Ah, another Christmas, come and gone, as have the children, leaving a vast lonesome hole in our hearts. Alas! But so it is. And now in the recovering quietness, I at last can sit by the fireplace and reminisce with WH Auden's long poem, A Christmas Oratorio he named FOR THE TIME BEING.
As Auden moves toward the end of his writing, he meditates on the meaning of all this to-do around Christmas, what he thinks and how he feels. Listen to him:
Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes--
Some have got broken—and carrying them up into the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week--
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted—quite unsuccessfully--
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away.
But yet there lingers one theme of this season and the Twelve Days of Christmas. That theme holds fast in our minds and hearts. That theme remains with power and promise for these nightmarish times we are entering. According to the Gospel of Luke (2:14), the angels sang to frightened shepherds tending their flocks,
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those
he favors. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
There we have it! What all of us, well probably most of us, yearns for—peace on earth. It is a yearning that follows the pages of both the Old and New Testaments. It is a theme in the reported mouth of Jesus, a theme claimed both as a way of life for individuals, but also a call to the nations of the world to end the violent way of conflict and war.
However, we must be very careful here. For example, and this looms as perhaps the most important thing I might add to any discussion of "peace" in the biblical sense, "peace" is not the same as aquiescence. Consider the many reported statements of Jesus concerning peace:
Blessed are the peacemakers;
They shall be recognized as children of God. (Mt. 5:9)
I have told you this (teaching of the Kingdom of God) that you may have peace.
(John 16:38)
Peace I bequeath to you,
my own peace I give you,
a peace which the world cannot give; this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (John 14: 27)
To the woman who touched him that she might be healed of her hemorrhage,
he blessed her with the words, "... go in peace and be free of your complaint."
(Mark 5:25-34)
Considering the Psalmist's promise in Psalm 37, Jesus acknowledges the peace God
declares for people who do not wage war. (Mt. 5:3-10)
But now we come to the saying of Jesus that has troubled many. In his teaching given to the apostles he chose as his closest followers, he warns them:
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth; it is not peace
I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set son against father,
daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person's
enemies will be the members of his own household. (Mt. 10:34-36)
In other words, Jesus does not understand "peace" as "acquiescence." According to Jesus, we do not sit idly by, going along or accepting injustice or abuse as something that must be tolerated in the name of peace. What we do and how we respond depends upon the situation and the means we hold in our hands. But, in any case, all action and response begin with understanding, and the fundamental understanding is this:
peace is not the same as acquiescence.
As the New Jerusalem Bible states in the notes to this troubling verse above:
"... his aim is not to provoke dissension, but [dissension] becomes inevitable as
a result of the demands of the decision he provokes."
Or, as our best theological teachers have reminded us, Jesus the Christ and his message evoke a response. Our way of life will be challenged by Jesus. He calls forth a new way of being in the world that honors freedom, compassion, and justice for all in the service of beauty, truth, and love.
So we may as well summon our courage and commit to live the peace Jesus promises us—a peace, not an acquiescence.
Auden prepares us with this benediction:
He is the Way
Follow him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts and have unique adventures.
He is the Truth.
Seek him in the Kingdom of Anxiety.
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life.
Love him in the world of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.
As Auden moves toward the end of his writing, he meditates on the meaning of all this to-do around Christmas, what he thinks and how he feels. Listen to him:
Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes--
Some have got broken—and carrying them up into the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week--
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted—quite unsuccessfully--
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away.
But yet there lingers one theme of this season and the Twelve Days of Christmas. That theme holds fast in our minds and hearts. That theme remains with power and promise for these nightmarish times we are entering. According to the Gospel of Luke (2:14), the angels sang to frightened shepherds tending their flocks,
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those
he favors. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
There we have it! What all of us, well probably most of us, yearns for—peace on earth. It is a yearning that follows the pages of both the Old and New Testaments. It is a theme in the reported mouth of Jesus, a theme claimed both as a way of life for individuals, but also a call to the nations of the world to end the violent way of conflict and war.
However, we must be very careful here. For example, and this looms as perhaps the most important thing I might add to any discussion of "peace" in the biblical sense, "peace" is not the same as aquiescence. Consider the many reported statements of Jesus concerning peace:
Blessed are the peacemakers;
They shall be recognized as children of God. (Mt. 5:9)
I have told you this (teaching of the Kingdom of God) that you may have peace.
(John 16:38)
Peace I bequeath to you,
my own peace I give you,
a peace which the world cannot give; this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (John 14: 27)
To the woman who touched him that she might be healed of her hemorrhage,
he blessed her with the words, "... go in peace and be free of your complaint."
(Mark 5:25-34)
Considering the Psalmist's promise in Psalm 37, Jesus acknowledges the peace God
declares for people who do not wage war. (Mt. 5:3-10)
But now we come to the saying of Jesus that has troubled many. In his teaching given to the apostles he chose as his closest followers, he warns them:
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth; it is not peace
I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set son against father,
daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person's
enemies will be the members of his own household. (Mt. 10:34-36)
In other words, Jesus does not understand "peace" as "acquiescence." According to Jesus, we do not sit idly by, going along or accepting injustice or abuse as something that must be tolerated in the name of peace. What we do and how we respond depends upon the situation and the means we hold in our hands. But, in any case, all action and response begin with understanding, and the fundamental understanding is this:
peace is not the same as acquiescence.
As the New Jerusalem Bible states in the notes to this troubling verse above:
"... his aim is not to provoke dissension, but [dissension] becomes inevitable as
a result of the demands of the decision he provokes."
Or, as our best theological teachers have reminded us, Jesus the Christ and his message evoke a response. Our way of life will be challenged by Jesus. He calls forth a new way of being in the world that honors freedom, compassion, and justice for all in the service of beauty, truth, and love.
So we may as well summon our courage and commit to live the peace Jesus promises us—a peace, not an acquiescence.
Auden prepares us with this benediction:
He is the Way
Follow him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts and have unique adventures.
He is the Truth.
Seek him in the Kingdom of Anxiety.
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life.
Love him in the world of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.
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