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Talk about “Shop ’till you drop!”
Early in the morning of “Black Friday” in 2008, many of us were
shocked to learn that an “out-of-control” mob of frenzied shoppers
crashed the Long Island Wal-Mart’s front doors and trampled a
temporary 34-year-old worker, Jdimytai Damour, to death. Also
injured were four shoppers, including a woman who was eight-months
pregnant. That “out-of-control” mob of frenzied shoppers was
comprised of people who were desperate to purchase deeply-discounted
electronics, like video games and flat-screen televisions.
Fast forward three years and, it appears, things have not gotten
much better. In some ways, things may have even gotten worse:
·
Friday morning at 3:00 a.m., the Urban Outfitters at Thousand Oaks
Mall in California opened its doors. Frothing at the mouth for
“deep discounts,” a video shows an out-of-control mob of people
screaming, pushing and running, and a couple of people being
trampled for the latest in designer clothing. Thankfully, none
died.
·
Outside a Wal-Mart in San Leandro, California, a group of thugs
figured (quite wisely, I might add), “Why mess with a crowd of
crazed people?” So, the thugs waited outside. Then, as a man and
his family were walking back to their car after having finished
shopping around 1:45 a.m. on Friday morning, the thugs confronted
the family and demanded they turn over their purchases. When the
family members refused, a fight broke out. One of the robbers
pulled out a gun and shot the father of the family, who now is
hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
·
At
10:20 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and shortly after the Wal-Mart in
the Los Angeles’ suburb of Porter Ranch had opened its doors, a
woman who was desperate to purchase a deeply discounted Xbox 360
watched on as the crowd converged upon the display as Wal-Mart
employees were unwrapping it. When the display was finally
unwrapped, the woman unleashed pepper spray on the shoppers who had
crowded around the display. The woman took one of the
deeply-discounted Xbox 360s, paid for it, and escaped in the ensuing
confusion.
·
In a
suburban Phoenix Wal-Mart store, a 54-year-old grandfather, Jerald
Allen Newman, was subdued by police after he appeared to be trying
to shoplift an Xbox 360 after he and the crowd of shoppers rushed
chaotically toward the deeply discounted video game display. Newman
had gotten his hands on one of the games claiming later that he
placed it beneath his shirt and behind his waistband so that he
could assist his grandson who had been trampled by the crowd.
However, a police officer who was observing Newman performed a leg
sweep that took Newman to the ground. Newman hit his head on the
floor and became unconscious. Outraged shoppers were yelling
explicatives and saying things like “that’s police brutality” and
“he wasn’t doing anything.” The Assistant Chief of Police said,
however, that Newman had resisted arrest and the officer appeared to
have acted reasonably. After receiving four stitches to his
forehead at the local hospital, Newman was booked on suspicion of
shoplifting and resisting arrest.
I’m sure most of us have read about or watched videos of what could
pass for a flashback from the beginning of the zombie plague on “The
Walking Dead.” Much of the crazed and thuggish behavior surely
caused us to ask: “Whatever in the world got into those people?”
It’s almost as if the Apocalypse was unfolding at Wal-Marts in
California. But, it’s not the Apocalypse of the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ and these kind of events unfolded across the United
Sates.
Sure, we comfort ourselves saying, “I’d never do anything like
that.” Perhaps so.
But, then, consider the following:
·
A
47-year-old husband and father, Javier Marin, was first in line at
the Best Buy near Tysons Corner, Maryland. He had waited since 4
p.m. on Wednesday afternoon to purchase two flat-screen TVs—a
42-inch and a 55-inch—and a stereo system. Javier and four friends
slept in a tent outside the store Wednesday night. On Thanksgiving
morning, Javier’s wife even brought him scrambled eggs for
breakfast. Thanksgiving Day dinner didn’t quite measure up: a Three
Musketeers’ bar. “I saw a good deal and didn’t want to pass it up.
I’m missing Thanksgiving with my family, but it’s just one year. I
can be forgiven for that.” Perhaps. But, what if there isn’t a
“next” Thanksgiving for Javier or members of his family?
