Priest: ‘More Virgin Mary, Less Virgin Islands.’I was startled to hear NPR broadcast an opinion piece by a Jesuit priest urging more Jesus in the Christmas season. More specifically, Fr. James Martin, S.J. went off, albeit gently, on Christmas cards that feature not the Savior, but the senders themselves: It’s the middle of the day, and I’m opening my Christmas cards. And what do I see when I tear open the envelope? Not Baby Jesus in his manger. Not the Virgin Mary. Not even the Wise Men. No, chances are the card will be a photo of a family on some beach in the Caribbean.
Or a picture of somebody’s house. Or someone’s dog wearing reindeer horns. These are the new favorite Christmas cards, for even the most pious Christians: the family cards. … Look, I love family photos during the holidays. … But I enjoy the photos more when they’re inside the card, not the card itself. Because more and more, even devout Christians have been replacing Jesus, Mary and Joseph with themselves. Doesn’t it strike you as weird to set aside the Holy Family in favor of your family?
Does a photo of Cabo San Lucas trump the story told by the original San Lucas? Is Christmas really about you? Still unconvinced? Try a thought experiment. For your next birthday, how would you feel about getting a birthday card with my photo on it? “Happy Birthday! It’s a photo of me!”
Many thanks to Holy Weblog, for this one (here)
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