Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer
It’s always a good One of the best parts growing up as a Roman Catholic was enjoying all of the Holy Days. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church controlled the calendar and established celebrations year round. These “holidays” taught and reinforced the faith.
After the Sixteenth Century Protestant Reformation, non-Catholic politicians began canceling many of these celebrations. For example, when the Pilgrims landed in America, they were determined to create there version of a Godly society.
The Pilgrims, or more accurately English Puritans, outlawed Holy Days because they only recognized one. The Bible only mentions to rest on the Sabbath, which they interpreted as Sunday.
To rest on other days was against the will of God. Puritans also hated celebrating the holidays with food and drink. Their Christian society required everyone to work year round, canceling all of the Catholic Holy Days.
This war on Christmas didn’t take off in Catholic and Lutheran countries. My ancestors, the Cajuns, were the descendants of Roman Catholics. I never questioned the need to stop periodically and enjoy life.
As Mary Poppins sang, “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down.”
The damage done by the Pilgrims has had a lasting impact. Many Christians don’t know that we are in the Advent Season. Advent means that “Christ is coming toward us” and we need to prepare.
How should we prepare for Christmas? I believe the best way is to heed the words of the words of John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew.
“7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
It should be obvious that Christians should prepare for the “Coming of Christ” by “bearing good fruit.” The Gospels then spend page after page explaining to the hard headed the meaning of “bear good fruit.”
Jesus insists that we feed the hungry, cloth the naked, welcome the stranger and comfort the oppressed. These are the true Christmas gifts. We are not going to find them in any store.
We need to start preparing our heart to act now. We can then wish all of our neighbors Happy Holidays.
Glenn Melancon is a professor of history at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He can be reached at glenn@glennmelancon.com. His opinions are his own and do not reflect those of the Jefferson