I’ve come to believe that as a practicing Jew, I probably have more in common with my Catholic and Christian friends who attend Church, than I do with un-observant Jews. I believe it is likely that if they were to think about it, those same friends would find more in common with me, than they would with the non-practicing of their own faith as well. I have also come to believe, that the word “believe” is at the root of that commonality.
The rich, the poor, the strong, the frail, and even the lucky all have their stories of how these seemingly never ending difficult times have “tried their souls”. Some of us have lost livelihoods in this economic cesspool that once was the American engine of success. Some have seen their families dissolve as the monies that maintained their materialism vanished, and the wounds of a loveless marriage could no longer be concealed. And still others have lost forever the warmth and the grace of ones they have loved.
The way I’ve come to tell the difference between my “believers” and the “non’s” has been in how they have handled their adversity. Those that have continued to be charitable to others, love their neighbors, spend time with their children, and keep G-d in their lives, seem to be doing better than their circumstances should allow. So why is that?
One can almost feel the palpable proof that the weeks leading up to the 25th of December bring a special sparkle to everything that moves. Maybe it’s just the season, after all even if the church has had some difficulty keeping their parishioners attention, Macy’s, Hallmark, Toys R’ Us, and Hollywood have certainly done great work of keeping us in the spirit. Or maybe there is something more?
If all Christmas boiled down to was extended shopping lists, over-eating, and thousands of dollars spent on outdoor decorations, why do so many of our “enlightened left” spend so much of their time fighting the very mention of the day? It’s because there is something more!
Christmas is that chance for all to say thank you, to say I’m sorry, to say I miss you, or to say I love and appreciate you, all under the cover of G-d. It is a season when the most hardened of us can cry of love lost, forgive another for transgression, or allow those estranged from us back into our hearts.
I refuse to believe that goodness and kindness occur in a vacuum. From before written words were shared, mankind has always had some little spark of innate kindness in him. As a person of faith, I am comfortable in my belief that G-d is that spark, and while it might not thrill some to admit that they may not be entirely in control of their own destiny, for most of us, this season brings a comforting reminder that a force greater than us all, is watching and guiding us on a path that is good.
Truth be told, the Christmas season has its dark side. Shoppers lined up for hours to buy gifts for relatives not seen since last Christmas, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, decorating, and then back to cooking again, and traffic jams that can be seen from space. But Christmas also has a way of bringing out the best in those of us who have kept that golden glow trapped inside while the more mundane months of the year creak by.
While I will always share a philosophical difference with my non-Jewish friends over the religious aspects of the Christmas holiday, I share wholeheartedly the need, if not the reason, for the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment