On this St. Nick’s day I received this video from Father Charles McCarthy on The Real Santa Claus, the Real Christmas, and War Toys. It is meant for children but is something adults can learn from and enjoy. St. Nicholas was the first real Santa Clause and is tied in with the Christmas message of God’s love for us manifest in birth of Jesus.
Today’s Gospel was about another forerunner of the Christmas message,St. John the Baptist. John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus, called for repentance, a change of heart. He was fearless and was not afraid to speak “truth to power”. In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 3, 1–6) it struck me that John was so bold a prophet and “voice in the wilderness” because he had nothing to lose except his life. Being detached as John was makes one dangerous and John did pay for his message of pointing to Jesus with his life at hand of the authorities.
Father McCarthy, who I had a privilege of meeting a few times, is a prophet of our times. His Gospel message of “love of enemies” is bold and prophetic. He has been marginalized and ignored but keeps on preaching the Gospel of nonviolence. He does so with grace and dignity and thus gives us hope.
Preaching and Practicing the Gospel of Jesus can be tough and cause one to be rejected, labeled and suffer. John the Baptism is the saint of the rejected. Perhaps that why I am so attracted to him and to Father McCarthy. Christmas we celebrate the birth of the greatest ‘reject’ of all time, Jesus the Christ.
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