The Spirit of Scrooge

The Mrs. and I saw A Musical Christmas Carol the other day and it was quite enjoyable. One line jumped out at me, as it has before when I've read the story, that has much greater resonance today than it even did in Dicken's England. It's right in the first chapter where Scrooge, in his place of business on Christmas Eve, is confronted by some gentlemen looking to raise some funds for "the Poor and Destitute." Scrooge, of course, is little interested in giving his precious money away and instead asks if the prison, Union workhouses, the Treadmill, and the Poor Law are still able to continue "in their useful course."

The Treadmill

When the gentleman insists that such treatment "scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind and body" and this being Christmas Eve "Want is keenly felt" while "Abundance rejoices." Of course, Scrooge will hear none of this and insists the poor (or the Poor as Dickens would have it) must be content to be dealt with by the aforementioned programs. The gentleman, shocked, responds, "Many can't go there; and many would rather die." Scrooge," If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

Later, when with the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge is taken to see the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit, celebrate Christmas. Scrooge, much moved by the sickly Tiny Tim wonders if the boy will live. The Spirit tells Scrooge that, if the future is not changed, the boy will die. Scrooge, already partially changed by his experiences with the Ghost of Christmas Past, replies, "Oh, no, kind Spirit! Say he will be spared." The Spirit turns to Scrooge and says, "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Scrooge hangs "his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief."

Why do these lines strike us today with so much force? Certainly, we still have those Ebeneezer Scrooges and Jacob Marleys who turn their back on the "Poor and Destitute" while adding their ledgers, but today an even more insidious evil lurks among us - those who literally see swaths of humanity as "surplus population" in need of decreasing. These people clamor in support of abortion and euthanasia, seeing places like Calcutta as in great need of "population control." Oddly, they never seem to think others of their socio-economic status might be "surplus."

I wonder how a Catholic might treat those same "surplus" people?

This Isn't Football Music

Have you seen the Bud Light commercial where a guy is watching a football game in a bar and a Paula Cole song, I Don't Want to Wait, is playing in the background? Our fan thinks to himself, "This isn't football music, this is figure skating music." While the commercial, which you can see HERE, ends with our fan superstitiously deciding the song gives luck to his team, the commercial does make a good point - certain music is for certain events.

It's not that our fan doesn't happen to like Paula Cole, it's not a matter of taste, rather it is a matter of propriety, of appropriateness. It simply is objectively true that the Paula Cole song doesn't fit with watching football, it doesn't belong, it is as out of place as wearing a bathing suit to the Opera.

I am struck by the same feeling by the music I hear at Mass (when I attend the Ordinary Form). The music isn't bad, some of the songs I actually quite enjoy and would listen to in the car, but it isn't appropriate for the Mass, not because of my taste, but because of what the Mass is.

If we ever hope to reform the liturgy, especially the music we hear at Mass, we have to move the conversation away from "I like chant and polyphony" vs. "I like Matt Maher," a conversation without resolution as both styles of music can be enjoyable, to "is music x appropriate or inappropriate to be singing at Mass because of what the Mass is." 

We have to break out of the shackles of post-Kantian philosophy, which tells us we cannot know "things in themselves," a philosophy most people don't consciously know but which is behind much of modern relativism and dare to base our liturgical decisions on the essence of the Mass (what the Medievals would call its quiddity - its thatness).

The next time you attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass ask yourself, is this song appropriate to be singing at the foot of the Cross, at Calvary? For that is where we are when we attend Mass. ask yourself, is this song one that gives honor to God alone or does it honor "the people" in the congregation more than Christ?

Here is the song, you can view the commercial that features it online HERE.

What do you think? Does the music you hear at Mass fit the essence of the liturgy or is it "figure skating music?"

The Need for Silence

Soren Kierkegaard once said,

“The present state of the world and the whole of life is diseased. If I were a doctor and were asked for my advice, I should reply, 'Create silence'.”

That was in the first half of the Nineteenth century, before i-pods, CDs, records, radios, telephones, cars, TV sets, movies, computers, or the vast majority of the noise machines we have surrounded ourselves with. Simply put, he lived in a much quieter world than do we. Yet, his quote still stands. Life then, and more so now, is diseased (the theologians call this 'original sin'). The cure, or at least a necessary element for it, is silence.

C.S. Lewis, writing in 1942 (a much quieter time still than ours), put these words into the mouth of his "senior" demon Screwtape to the "junior tempter" Wormwood:

"Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it."

Hell hates silence. Why? Because the voice of God isn't, normally, thundering forth from the Heavens. The prophet Elijah hears God not in earthquakes or fires, but in a "small still voice." (cf. 1 Kings 19:12). That is why we need silence, so we can hear the voice of God in our lives. God is a gentleman, He won't shout at us.

