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It's Good to be Children Sometimes - A Christmas Homily

Fr. Greg Altermatt

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty founder was a child Himself

Being child-like is quite a gift, one we all cherish. That’s why, when I saw how negative I was becoming about Christmas carols outside of church, I was beginning to think I was just getting old – I didn’t see any other explanation for it. But I knew how I felt, and had to follow my feelings of turning off the sacred Christmas carols whenever I heard them on the radio or elsewhere.

During my week off for the 3rd week of Advent that I take every year, I decided to see how I did with a story I’d taped much earlier, called, ‘Silver Bells’.

It was a Hallmark story and was quite nice, though there weren’t any Christmas carols played, except for one that a choir was practicing in a church. As I sat and listened to that great sacred carol, my eyes filled with tears and my lower lip started to tremble. Suddenly I was aware of what is going on when I hear a sacred carol – as my relationship with god has deepened over the years with a technique of praying that I learned on my Marriage Encounter Weekend some 27 years ago, the words of songs that touch on that relationship have become dear to me. I was in a men’s chorus a number of years ago, and when we sang something about God, I started praying and missed a cue to move on stage.

So finally I have an answer to my wondering about what is happening when I hear a sacred carol in an un-holy place. The wonder of singing a sacred carol in church when it is actually telling the story that is so wonderful and filled with God’s love for us is such a great experience, I only want that experience in church on Christmas. Hearing sacred carols outside of church on Christmas can take away the specialness of the special time in church.

So, during this special time of the year, enjoy your family and everyone, but reserve another specialness for this special time God has given us, and reflect on it in quiet moments whenever you can find them. Leave your tree up for a while, enjoy God’s greatest gift, savor the moments of the next few weeks and, borrowing from hallmark again, give thanks to the one that cares enough to send the very best.

Fr. Greg Altermatt is a hospital chaplain at Hospital of St Raphael, New Haven CT, and weekend assistant at St John Vianney-Our Lady of Victory parishes in West Haven CT. who made his Weekend in 1977 and gave Weekends across the country for 20 years. Feel free to email Fr. Altermatt about his article or just to say hello, if he presented your Weekend.

Father Greg Altermatt < >

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