December 20, 2006
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~Very good message! Please take the time to read it.~
I saw a brief promotional trailer the other day of a new film entitled “Black Christmas.” According to what I saw, I would have to describe the genre as “slasher” or “horror.” There was a great deal of hysterical screaming, demonic faces, flashing knives and blood splattering about. I admit that things can indeed go terribly wrong on Christmas morning – someone just may burn the cookies or the cocoa, or not get the gift they were anticipating and thus start moping - but this all seems rather excessive. The film is scheduled for release on Christmas Day. Fun for the family just never stops! I immediately thought to myself, just imagine what would happen if the film was entitled ”Black Hannakuh” or “Black Ramadan.” It would then be either media-blitzed or bombed out of existence. The majority religion of the land is thus fair game for exploitation or desecration. Perhaps Christians shouldn’t protest so strongly about the use of the word “Christmas” remaining in the public domain. Then trash like this would be stuck with the vapid title of “Black Holidays” – and no one would bother with it. Anyways, it will be interesting to read the reviews and monitor the box-office receipts …
_____A follow up paragraph on Monday’s mini-meditation about the “battle of the calendars” and the opposing rhythms between the secular and ecclesial celebration of Christmas and how this effects our own approaches. This is from an article by Fr. Andrew George entitled “Don’t Pre-Celebrate Christmas!” Fr. Andrew writes the following:“Some 40 or 50 years ago here in America, people decorated their Christmas trees on Christmas Eve. Slowly, through the influence of merchants and media, we started to put up our decorations and trees earlier and earlier each year. As a result, not waiting for Theophany observances of January 5-7, which are specifically part of the 12-day cycle beginning on Christmas.… On the day after Christmas we hear people say that Christmas is over, and the Christmas trees are put out on the curb. Since they have pre-decorated and pre-celebrated and feasted, in their minds “it’s over,” when really it should just be beginning.”_____For those “lovers of theology” who are out there somewhere, here is a densely-packed and profoundly theological reflection on the meaning of the Lord’s Incarnation and what it reveals to us about God. In other words a pre-festal banquet that will nourish and feed the soul! This passage comes from Fr. George Florovsky (+1979), arguably one of the greatest Orthodox theologians of the 20th c. He weaves together the themes of Incarnation, Love and Humility with great depth. In this one short paragraph, Fr. George says a great deal more than most of the books out there in the Christian section of our major bookstores. This is because he is writing from within the ecclesial experience of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.“In the Incarnation two very core elements of any spirituality are clearly evidenced – the love and humility of God. The idea that humility is rooted in God may appear astonishing. The humility of God cannot, of course, be considered in the same light as ascetical humility, or any human form of humility. However, the human forms of humility are derived from the very nature of God, just as the commandment to love is rooted in God’s love for mankind. God’s humility is precisely that being God he desires, he wills to be in communion with everything and everything is inferior to God. This has great theological significance, for it reveals the value of all created things, a value willed by God. There is even a parallel here with the saints who loved animals and flowers. And from this idea, an idea intrinsically derived from the Incarnation and kenosis (“self-emptying”) of God the Son, one can clearly see the real Divine origin in action of Christ’s teaching about “others.” In the very notion of a vertical spirituality a concern for otthers is presupposed. And while one is ascending to God,k his fellow man must be included in the dimensions of spirituality. Through the Incarnation both the love and the humility of God are made known. And man is to love God and fellow humankind because love is the very nature of God. And many is to experience humility, to become inflamed by humility precisely because humility belongs also to God and hence its value is derived from God. But to become filled inwardly with love and humility is not easy. It demands not a mere acknowledgment of the fact that God is love and humility is Divine. Rather, it demands the complete purification of our inner nature by God. And this is the struggle, the spiritual warfare that must be waged to enter and maintain the reality of love and humility.”
Comments (2)
thank you for sharing that quote…it gives me a lot to feed on.
Thank you for sharing this………it is a lot to think about.
I forwarded you something from my work email…….it will be my full name plus pvh.com I think you can appreciate it.
{{{hugs}}} to your family!! Merry Chritmas. I don’t know how to spell it but Kala Kristuyana.