Living with Strength and Kindliness
A Christmas Carol
There are so many important elements to the Christmas story; a myriad of focal points in fact. Each year it brings me great joy to read and discern which aspects of the Christmas story we might explore in each of the liturgies to be celebrated at the end of any given year.
In my reading, I came across a story that I haven’t thought about for a while – A Christmas Carol. The Charles Dickens novel about grumpy old Ebenezer Scrooge is a story of transformation through a range of experiences that deepen his understanding of the true meaning of Christmas.
I was fascinated to be able to go back to my childhood. I recall the lead up to Christmas (from a child’s point of view) when there were an abundance of Christmas stories on the television each of the days in the weeks leading up to Christmas. As a child, these films and the countless Christmas carols that would play on the TV and radio were a wonderful avenue to feed a child’s anticipation and joy as Christmas Day grew closer and closer.
I had forgotten the story of Scrooge Junior, known for his cruelty and miserly existence and who doesn’t understand the reason for Christmas celebrations.
I found a short skit that retells the transformational part of the story, where a group of young children share their understanding of Christmas through word, carols and scripture.
Skit:
Scrooge: Too much shopping, too much money spent on people I don’t really like… to many parties…. Stores too crowded, push and shove….
Children enter singing ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’
Scrooge: Merry Christmas. Baahhh. Don’t know why you are all being so jolly! People are busy hurrying and pushing and shoving and driving too fast and eating too much! Christmas is just about someone born a long time ago and doesn’t make any sense to me at all! It’s both a waste of time and money!
Child: Maybe if we explained the letters of Christmas you would understand. May we?
Scrooge: Well I guess so.
Nine children line up, each holding one letter from the word Christmas.
Christ Jesus has come from Heaven
Holy Son of God
Righteous and Pure
I An infant born in a stable
S A star which shone so bright
Tidings of joy to all people on earth
M a lowly manger where Baby Jesus slept
Angels that sang at night
S A saviour sent from Heaven, a shepherd for his people, the Son of God.
Child: These letters spell Christmas. They tell us that God loves everyone. ‘God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life’.
Scrooge: Say, isn’t that John 3:16? I can remember that verse from when I went to Sunday School. Those Bible passages were important to me a long time ago.
Child: Well listen to the story in the second chapter of Luke (Luke 2: 1- 10)
And Scrooge Junior is so touched by the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby in the manger that he is transformed, spends time shaking hands with the children in his presence and thanking them for helping him revisit the true meaning of Christmas.
They then all join in together and sing Joy to the World!
Here is a beautiful version that you might wish to listen to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrOlXLeWJQ4
There are some beautiful and very important messages in Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’. It’s a tale about love, kindness and generosity. The miracle of Christmas in the story is that Scrooge’s heart is changed. At the end of the book, Scrooge proclaims, "I shall love [Christmas] as long as I live”.
What Scrooge learns is not just to keep Christmas (love, kindness and generosity) alive all year round but to grow in the understanding that the welfare of our communities is the responsibility of each one of us. We are called to live as if the poverty and pain of others and the joy and love for others is our calling, at Christmas time and always.
Merry Christmas Everyone! Wishing you a happy and holy Christmas and a restful and rejuvenating holiday season.
Kirrilee Westblade
Catholic Identity Leader