Last week A Charlie
Brown Christmas aired on national prime time television for
the 50th year in a row. In a world where the latest greatest
technology is outdated in a matter of months, and social media trends come and
go in a matter of days, 50 years of anything becomes quite meaningful.
For those of you who haven’t had
the pleasure, let me quickly summarize the plot. “Fluffy white snowflakes tumbled from the sky
onto a group of joyful children as they sang and laughed, skating on the frozen
pond in town. Everyone was happy and full of holiday cheer. That is, everyone
except for Charlie Brown.” Charlie Brown confides in his good friend Linus his
dismay with the over-commercialization of Christmas and his inability to grasp
what Christmas is all about.
In order to discover the true
meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown decides to direct a Christmas play. Charlie Brown gathers the children of the
neighborhood for this Christmas play, but everyone seems to be more interested
in dancing and modern music than discovering the real meaning of
Christmas. His friend Lucy suggests that
what everyone needs is a big glitzy aluminum Christmas tree to get everyone in
the proper Christmas spirit.
We he arrives at the Christmas tree
market, he zeroes in on this tiny sapling.
Upon returning to the Christmas play rehearsal, the kids laugh at the
tiny tree, in a sense, laughing at Charlie Brown’s attempt to discover the true
meaning of Christmas.
Charlie Brown, characteristically
loses his temper and yells, “Everything I do turns into a disaster. Isn’t there
anyone who understands what Christmas is all about?”
A most unlikely voice of steps in
to quell Charlie Brown's exasperation: Linus, who sucks his thumb and clings to
his security blanket, steps into the spotlight and proclaims:
"And there were in the same
country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men."
That’s what Christmas is all about,
Charlie Brown.
50 years ago, the network
executives, told Charles Shultz, the creator of Charlie Brown, that the
biblical passage from the Christmas Special was too overtly religious, and should
be omitted. But Charles Shultz,
insisted, Linus’ Christmas proclamation must be kept in. “If we don’t proclaim it, who will?” Shultz
demanded.
Now fast forward 50 years. Last week, in a rural Johnson County
Kentucky, A Charlie Brown Christmas was performed by a public elementary
school. However, the school superintendent
issued a memo directing area schools to avoid endorsing any particular religion
in their holiday performances this year. Charlie Brown Christmas could be
performed, but the key passage, the passage Charles Shultz saw as the most
important passage in the play, Linus’ Christmas Gospel Proclamation, had to be omitted.
Though many parents protested, the administration held their ground: no
references to Christ this Christmas.
So the night of the performance,
last Thursday night, what happened? The school kids put on their performance,
and when it came time for Linus’ big speech, audience began to proclaim in
unison: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Savior, Christ the Lord.”
For many, commercialism has indeed
replaced Christianity as the religion of our land. Even many Christians are embarrassed about
our celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ. But I think your presence here
tonight, whether you are a weekly Mass goer, just come once a year, just
wandered in off the street, or visiting grandma, we, like Charlie Brown, have a
deep desire to discover and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We know,
deep down, that Christmas is not just about peppermint lattes, new ipads,
sentimental secular songs, or even aluminum Christmas trees.
If we do not keep Christ in
Christmas, who will? In our increasingly secular society, We must resist all
the forces which seek to remove Christ, all those temptations to pray less,
worship less, and give less.
There is another important detail
from Charlie Brown Christmas which goes unnoticed even by people who have seen
the show a dozen times. In that
climactic scene when Linus shares "what Christmas is all about," he
begins his speech clutching his security blanket tightly. But when he recites the angel’s words, “Fear
Not!” he drops the blanket.
The message is clear: the birth of
Jesus Christ frees us from our fears. The birth of Jesus frees us from the
habits we are unable or unwilling to break ourselves. The birth of Jesus allows
us to drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to
trust and cling to Him instead.
What is your security blanket? What
does God want to help you let go of this Christmas? If Christmas is about
refocusing on Christ, renewing your relationship with Christ, reorienting your
life to Christ, what do you need to let go of, in order to cling to Him?
Once a Christian was asked by an
atheist, “what do you gain by praying to God?” The Christian replied, “what do
I gain? Nothing…but let me tell you what I lose…anger, greed, depression,
insecurity, and the fear of death.” Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not
gaining, but finding the ability to let go of the attitudes which keep us from
peace and joy. What does God want to
help you let go of this Christmas?
Linus was able to let go of his
security blanket a second time during the Christmas special. Returning home from the play, Charlie Brown
wished to decorate that meager little sapling of a Christmas tree, but when he
placed a Christmas ornament upon the tree, the tiny tree, unable to support the
ornament, bent in half. “I’ve killed it, everything I touch gets ruined”
Charlie Brown exclaims. But Linus, bends
down, wraps his security blanket around the tree and says, “Maybe it just needs
a little love.”
Linus teaches another deep
Christmas lesson. When we let go of our
insecurity, then we are able to love more deeply. We let go, in order to love.
Let Go, and love Christ this
Christmas. Commit to clinging to Him
today, and every day. Let him free you from your addictions, your worldly
anxieties, your sins and your selfishness.
Commit to him through daily prayer, weekly mass, regular reading of
Scripture, and charity and goodwill toward your fellow man, for the glory of
God and salvation of souls.
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