·
21-year-old Jennifer Yoo’s brother delivered her Thanksgiving
dinner—ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn bread—curbside at the
Best Buy in Germantown, Maryland. Alongside Jennifer was her
mother. Their quest? A 42-inch, flat-screen television for the
family. “I always told myself I would never be one of the crazy
people outside Best Buy, but I proved myself wrong this year,” she
said. Jennifer and her mother had waited in line since 7 p.m. on
Wednesday night. They may not have celebrated Thanksgiving Day, but
the Yoo’s do have that new television. It means more to their
family and certainly will last longer than Thanksgiving Dinner, no?
·
25-year-old Mike Masho also wanted one of those deeply discounted
42-inch, flat-screen televisions. So, he camped out at the Best Buy
in Woodbridge, Maryland, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day
morning. Masho was one of the first 50 people in line. However, by
the time Masho’s turn at the customer service counter arrived, a
Best Buy employee told Masho that tickets for the televisions were
gone. Masho observed: “People who had been in line let their family
just come out of nowhere and jump in, and the guards did nothing.
After all the time I spent out here. It’s just wrong.” Well, just
maybe it’s not wrong in the “Black Friday” version of “Lord of the
Flies,” where the laws of nature—not the social contract—prevail.
Without doubt, these latter vignettes are less morally repugnant
than the “zombie plagues” mentioned previously where people were
injured or in 2008 when an innocent human being was killed. But, I
would say, they are nonetheless equally spiritually discomforting.
Why?
Think about the little things like, for example, the purpose of
Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Day is the one day of the year when Americans as a
collectivity of people of diverse backgrounds are supposed to gather
in their homes as families to give thanks to God for His many
blessings during the past year. Thanksgiving is not just a
“day” like any
other day. Thanksgiving is a federal holiday expressly for a
specific purpose:
WHEREAS it is
the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty
God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly
to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of
Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend
to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and
PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the
many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them
an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their
safety and happiness:”
NOW THEREFORE, I
do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER
next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of
that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all
the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all
unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His
kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to
their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the
favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and
conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility,
union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;—for the
peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to
establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness,
and particularly the national one now lately instituted;—for the
civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means
we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;—and, in
general, for all the great and various favours which He has been
pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that
we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and
supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him
to pardon our national and other transgressions;—to enable us all,
whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National
Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a
Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and
faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns
and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to
bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the
knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase
of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all
mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be
best.
GIVEN under my
hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year
of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G.
Washington
In
my family, we celebrated Thankgiving by giving thanks to God for
many things this past year, two of which included:
·
The
blessing of a new family member, a “premie” baby named Ian, who has
survived the health difficulties and challenges that normally
confront premature infants. Ian was hospitalized for several months
until he was strong enough to come home for the first time. On
Thanksgiving Day, it seemed to me, Ian was doing pretty well,
although he had a bit of a fever. Why would any member of the
family want to miss that?
·
The
blessing of our Dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather who died in
July at 88 years of age. No Dad is perfect, but each Dad does try
to teach his children in his own inimitable way many important
lessons about life which, in themselves, become a source of
blessings throughout each child’s life. Like two lessons that my
Dad taught: 1) “Never go to work with your shoes not polished…” and
2) “Never spend one dollar less because you’ll end up spending two
dollars more….” Why the former?
“Your boss will
judge you by your attention to detail, which includes yours shoes.”
How many times have I recalled that as both an employee and as a
boss?
And
why the latter?
“By the time
you’ve replaced the ‘great deal,’ you will have spent double for
what you could have spent for quality and paid half price.” I
think that a universal precept, having been stubborn enough on so
many occasions to purchase the “great deal” only
to
find that it was
a “lousy deal.”
And,
although no child ever wants to see a parent die, it was time for
Dad to “give up the ghost” as the Germans say, because his mind was
failing and so was his health. In that sense, Dad’s death was a
blessing and there was much to be grateful for. After all, he was
one-third of the reason each of us was present. The other
two-thirds being my Mom and God.
Seated around the Thanksgiving table, I gave thanks for those two
particular blessings.
However, had I really wanted an Xbox 360 or a 42-or 55- inch,
flat-screen television, I could have saved myself a whole lot of
time by staying home and not traveling all the way to Connecticut…a
four and one-half hour trip each way. I could have camped out
for however long it would have taken at the Wal-Mart on Trooper Road
or the Best Buy in King of Prussia, to await the much-anticipated
opening of the golden doors to the tabernacle that would unveil what
I fantasized would bring “tidings of great comfort and joy.” Then
too, I’d not have played golf and smoked cigars with my
brother-in-law and nephew on “Black Friday.” Now, which option
makes the most sense in terms of living life?
When the lust for material things becomes an all-consuming force in
our lives, we are guilty of what may be one of the gravest of sins
in our day, the sin of consumerism. This vice is so pervasive in
our culture today that we scarcely are aware of how it contorts our
minds so that we allow ourselves the liberty to take greater
pleasure in thinking about all of those “tidings of great comfort
and joy” we are promised those material things will bring us than we
do in thinking about what will bring the true happiness that can
never be taken away.
What might that be?
It’s
got to do with a central mystery of the Christian faith: the
Incarnation...being present in the flesh. True happiness
consists of being
present in the flesh to others as the people God created each of us
to be for them. For example:
·
Husbands and wives who are present to each other as God created them
to be, in and from the beginning. What could bring spouses
greater happiness? An Xbox 360 or a flat-screen television?
·
Moms
and Dads who are present to their children as God created them to
be, in and from the beginning. What could bring children
greater happiness? An Xbox 360 or a flat-screen television?
·
Children who are present to their parents as God created them to be,
in and from the beginning. What could bring parents greater
happiness? An Xbox 360 or a flat-screen television?
·
Siblings who are present to one another as God created them to be,
in and from the beginning. What could bring sisters and
brothers greater happiness? An Xbox 360 or a flat-screen
television?
While some might be cynical enough to believe an Xbox 360 or a
flat-screen television would bring greater happiness, that only
serves to highlight why much of that
“Black Friday”
frenzy is morally repugnant. Being present to others as God
created each of us to be for them
is the foundation for being the “Holy Family”— husbands and
wives and Moms and Dads and siblings—who love God and each other as
they love themselves. That’s not just the Holy Family of Mary,
Joseph, and Jesus, but of each and every one of us who whom God has
created to live for others.
No
material thing can provide those tidings of great comfort and joy
that holy families provide their members. Only human beings can.
But, if we are to be successful in living for others, we must
desire achieving that goal more than we desire all of those material
things. The problem in our culture is that we allow our minds to
become distorted by the sin of consumerism so that we actually
believe those material things can provide greater tidings of comfort
and joy than does living for others.
To
that end, what we are preparing for as we begin this holy season of
Advent is Christmas, the solemnity of God’s only begotten
Son—“consubstantial” with the Father, we will say for the first time
in the Creed today—being made flesh, that is, “incarnate.” In its
essence, Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with feeding the sin
of consumerism, and everything to do with discovering where our true
and eternal happiness is to be found.
Contrary to all of those people who thought “Black Friday” was more
important than Thanksgiving Day, let me suggest that the Incarnation
is by and far more important than is any Christmas gift, for it is
the Christmas gift God has given us. Perhaps the degree to
which we lust for Christmas to come—for Santa Claus and his reindeer
to arrive and sooner than later so that we will be able to delve
into the cornucopia of unbridled avarice—provides us an abject
lesson about the degree to which we are very much like those people
who camped out or spent the day “shopping ’till they dropped,”
worshipping the demon that’s called “Black Friday.” Rather than
give thanks to God on Thanksgiving Day, all of those people rushed
through or gave up Thanksgiving Day altogether so they could worship
in the sacred temples of Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Tiffany’s, Kohl’s, and
the like, it matters not. It’s all the vice of avarice—in this
generation, it’s called “consumerism”—which touts its message
through the media that Christmas is all about material things, not
spiritual things, it’s about Xbox360s and flat-screen televisions,
not an infant in a manger, it’s about pleasure not joy, and it’s all
about this life not the next life.
Yet, the simple fact is that all of those tidings of great comfort
and joy associated with each and every one of those Christmas gifts
will pass. What will we have then? Certainly not the experience of
Thanksgiving or of Christmas, proper understood. No, what we
will have are new tidings of great hope and joy that we will find in
the Xbox 720 that will make “Black Friday 2013”—that’s when the Xbox
720 is rumored to be released—seem worth the long wait. Then, on
Christmas Day 2013, we will be able to toss all of those worthless
Xbox 360s into the trash, just as we have done with our souls.
