By Susanna D –
First of all, I would like to go on record to say that I have no objection to fun. Nor do I think celebrations or parties are evil. (Except if by parties you mean drunken lust-saturated revelries.) I do not believe that fun = going straight to the devil. I love dancing, and good food, and wearing nice clothes. I don’t even think alcohol (in moderation) is of the devil. As a Catholic, I believe there is place for both feasting and fasting. And Christmas is definitely the time for celebrations, feasting and joy.
But. But. But.
You knew there would be a but, didn’t you?
In my city, Christmas is celebrated by many Catholics in pretty expected ways—there’s Midnight Mass (or Christmas Day Mass if you’re old and cold), there’s a family lunch celebration which usually includes sorpotel if you’re a Goan, and roast chicken with stuffing if you’re my family… and then there’s the Christmas dance/ball/party in the night.
These are quite often organized by the parishes, or social clubs, or private individuals. They involve DJs, loud music, drunk people, fancy clothes (quite often the shortest skirts, the lowest tops and the most non-existent backs, yay Indian Catholics), food, drink and dancing. Many people from my social world go to these parties, because they want to do SOMETHING on Christmas night, and that’s where all their friends will be.
So what’s my problem?
Quite simply, the fact that these are ‘rich people’ events—with the passes, the clothes, the shoes, the food and the alcohol, you may land up spending thousands of rupees. A lot of Catholics in India are very well-to-do. They are earning well, so they are used to spending well. Eating out at restaurants very often, going to a lot of movies, buying every new model of their phone of choice as it comes out, owning a nice car, is normal for many. They are also very generous.
But here’s the problem. We’re called to give till it hurts, not give a little, and still make sure we have enough for all our expensive habits and hobbies. To be trite, Christians are called to live simply, so others can simply live. We’re not called to give a lot. We’re called to give everything. As much as we can. The only eternal value our money has is when we use it for love of others.
If you pay attention to the Advent readings from Mass and from the Liturgy of the Hours, you may notice that one of the big themes of Advent seems to be ‘justice’. You probably know that we’re not just waiting for or commemorating the First Coming of Jesus, but preparing for the Second Coming too… you know when ‘He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.’
‘The Savior will not come to be judged again, but to judge those by whom he was judged. He will address those who committed outrages against him… and will remind them: You did these things and I was silent. His first coming was to fulfil his plan of love, to teach men by gentle persuasion. This time, whether men like it or not, they will be subjects of his kingdom by necessity…’Cyril of Jerusalem
What outrages? ‘I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink’ (Matt 25: 42) ‘There was rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table.’ (Lk 16:19-20)
If Jesus’ Second Coming happens to be on December 25th, 2017, what would he find us doing or being? How would He expect His believers to be celebrating? How can I glorify God even in my celebrations, ESPECIALLY when I’m celebrating the birth of the King of Justice?
Picture this:
Rich people eating and drinking at parties that cost thousands of rupees, while AT OUR GATE lie communities of people shivering in the cold, eating their meagre meals cooked over open fires on the street?
Does this look like justice to you?
Okay, I guess you can tell I’m pretty fired up about this. You might say, “Well, Sue, so what are YOU going to do about it?”
Good question. I still have to plan this year’s celebration. But a few years ago, when I was feeling convicted about this, this is what I did. I did not go to an expensive party, but I celebrated, both with my friends and with the poor. I invited anyone who didn’t have the money, or didn’t feel comfortable spending a lot of money on the professional parties, to come over to my apartment for some singing, dancing, board games, Christmas charades, and food. Each one brought something to add to the dinner. But before we ate, we bought some packed hot biriyani meals (with the money we would have spent on a party), and took it to the poor community living literally AT OUR GATE— a group of construction workers’ families.
I know that making choices like this sometimes comes across as judgmental to people who ARE going to those expensive parties. And I know that I’m not really in a position to judge, because I know exactly how selfish I am. I know people can have other reasons for going to parties like that—maybe they feel like it’s very important for them to be with their non-Christian friends who ARE planning to be at those parties. Or maybe they have been giving away a lot of their income to the poor, and living simply otherwise, so they are okay with splurging this one time.
But maybe they’ve never thought about this. Following Christ means more than paying him lip service, or showing up at Church or even having a personal prayer time. It means holding up our every decision and plan to the light of Truth and judging them based not on our world’s standards, but by His.
And sometimes that means making new Christmas plans.
Susanna D serves with Emmaus Catholic Volunteers, an organization of full-time lay Catholic singles and families who serve the poor and share the Gospel through a culture of encounter in various dioceses in India. She blogs at Keeping It Real: Diary of a Not Very Indian Girl and Keeping It Salty: Diary of an Indian Catholic Volunteer