A Christmas people or an Easter People?

Dear Friends,

I have to say I'm really not sure about this Christmas reflection Andrew Kania has given us this year. I find it confronting at two levels. Firstly at the level which I am sure Andrew intends it to be confronting in the question implicit in the title. Is today the day to be putting that question as valid as it might be? (I think it is a valid question by the way.) Secondly though I've just been sitting down at Christmas Day Mass and been reflecting on what Andrew has written and wondering what was in the minds of all the people there: why do any of us go to Church? What are the reasons we present to ourselves to be worshipping Jesus? There were many more people not at Church than at Church around the world. What are the reasons they present to themselves for having given up on worship of any deity? Frankly, I'm not convinced by Andrew's arguments today. If I had to outline my reasons for continuing to pay homage to this "son of the Most High" I would advance a different set of arguments to the one's Andrew advances. To me the miracles are not necessary, nor even credible today given our knowledge today of how the Most High acts in our world and our lives. Even though I continue to believe in the Resurrection as "a statement of faith" I am not convinced it is a necessary pre-condition for understanding Jesus or paying him the pre-eminent homage that we do. As I see it the pre-eminent reason for believing and hoping in Jesus is the very simple one is that he is "the Divinely inspired model for each of our lives". Jesus transcends all personality types, the transcends our sexuality, the transcends all our politics and philosophies. He is the blueprint for each of our lives whomever and wherever we are in our journey. He is "the Word — the 'model' or 'blueprint' — made flesh!". <Read Dr Kania's commentary>

Could I end with especial best wishes for a great Christmas Day wherever you happen to be ... in life or in our world!

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher