What's the Reason for the Season?

"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, good will toward men."

This is how St. Luke describes the reaction of the angels to the birth of Jesus. No Christmas trees, no six-foot plastic bubbles with blowing snow inside, no Santa Claus, no reindeer, and nary a sleigh in site. Peace. Good will. The birth of a child in a filthy barn.

Yet, some two thousand years after the birth of that child, we seem to have forgotten how to approach peace, much less make it happen. We seem to have a government that is grimly determined to continue a war despite repeatedly showing it cannot handle the responsibility. The President's national address seems more designed to distract the American public than it does to take personal responsibility or renew our sense of purpose. While Democrats line up to show how tough they are, Republicans are busy quietly cutting the guts out of modern America.

Peace. Good will. The birth of a child in a filthy barn.

Meanwhile, we argue about cultural hegemony.

This year, it seems to be, these things will be as unnoticed as they were over two thousand years ago.

Come, Let us Reason Together