SHOULD I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS?

 

SHOULD I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS?

            In my homily two Sundays ago I asked why the evangelist Luke referred to the preaching of John the Baptist as “good news” when it required difficult changes in one’s life.  The answer, if you remember, was the Baptist’s quote of the Prophet Isaiah: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths…The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”  Also, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  The good news is that we can change and become better, with God’s help, and in doing so our eyes will be open to see God among us.

            Now I want to speculate on why we call Christmas “merry.”  Should it be merry?  Should I wish you a merry Christmas?  Or would that be insensitive in some cases?  I looked up the Merriam-Webster’s definition of the word merry.  The first definition: full of gaiety and high spirits; mirthful.  The second is like it: marked by festivity or gaiety.  The third definition refers to pace: quick, brisk such as a merry walk.  I found the fourth and last definition intriguing, although it is marked as “archaic”:  giving pleasure; delightful.

            I hope your Christmas was full of gaiety and high spirits.  For some, however, it was not.  If you recently lost a loved one, or a job, or are sick, or are anxious about something else, you might not have had a Christmas of gaiety and high spirits.  Those with children, I am sure, tried to make it festive for them.  But you didn’t feel it inside.  As I write this article, the big story in the news is of the tornadoes that hit our fellow citizens in the mid-West, with many deaths and much destruction.  As they mourn and slowly recover, Christmas for them was probably not filled with gaiety and high spirits.  Let us pray for them and all who have had a tough Christmas.

            The third definition makes no sense in the context of a greeting.  Have a quick or brisk Christmas?  Of course, sometimes it feels like the holidays pass too quickly.  The third sense of the word is not helpful as a holiday greeting.    

            Whether or not you had a merry Christmas – according to the most popular uses of the term – was probably dependent on your circumstances.  If you are going through a tough time, you might have a hard time imagining a merry Christmas. 

            Here is where the archaic definition can save us!  According to Merriam-Webster, in the past “Merry Christmas” would have meant may Christmas give you pleasure or may it be a delight to you.  Now, I think this kind of meaning could apply in all circumstances.  Because whatever my circumstances, if I believe and have faith, I know that the Son of God became the Son of Man for my salvation.  That is what Christmas is all about.  Any merrymaking is a consequence of this great, good news.  Jesus came into the world to undo the works of the devil and restore the human race to God.  He came to overcome death and give us eternal life.  Whatever my worry or preoccupation, it is good news to hear this truth, and it gives me pleasure and even some delight.

            Christ’s taking on human flesh means that goodness and peace will triumph.  When our journey through this valley of tears comes to an end we will enter a place of joy and happiness.  Moreover, because of Christmas, Christ is with me here and now.  The love that caused him to descend from heaven and be conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary still beats in his Sacred Heart.  It beats for you and me.  No bad news can suppress this good news.  For this reason, may I have the privilege of wishing all of you – at least in the old-fashioned sense - a very Merry Christmas!