Given the news from Connecticut last Friday, it seems almost disingenuous that we are preparing for our various Christmas celebrations.
We are, though.
Tragedy or not, Christmas is still coming, and still faster than most of us would like.
For the living, life moves on. Our own children are expecting presents under the tree; our families are looking forward to getting together next Tuesday and we should embrace that. A sense of normalcy at this time is just what the doctor ordered.
Based on the rumblings, it is possible this latest mass shooting will spark a national debate on gun control and mental health issues. Maybe, maybe not.
In either case, these issues can wait for now and they should wait, for a few more days anyway, at least until the dead are buried; and until after Christmas.
There will be time enough in the days and weeks ahead to deal with the issues before us, which are many and complex. In spite of this latest event, gun control and mental health are just small dishes on the table. There are others just as pressing, tax reform and immigration to name two.
There will be time enough to get into the policy. This is the time to pause, to gather our loved ones together and give thanks for the bounty we enjoy. Despite the incongruity caused by current events this year, more than any other day, Christmas is the time to reflect on the concept of peace on earth, goodwill toward men.
Someone once observed that Jesus could hardly be blamed for what Christianity became after his death. Indeed, if you read the words ascribed to him, the horrors perpetrated in the name of faith in the 2000 years since he walked the earth are obviously out of step with the concepts he talked about.
Whether you accept the Biblical stories in whole or in part, it is apparent, even taking the words of the Gospel writers with a healthy dose of skepticism, that Jesus was an extraordinary man. He devoted his short ministry to talking about love, forgiveness, salvation, and sharing.
That’s why Christmas is important. Even though modern America has turned Christmas into an economic exercise, at its core, the day is still about the man and his message, which, when you get right down to it, is all about peace and love.
Those are concepts to live by, even if sometimes it’s hard to remember.
