Merry Christmas from the Sea

 BY KITTY L. | SHIROOKAMI - DOGS.UNITE | 12.25.2023 

καὶ ἐξολεθρεύσει ἅρματα ἐξ Εφραιμ καὶ ἵππον ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐξολεθρευθήσεται τόξον πολεμικόν καὶ πλῆθος καὶ εἰρήνη ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ κατάρξει ὑδάτων ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ποταμῶν διεκβολὰς γῆς.

Et disperdam quadrigam ex Ephraim, et equum de Jerusalem, et dissipabitur arcus belli: et loquetur pacem gentibus, et potestas ejus a mari usque ad mare, et a fluminibus usque ad fines terræ.

Chariots of thine, Ephraim, horses of thine, Jerusalem, shall be done away, bow of the warrior be unstrung; peace this king shall impose on the world, reigning from sea to sea, from Euphrates to the world's end.

There are a lot of ways to celebrate Christmas.  Thoughts of loved ones come to mind, of mass, festivities and joy, of warmth.  This time, however, we send Christmas wishes from the sea.  The sea at first is cold and dark, calm and blue.  It rages the next day, and becomes still and clear thereafter.  Looking out into it, there is no sight of land or the works of man built upon the land.  No beautiful lights and flocks of people, no wars, no talking.  Just silence and an overwhelming sense of humanity.  For some, this Christmas was like the year before.  Others, they are reaching milestones.  And yet others, a battle to live, where the dawn of a new day is as precious a present as anything else one could receive.

Yet even at sea, one cannot escape the light of a star which reminds us of the meaning of Christmas.  The star shines bright even as the sun rises over the water. 

Returning just in time for midnight mass, some words of this year's homily are eerily relevant.:

"Brothers and sisters, tonight we might ask ourselves: Which God do we believe in? In the God of incarnation or the god of achievement? Because there is always a risk that we can celebrate Christmas while thinking of God in pagan terms, as a powerful potentate in the sky; a god linked to power, worldly success, and the idolatry of consumerism. With the false image of a distant and petulant deity who treats the good well and the bad poorly; a deity made in our own image and likeness, handy for resolving our problems and removing our ills. God, on the other hand, waves no magic wand; he is no god of commerce who promises “everything all at once”. He does not save us by pushing a button, but draws near us, in order to change our world from within. Yet how deeply ingrained is the worldly notion of a distant, domineering, unbending, and powerful deity who helps his own to prevail against others! So many times this image is ingrained in us. But that is not the case: our God was born for all, during a census of the whole earth."

from the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, 2023 (Pope Francis)