This year Advent lasts five full weeks. It’s the longest
possible season of Advent and that period of waiting for Christmas
Day to arrive offers us the opportunity to contemplate more fully
and meaningfully the gift of the Incarnation. Not just the
Incarnation of God’s only begotten Son, but also our incarnation as
God’s beloved sons and daughters. St. Athanasius of Alexandria
wrote more than 1600 years ago: “God became human in order that
humans may become like God” (On the Incarnation, 54:3). We
become like God as we put the sin of consumerism into our past,
realize the great gift of our incarnation, and make our lives a gift
for others.
A brief word about an “new time”…
Today marks the beginning of the Church year—the first
Sunday of Advent—and the first Sunday that
English-speaking Catholics throughout the world will be using the
third edition of the Roman Missal.
We
can look upon these changes with a sense of loss, namely, that something we have grown
accustomed to and comfortable with has suddenly vanished. From
studying and practicing the third edition, I can assure everyone
that much has vanished. Changes to words and phrases will only
reinforce that sense of loss. Then, too, a more formal recitation
of the Mass will also reinforce that sense of loss. I have a
suspicion that some people will allow that sense of loss to grow
into feelings of regret, indignation, and perhaps, alienation.
For me, the greatest loss will be that of spontaneity. In the
seminary, we were taught to follow the Roman Missal, but to adapt
its non-essential words and phrases to “personalize” the experience
of the Mass for the members of the congregation. For example, the
phrase I use in the doxology following the recitation of the Our
Father, “useless worry and anxiety”—which I have taken from St.
Paul—will be gone. Vanished. The statement I use to introduce the
beginning of the Communion Rite, “My brothers and sisters: This is
Jesus Christ the Son of the living God who became human like us in
all things but sin”—which I have also taken from St. Paul—will be
gone. Vanished. So, too, the brief statement I use to relate the
gospel and homily to the communion in which we are to partake will
be gone. Vanished. Over the past 28 years, many people have
commented how much they appreciated those little personalizations.
Why the change?
The answer is simple: Pope Benedict XVI has said so. And, as Roman
Catholics, one of our defining characteristics is that when Peter
speaks, we listen because we trust Peter. Where Peter leads, we
follow because we trust Peter. Not blindly but also with open
hearts and minds to learn from Peter. In this instance, Peter
has challenged us to pray with greater fidelity to the Latin text of
the official Roman Missal and to this end, has entrusted to us a
gift: The third edition of the Roman Missal. Peter believes this
gift will provide the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the
Mass and to appreciate better its meaning and significance for our
lives.
In
2004, then-Cardinal Ratzinger observed:
How
often do we celebrate only ourselves, without even realizing that He
is there! Here “He” refers to Jesus Christ crucified, and risen, the
great missing person of so many new liturgies, which have become
meaningless dances around the Golden Calf that is ourselves.
Yes, there will be a sense of loss. But, Pope Benedict XVI is
presenting English-speaking Roman Catholics throughout the world a
wonderful opportunity to experience the faith of the Roman Catholic
Church and the presence of Jesus Christ in the Mass in a somewhat
new and, for a bit of time, somewhat foreign (or alien) way. New
phrases and words—in more accurate and poetic English—will enable us
hear and reconsider familiar ideas. In that sense, the new Roman
Missal will provide a moment for catechesis. “Consubstantial,”
what’s that? “Thrones and Dominions,” what are they? “...and
for the many,” what happened to “all”?
Sure, greater fidelity to the Roman Missal will make participating
in the Mass at first feel less personal. But, doing so will
also focus us upon the fact that we have come to Mass not to make
ourselves feel good but to worship God through Jesus Christ in the
Roman Catholic Church.
Speaking solely for myself, I greet the new translation of the Roman
Missal not with a sense of loss or even regret—perhaps
understandably so because after all, it’s the only Missal I have
ever used in my 28 years of ordained priesthood—but with a sense of
enthusiasm that the changes it mandates will make the Mass less
about being “relevant” and more about being “authentic.”
Comparing the second and third editions side-by-side, I have found
the new translation to be more uplifting through its use of more
poetic language. The third edition of the Roman Missal certainly
represents a markedly different way of speaking to God in the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass—notice
how different that sounds from “in the
liturgy” or “in the gathering”—and
the language is absolutely not the general style of the way we speak
with one another. The images the new translation calls to mind are
rich in meaning, to be pondered for their depth.
