Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

THERE in the States, they make a big stir over which is
more proper to say: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? It stems from
what they call as the “war on Christmas” that to my mind has
religious, political and ideological undertones. Apparently there are
people who are trying to tone down the religious aspect of the
greetings.

            They have made some polls on people’s sentiments regarding
this issue and have found out that most Republicans and the older
people favor saying, Merry Christmas over Happy Holidays, while most
Democrats and the younger ones prefer the other way around.

            I would say that both greetings can be correct and proper
depending on one’s motives and the circumstances surrounding the
greetings. There should not be a big fuss over this issue, especially
in our country that so far is still quiet about it.

            But, yes, we have to give due attention to its religious,
political, and social dimensions involved, to be ready in case this
issue erupts into something big here. I also suspect that this
controversy in the States is a kind of religious baiting akin to what
they call as racial baiting that is not really a problem in our
country. We should not take this issue too seriously, at least as of
now.

            Offhand, I must say that many people nowadays are not
quite affected by whatever greeting is said because they just say
things perfunctorily, without much attention about whatever
implications those greetings can make. The obvious presumption is that
the greeter means well, and hardly anyone interprets the greeting
beyond that presumption.

            It’s when people put more into these greetings that we can
start to have a problem. When a person or especially a group, for
example, makes a blanket praise or blanket condemnation of the one of
the expressions to the exclusion of the other, for some religious,
political or ideological reasons, then we really would have a problem.

            Let people say what they want to say as a greeting during
this special period of the year. Everyone has his idea of what is
correct and proper, what is traditional and customary to say, and we
just have to respect that. Unless it is clear that his greeting
violates a basic human right, which is hardly the case, we should just
be happy that one greets or is greeted.

            Of course, we have to give due attention to the way the
temper of the times develops. In our country that is predominantly
Christian and Catholic, we should make it a point that the spiritual
and religious character of the season is upheld. In fact, it should be
developed, purified, enriched and protected. We have to be wary of the
many isms that tend to undermine the true character of Christmas.

            We should not forget that in the world today there is
already a very strong wave of worldliness, agnosticism, skepticism and
atheism. We have to be ready in the event these isms try to dominate
us.

            But this does not mean that we should engage in some
religious war on those whose beliefs are different from but not
necessarily opposed to our Christian faith. We have to respect
religious freedom and the freedom of consciences. We should not go
around imposing our doctrine and ways on those who see things
differently. We have to follow what Christ once said: “Whoever is not
against you is for you.” (Lk 9,50)

            What we can do is to be more consistent in our spiritual
life, more Christ-like, that in the first place is expected to be
characterized by humility, meekness, charity, mercy, patience while
pursuing the truth as spelled out by Christ and taught authoritatively
by the Church. We should try to follow what Christ also once said:
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather
with me scatters.” (Mt 12,30)

            We need to give good example to others in an abiding way,
and not just intermittently, that can give rise to suspicions of
hypocrisy, deception and some other ulterior motives on our part. More
than words, this is how we can win souls, encourage the weak, correct
those in error, cause conversions, etc.

            While there can be drastic measures to keep our Christian
identity at Christmastime, we should use more the normal means of
giving witness to our faith in the ordinary circumstances of our daily
life. This will attract souls to the Christian faith more effectively.

            We should avoid any traces of self-righteousness, of
seeing things in a simplistic black-and-white way.