In silence we come face to face with the realities of life and death. In silence we feel the weight of eternity (both Hell and Heaven) pressing down upon us. Noise distracts us. Noise makes us forget. Noise buries the "melodies and silences of Heaven." In Hell there is neither of these, no song and no silence, only unending noise.

This is why our liturgical worship must include both song and silence if it is to truly reflect the Heavenly Liturgy. Pope Emeritus (then Cardinal Ratizinger) wrote in his The Spirit of the Liturgy

"We are realizing more and more clearly that silence is a part of the liturgy. We respond, by singing and praying, to the God who addresses us, but the greater mystery, surpassing all words, summons to silence." 

But silence isn't only for the Mass. Our whole lives are preparation for the Heaven (or Hell) that awaits us eternally beyond the grave. This advent practice silence. Practice being still and quiet with the Lord. Go to a Low Mass in the extraordinary form (the traditional Latin Mass). Go to Eucharistic Adoration. Or just turn down the constant noise of the world and be healed by silence.

How will you "create silence" in your life this Advent?

Sacrosanctum Concilium Turns 50

Yesterday Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, turned fifty years old. Below are some of its explicit instructions on how the Mass was to be said following the Council. As you read through these ask yourself, "does my parish celebrate the Mass as Vatican 2 wanted?"

22. Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church...no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.

36. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.

54...steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.

114. The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care.

116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy; therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.

120. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things.

122. ... all things set apart for use in divine worship should be be truly worthy, becoming, and beautiful...The Church has been particularly careful to see that sacred furnishings should worthily and beautifully serve the dignity of worship

124... Let bishops carefully remove from the house of God and from other sacred places those works of art which are repugnant to faith, morals, and Christian piety, and which offend true religious sense either by depraved forms or by lack of artistic worth, mediocrity and pretense.

Prince of Peace, Taylors SC

I recently visited with my sister, who lives in Greenville, South Carolina. As we were there over the weekend, I had to find a place to attend Mass. As luck would have it, I found Prince of Peace in Taylors, about a half hour from my sisters house. The liturgy was stunningly well done and was offered in the forma ordinaria, putting the lie to anyone who suggests that the post-conciliar Mass must be celebrated with as little beauty as possible. The parish also offers the Traditional Latin Mass and many of the ways they celebrate the ordinary form have clearly been influenced by the great Tridentine rite.

I mention this because I just stumbled across an interview with the pastor of this parish in The Catholic World Report. You can read the whole thing there. The article makes an excellent point right off the bat (emphasis added),

Not only is this parish attracting families interested in regular access to traditional liturgy and the sacraments, it is beginning to be recognized by even the non-traditional Catholic audience as a beacon of the “New Evangelization,” due to the number of converts and reverts it draws into the Catholic Church.

Think about that. The Traditional Latin Mass is a "beacon of the New Evangelization." How often do we hear that the liturgy needs to be dumbed down, that we need more laity running around performing 'tasks' during the Mass, more altar girls, more bad pop music songs to get the people to come to Mass. This parish turns that on its head. They offer the Mass as it ought to be offered, not to attract people, but to offer right worship to God and what happens? The people come.

Santa Claus, Herald of Christmas or Anti-Christ?

This is the time of year that many Catholics, if they are anything like me, begin to wonder how to deal with Santa Claus. Do we tell our kids the same things our secular neighbors tell their kids? Is it all just fun and games?

Or has Santa replaced Christ in our increasingly dechristianized society? Should we ban him from our homes as an anti-Christ (i.e. something undermining Christ on Christmas)? Is Santa just a shill for toy companies? Is he the high-priest of Mammon trampling Advent under his black boots with his Christmas season (Thanksgiving to December 25) preemptively striking Christ's (December 25 to Epiphany)?

The case for exorcizing Santa from our home seems strong. But then I read this from one of my favorite writers:

What has happened to me has been the very reverse of what appears to be the experience of most of my friends. Instead of dwindling to a point, Santa Claus has grown larger and larger in my life until he fills almost the whole of it. It happened in this way. As a child I was faced with a phenomenon requiring explanation.  I hung up at the end of my bed an empty stocking, which in the morning became a full stocking.  I had done nothing to produce the things that filled it.  I had not worked for them, or made them or helped to make them.  I had not even been good – far from it. And the explanation was that a certain being whom people called Santa Claus was benevolently disposed toward me. . . .  What we believed was that a certain benevolent agency did give us those toys for nothing. And, as I say, I believe it still.  I have merely extended the idea. Then I only wondered who put the toys in the stocking; now I wonder who put the stocking by the bed, and the bed in the room, and the room in the house, and the house on the planet, and the great planet in the void. Once I only thanked Santa Claus for a few dollars and crackers. Now, I thank him for stars and street faces, and wine and the great sea. Once I thought it delightful and astonishing to find a present so big that it only went halfway into the stocking.  Now I am delighted and astonished every morning to find a present so big that it  takes two stockings to hold it, and then leaves a great deal outside; it is the large and preposterous present of myself, as to the origin of which I can offer no suggestion except that Santa Claus gave it to me in a fit of peculiarly fantastic goodwill. -- G.K. Chesterton

