Homily

I went to a concert recently where a high school a cappella choir sang a "Christmas song" written by, and originally performed by a very popular Swedish a cappella group. Here are the lyrics to the song:

"Imagine that a newborn child could speak. What would she want for Christmas?

"It's the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.

"The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, but hopes for St. Nicholas I wish I could share.

"I am new to this world, I arrived here this morn, to this beautiful planet, though beat up and torn.

"I don't need a gift, need no more than I've got. Hear the unspoken wish from a tiny, tiny tot.

"I only want the world for Christmas, the blue, green forever-turning world for Christmas, nothing more, nothing less. I want it for keeps and I promise to share, so that everyone who wants can cuddle and care.

"To restore . . . to repossess, please make it last, my fate is in your hands.

"Oh give me a present for the future. You could follow your heart, but you follow your whims and filled up your stockings way over the brim, ignoring the signs in the frail crystal ball, you wish away, wish away, wish away all.

"The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, gives the luster of midday to objects below. Why your eyes don't see when they're given all this light, I wonder, I wonder this very special night."

The lyrics mention that it's Christmas Eve, but the child does not have any hopes for St. Nicholas, which sets the tone of distance from Christian faith, but it's kind of Christmassy because it's a little baby just born. And what does the baby want? The world. The understanding is that the baby wants a planet that is well cared for and livable, and as the song says, ". . . nothing more and nothing less."

Certainly it is our duty, and our God-given duty, to take care of this planet and all the material goods we have been given. There's no question of that. But I think this song represents the materialism that has been taking hold of Western cultures and societies more and more as every year passes. SAVE PLANET.

What is materialism? Well, the way I am using it, materialism is a belief system which holds that there is nothing beyond or apart from the physical world--no God, no heaven, no spirits, no soul. Just physical matter and nothing more. I also want to use the term, "materialism," to stand for those who may believe there is a spiritual reality apart from the material world, but that it is not very important in their lives and they give it very little thought or consideration. That's a different kind of materialism, but it's still materialism, and that's what our culture suffers from more and more and more.

I want to contrast the differences between two Christmas babies, between Jesus and the child of this music piece, who I will call "Song-baby."

- Song-baby wants the world. Jesus created the world.

- Song-baby wants the world, nothing more and nothing less. Jesus wants the hearts and souls of all people, to grant them eternal life.

- Song-baby wants the world for keeps. Jesus is the one Who keeps the world in existence.

- Song-baby promises to share the world. Jesus, true God, shares in our lowly humanity, and offers us a share in His divine life.

- Song-baby wants you to follow your heart. Jesus knows what is in the human heart. He asks us to follow Him instead.

- Song-baby believes that by sharing the world it offers an opportunity to cuddle and care. Jesus comes to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and to use His own death to crush the power of death for all mankind.

- Song-baby wants people to see by the light of the moon on the snow, how they are harming the planet. Jesus says, "I am the Light of the world, No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness."

As I see it, materialism is a way of life that seems to promise everything but delivers very little. It's attractive because it appears to give us freedom from rules and regulations and allows us to set our own ideas of right and wrong. It gives us the impression that we can control our own happiness, safety and well-being. But materialism can only give us what is temporary, not eternal. It limits us to this world and this life instead of taking us to heaven. It demands a continuous searching for the next best things instead of the constant presence of the Lord of all things. It cannot provide us with truth about our life and our vocation because it ignores or denies the One Whose word is the truth. Materialism elevates those who have achieved fame, fortune and power usually at the expense of those who are weak, poor and defenseless. It enslaves us, as St. Paul says to sin and to this world, it has no power to forgive sins or enrich virtue. And I think sometimes the idea or mentality of materialists is similar to that of hard-core gamblers: we know the odds are against us, but let's roll the dice anyhow--maybe we'll get lucky.

How materialist are we in our lives? How much time and effort do we devote to our relationship with Christ, how important is our own spiritual life, how much do we entrust ourselves to Christ instead of our own cleverness and power? He became a material being, He took on flesh in order to offer His life as a sacrifice for our salvation, to grant us the power to share in His divine life today and forever. He became man as a proof of His love for us, and so that we could see the very face of God. So let us here stand upright, let us stand in awe, let us be attentive as we offer this holy sacrifice--let us come to Christ our Lord. We shouldn't settle for the world--nothing less for us than God Himself in the flesh, nothing less for us than Jesus.