Show KA KATHLEEN NORRIS MORRIS Lets Let's Not Have Merry Christmas I ETS ET'S NOT HAVE a merry Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- L LETS LET'S mas this year Lets Let's have instead instead instead in in- stead a thoughtful and prayerful Christmas Lets Let's put Christmas first this Christmas and put the rush and cOI confusion the buying and wrapping and planning the cooking cooking cooking cook cook- ing and entertaining in second place Christmas in our modern scientific sd- sd ent ic royally luxurious world marks the birthday of ot a peasant a aman aman aman man who never had hadan influential friend MOl OF DIMIS an or money or power a man who preached some simple things that tha t yet were far too complicated for tor other other oth oth- k er mens men's understanding understand understand- ing and who died he be death of ot a common criminal JANUARY 31 2 This m man a n never wrote a word and it was only years after his death that his friends who were mostly poor fisher tisher fish tish- er folk dared speak up and remember remember remember re re- re- re member what he had bad done and said And yet that obscure and apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap unimportant testimony has come thundering down through the two thousand years that have passed ince thee then Kingdoms have fallen continents have been opened books by the million have been written whole new nations have been born And the word goes on and the life of that man remains the most important life that ever was lived Up and down the west coast of ot Europe this word spread and miracles miracles mira mira- cles des went with it The reat cities the universities the cathedrals and libraries and hospitals were all r 2 1 A AI I rf unknown car carpenter enter there they there they were nowhere else That part of the world called Christendom Christendom Christendom Chris and those people who called their civilization Christianity Christianity Christianity Chris built tha new world and they named it for their leader Never before had anyone said forgive your enemies do good to them that hate you Never before had anyone said Overcome not evil with evil but overcome evil with good Never before had anyone anyone anyone any any- one dared to call the Deity Father Fath er The new world was built on love love ove fulfilled the law By this said the unknown carpenter of Nazareth shall men know that ye are my disciples that ye love one another And did all the Christians love their enemies end do good to them that hated them We know they did not not not-not not always They very soon came to the old human conclusion that to all but destroy yoUr enemies first an and i love them afterward was the proper interpretation of that law But Just as often otten as they did forgive forgive forgive for for- give in scattered cases and in humble humble hum hum- ble be ways the miracle followed It Was was the attacking enemy who was mysteriously halted It was the stronger foe who was vanquished by fearless love by patient suf- suf trance france and understanding by faith in the leader who never had failed True under that law a few meaningless meaningless meaningless mean mean- ingless words on paper might have been conceded a few boundaries might have been infringed a few lives might have been lost But wherever men have had the outstanding outstanding out out- standing courage to cling to forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness for for- and love they have con con- And they would so conquer today today today to to- day if they held to the law Many do of ot course in their private lives Many pulpits preach forgiveness even against the horror of hate and retaliation heaped upon hate and retaliation But most of ot the great branches of civilization that were built and that flourished and that knew no fear in the name of Christ are cowering in fear today today fear fear not of ot enemies for the word shifts about casually and today's enemies enemies enemies ene ene- mies are not those of ot yesterday nor those of at tomorrow No Fear of of themselves because they live as breakers of the law What can we do about It at this Christmastime Only go back to the way the mighty seeds of ot ChrIstendom Christendom Christendom Chris Chris- were sowed so long ago Only by prayer all day long and the weapon of love |