Which gives me pause. I'm not saying I'll be dressing in a red suit this year, but I might have been to ready to condemn the jolly old elf. 

Perhaps the way out of the conundrum is to try focusing more on the man behind Santa - the fourth century bishop of Myrna, Nicholas. Bishop Nicholas was a selfless giver, patron of the poor and of children, a holy man of God, and a good Catholic. He even punched the heresiarch Arius at the Council of Nicea for denying the Divinity of Christ (my kind of saint)! Perhaps instead of milk and cookies, I can explain to the kids that St. Nicholas (i.e. Santa) is a saint in Heaven and, as such, is (temporarily) separated from his body, thus he won't be eating and that the real presents he brings are our prayers to the foot of the throne of Christ the King.

After all, Santa is real, just all the stories about him are not. We can get carried away by the puritanical spirit that these United States were founded on and forget that revelry, games, presents, and stories are all apart of Christmas. Of course they need to serve Christ (like all things) but they needn't be replaced with a dour faced "celebration" devoid of all fun. We are Catholics not Calvinists after all and as Hillaire Belloc once remarked

I suppose in the end, I will focus more on the "historical Santa" (perhaps Rudolf Bultmann, if still alive could write a book of that title) on the Catholic Saint without crushing the "commercial Santa" entirely. I won't actually tell the kids Ol' Saint Nick is watching them or will be bringing gifts and I won't leave letters or eat cookies on his behalf, but I won't crush their imaginations either, treating Santa more like Mickey Mouse and Superman than a demon to be destroyed at all costs.

What do think? Do you tell your children Santa is real? How will you handle the competing claims of Santa and Christ to this season? Does any of it even matter?

How We Keep Christ in Christmas

"I’m participating in the KEEP CHRIST in CHRISTMAS Blog Link-Up 2013, hosted by

Monica at www.equippingCatholicfamilies.com

Erika at http://raisinglittlesaints.blogspot.ca/

Tina at http://trulyrichmom.com/

Laura at http://daybydayinourworld.com/

Sarah at http://onthewayhome2.com

Chris at http://campfiresandcleats.blogspot.ca/

Birgit at http://designsbybirgit.blogspot.ca/

Please consider following your hosts

in appreciation for the work that they do…

and be sure to visit as many links as possible,

listed at the bottom of this post.

We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus our Advent and Christmas on JESUS!”

Advent is one of the least appreciated and least celebrated seasons of the Church's year, being largely squashed by the ever growing commercial Christmas shopping season. We try to give our kids a liturgical sense of time, lex orandi, lex credendi, which is toughest to do this time of year. 

Here are a few things we do to keep Advent from being replaced by Christmas (and to make sure we are still happily celebrating Christmas until Epiphany, when most people are burned out by Dec 26).

Music

A lot of our Advent traditions center around dinner. We always eat together as a family (which is important in its own right) so this is a good time to center our day on The Lord and focus our attention on Advent. To this end, we've made a special playlist of Advent music which we play all during dinner. If dinner happens to run long, we have the soundtrack from Fr. Barron's Catholicism series as a handy backup to keep the spiritual mood of the season in tact.

Wreath

Like many families we have an Advent wreath on our table. The wreath has four candles. Each Sunday another candle is lit while we pray a set of Advent prayers. We light our candles at dinner and eat with no other light on. Each week as we light another candle we eat in increasing light, reflecting the nearing of Christ, the light of the world, coming to dispel the darkness of death and sin. This has a great effect on the kids and makes the meaning of the season more concrete for them.

Prayer Sticks

A favorite of the kids and another dinner time ritual. My wife takes popsicle sticks, write the name of someone on each. We all take a turn drawing a stick and saying a short prayer for whoever is named on the stick. The sticks include both family and friends, famous people, the leaders of our Church and country, and general categories of people (e.g. the sick, the poor, the lonely).

Nativity

We keep the Christmas tree stowed away until Guadete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent, December 15 this year), but our Nativity scene goes up on the first Sunday of Advent. We have a nice little set by Fontanini, which we add a few figures to each. We put everything out except the Christ Child, which Stays put away until Christmas Eve when we gather together, sing Silent Night, and place him in the manger.

