Merry Christmas 2011!

Now, I am not what you would call a Christian in the truest sense of the word, well, at least not what it means today. But I was raised Roman Catholic, although I no longer practice the religion of my youth. What I was taught back in those days when I was attending Catholic school and going to Mass on Sundays was that there was someone named Jesus who hung out with society's outcasts and the downtrodden and who cared for them as if they were his own family. He preached that we should do the same as he was doing, that we should follow his example and care for the least of us. Somewhere along the way, this whole message has begun to get lost in the new gospel of believing in Jesus leading to prosperity and wealth and that we should encourage the wealthy to gain even more money that may, if they should feel so generous, trickle down to the rest of us in the form of largesse by way of job creation. That gospel of belief equaling financial wealth has utterly corrupted the whole message that I learned growing up. I also learned that there was supposed to be a wall of separation between church and state, but nowadays it has become mandatory, even though it is downright unconstitutional, for political candidates to declare and prove their unquestioning devotion to Christianity, so much so that Presidents are now required to close every single speech with "God bless you and God bless the United States of America". To do otherwise would be considered downright heathen. It's also considered to be the right thing to do to condemn the poor as being that way out of their own fault because they are too lazy to find a way out of poverty. I don't think that the Jesus I learned about growing up would do that. After all, he was supposedly born into poverty and never became fabulously wealthy himself. During this holiday season, people typically feel more charitable than the rest of the year so they freely give to charity to absolve themselves of whatever guilt they may feel the rest of the year for not doing anything to help. As our economic gaps become more pronounced and more wealth is being concentrated at the top, more and more of us are working harder every day just to make ends meet. Some of us are fortunate enough to be able to put aside a few bucks to save for a rainy day (or retirement, or a college education for the children or whatever). It's tough in this economy, but if one works hard enough at it, it can be done. However, even when unexpected expenses ravage the budget, the social safety net is supposed to be there to help. But even that's been chipped away at in recent years, making it tougher to find a way through a financial emergency. So we can't keep blaming people for not being responsible when financial catastrophe hits. Yes, sometimes people want more than they can afford, like a bigger house or a newer car or a home theatre system when they could get by on much less, but sometimes, even when people are responsible, things happen to stretch budgets to the breaking point. So rather than point fingers at people and blame them for poor financial planning, even when they play by the rules, let us rather strive to level the economic playing field so that everyone has a fair shake, not just a select few who have all the advantages. And let us strive all year long to offer a hand up, not a hand out, to those who need help and remember who Jesus made his companions, the disenfranchised, the downtrodden and the poor. Even though the United States isn't a Christian nation because we have no official religion, if we do claim to be people of faith, let us act like it and renew our commitment to make better lives for everyone, and not just during the holiday season, but all year long. That would be the best Christmas present ever. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and joyful New Year.