I
think the most noticeable change most people will experience will be
in how I will be celebrating the Mass. Having memorized much of the
previous edition, I wasn’t “tied down to the text.” Beginning
today, I will have very little eye contact with “the people in
the pews” because I will be concentrating upon reading the text
accurately. That is my job: “to say the black.”
Because some parts of the text are the same or similar but other
parts are strikingly different, it’s not possible to “wing it” for
the simple reason that it’s very difficult to find the exact place
where I am if I’m not looking directly at the text.
So, I ask for your patience and understanding as I learn—like you—to
pray the new translation of the Roman Missal in the coming months
and years. My guess is that in retrospect—perhaps in 20 or 30
years—it will be regarded as a wonderful gift, part of the legacy
that Peter—beginning during the pontificate of Paul VI, continuing
in the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II, and now through Benedict
XVI—will have bequeathed to the Church.
And, a
brief commercial break...
As
Catholics, we prepare for Christ's coming by celebrating the season
of Advent. During these four weeks, we prepare the way for Christ to
come into our lives each and every day, not just on Christmas day.
For Catholic families, let me suggest five practical ways to prepare
for Christ's coming:
1. Place
an advent wreath in the center of your dinner table. Each
evening before sitting down for dinner, have one member offer a
prayer of thanksgiving to God for
the gift
of life, recall by name those who matter the most in the family's
life, and name one thing that
individual will do before the day ends to meet
a family member's
need. The individual offering the prayer will then
light the
appropriate candle(s).
Looking for
an advent wreath?
The best advent wreath (and Christmas
wreath, by the way) is made of holly not evergreen. The elements of
holly (the holly itself and the red berries) recall the crucifixion
of Christ. He was crowned with thorns. The thorns bit into his brow,
causing red drops of blood to flow. No color is more associated with
Christmas than red, the color of Good Friday. This symbolism is
consistent with scripture: "By the Lord's stripes we are healed."
So, the holly is green, a color associated with life and
hope—reminding us of the birth of the Savior—and the berries are
red—reminding us of how the gift of eternal life has been won for us
through the blood of Christ.
I
don't think it's easy to find holly wreathes, but then, I've never
looked for one! I do know that a round metal wire holder and plastic
holly branches can be purchased at Michael's. That would do the
trick. Then remember: three purple and one pink candle. And, don't
forget to place the Advent calendar on the front of the
refrigerator.
2. Use
an Advent calendar.
Hang an advent
calendar on the refrigerator door beginning on December 1st. Each
morning, before everyone scatters for the day, have one member of
the family open one door and read the scripture verse or describe
the biblical scene behind the door. This is a great way for family
members to keep focused on the coming of Christ for the rest of the
day.
3. Make
a Jesse tree. The Jesse tree is the traditional way that
Catholics recall Jesus' heritage, coming from the line of King
David, the son of Jesse. Have members of the family make a symbol
for each day of Advent that marks an important moment in Israel's
history (e.g., Noah's ark, Jacob's ladder, Moses' stone tablets,
David's harp). Then, each evening before everyone goes to bed,
gather the family around the Jesse tree, have the family member
explain the symbol, and hang it on the tree.
4.
Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. One way to
"put Christ back into Christmas" is to reclaim the faith-filled life
of heroic virtue revealed in the great Christian saint, St. Nicholas
of Myra. Besides sharing simple gifts with family members, like
placing candy in shoes that have been left outside of the bedroom
door, share some time with people who are alone, in the hospital,
convalescing, etc.
5.
Celebrate God's mercy. Advent is a particularly fitting time for
every member of the family to welcome the light of God's forgiveness
into the dark places of family life. Gather the family together and
go to church to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance together. Then,
go out for pizza to celebrate God's mercy and a new beginning free
from sin.
By
participating in these five practical activities to prepare for
Christmas day, Catholic families will not only have contemplated
their need for God and God's self-revelation through salvation
history. In addition, they will have experienced God present and
active in their family's life. Then, on Christmas day, when family
members greet one another by saying, "Merry Christmas," they all
will truly be prepared to celebrate the Mass wherein Christ will
strengthen and nourish them with his body and blood to bring Christ
to the world.
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HOMILY