Good Deeds

To inspire the kids to be extra good around the holidays, instead of telling them to try to get on Santa's good list (not that I have anything against Santa), we give them a small string or piece of straw which they place in the empty manger. The more good deeds they do, the more straw there will be to warm the Christ Child. This changes the focus of doing good deeds to ultimately get presents for yourself, to doing good to please God.

Book
Last year I purchase 24 Christmas Stories to Welcome Jesus published by Ignatius Press. This great children's book features one story a day starting on December 1 right through Christmas Eve. With great stories like, The Annunciation to Mary (Dec 2), The Christmas Truce (Dec 8), Saint Lucy's Day (Dec 13), The Angels' Christmas (Dec 22), and The Nativity (Dec 24) this book can't be beat for keeping Christ in Christmas. I don't let the kids read ahead, but once we finish a story they can hear it again and again until the book goes back into storage (typically when we put away our Christmas decorations after Epiphany).

Calendar
My very crafty wife likes to change this up each year, but the basic idea remains basically the same. Every day that passes between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas is marked in some way. Last year we had a cardboard calendar with each day hidden behind a flap door. In the morning the kids would open the next flap and read whatever Bible verse was hidden beneath. This year she is thinking of having them make paper chains, adding a new link each day, and strinimg them up in the dining room.

Holy Heroes

To make sure our other traditions are supported by strong teaching, my wife signs up for the Holy Heroes Advent Adventure. This great program includes daily emails (save Sunday) which include short videos, Bible stories, and instructions on how to make Jessie Tree ornaments. Best of all, its Free!

With these traditions we hope to instill a love for Christ, His Holy Church, and the great season of Advent in our kids as they grow older. Have a Happy New (liturgical) Year!

How does your family keep Advent from being swallowed up by commercial Christmas? I'm always grateful for new tips and ideas.


For more ideas check out these great blog posts:

Equipping Catholic Families: Keep Christ in Christmas

Simply Homeschool  Living Advent Series 12/1 - 12/25

Fifth of Five     Keeping Christ in Christmas - Blog Link-up 2013

Coffee Moments with Sam     The Light of Hope

Hand-Maid With Love: CHRISTmas Presence: Keep Christ in Christmas 2013 Edition

Open Window Making hay while the Advent wreath shines

Faith Filled Freebies: Keep Christ in Christmas

Written by the Finger of God: Not Christmas as Usual

On the Way Home:  Keep Christ in Christmas

Sue Elvis Writes: Bring Christ to Others

Mommy Bares All       Why Celebrate Christmas Even After #YolandaPH

Canadian Catholic Mom         Keeping The Little Ones Focused: An Advent Link-Up

Mountain of Grace Homeschooling   Keep Christ in Christmas

Em’s Estuary: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Happy Little Homemaker: December Devotion: Immaculate Conception 

Adoro Ergo Sum:  How We Keep Christ in Christmas

JoyAlive.net: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Home to 4 Kiddos        Keep Christ in Christmas

Embedded Faith          Boldly Be the Christ in Christmas

City Girl, Country Home         Emmanuel Is With Us. Are we WITH HIM?

Journey to Wisdom: Trusting in your Awkward Fiats

Joy of Nine9    Waiting in Joyful Expectation Like a Child

Splendor in the Home Ideas For Keeping Advent and Christmas Holy

Training Happy Hearts            10 Ways to Celebrate the New Liturgical Year

A Catholic Life Advent: The Beginning of the Liturgical Year & Source of Rich Meditations

Designs by Birgit: Elf on a Shelf and Santa Claus

Catholic Inspired: Faith-Centered Family Christmas

A Slice of Smith Life: How we keep Christ in Christmas

Catholic All Year: Three Reasons I love Advent

Mary the Defender: Christmas The Battle Begins

Truly Rich Mom: Keep Christ in Christmas

Day By Day in Our World: 40 Days Seeking Him and Keeping Christ in Christmas

Diapers and Drivel: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Raising Soldiers 4 Christ: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Rosary Mom   Keep Christ In Christmas With A Teenager

Tercets:           Keeping Christ in Christmas: Join Church Ministries

Campfires and Cleats How We Keep Christ in Christmas

Life Unabridged: Celebrating the Fullness of the Advent and Christmas Season

Homeschooling With Joy        Keeping Christ in Christmas

Mrs Domestic Bliss     Gingerbread Nativity

The Chic Traveller      Keeping Christ in Christmas

California to Korea     Keeping Christ in Christmas

Dominique's Desk       Keeping Christ in Christmas