creche knowing and trusting in a sacred beyond all telling. It isn’t just about allowing children to believe in Santa Claus it is about us, becoming childlike in faith, hope and love where the eternal breaks into our hearts so that we may live ever more fully, gracefully and lovingly as sons and daughters of the living God.
Have a happy and holy Christmas.
God bless
Fr. Mark