A Britney world needs its saints
THE latest edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary has produced quite a stir.
In an attempt to update the dictionary for its modern audience, words such as 'carol', 'cracker', 'holly' and 'ivy' have been removed. In their place has come such words as 'committee', 'creep', 'Euro', and 'vandalism'.
Perhaps one of the more worrying aspects of the update is that 'saint' has also been removed whilst 'celebrity' has been inserted.
One of the things that reality television has taught us is that celebrities come and go.
Whilst fame is fickle the holiness of the saints remains an inspiration for generations. Britney Spears may be a fascination for some, but Mother Theresa remains an inspiration for all.
One of the things I love about saints is they can be heroes for the rest of us.
Take the story of Saint Nicholas, upon whom Santa Claus is based. He was born during the third century in the village of Patara. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.
Needy
Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor", Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.
He was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man.
Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, for his protection of children, and for his concern for those who worked at sea.
These days it seems at times that our saints and heroes are thin on the ground. But according to our children there may be more of them around than you might think.
Last month a national poll of children run by the Church of England and The Children's Society asked schoolchildren to nominate the UK's most heroic jobs.
In third place were soldiers with 12% of the vote, second came fire-fighters with 13% of the vote whilst in first place were parents with 25% of the vote.
The common thread at the heart of being a hero, the thing that links these categories together, is selflessness; a willingness to put others first, be it our duty to the country, to one another, or to our children.
It is the fulfilment of that duty, even in the most trying circumstances that marks out our heroes.
This Christmas will be a difficult time for those brave men and women who serve in our name in the desert lands of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Duty
They, more than most, will know that it's Christmas time. Not because of the turkey dinners or gift packages that they will receive, but because of that keen sense of being apart from their loved ones.
Each deserves our thanks and support for doing their duty and putting themselves in harm's way so that a better life may come to the countries in which they serve.
But even more than soldiers, it's parents who children think are the real heroes. We have heard a lot in the news this year about bad parents who have treated their children shabbily or abusively.
We hear much less about those everyday heroes who put their own needs aside in order to put their children's hopes first.
These loving parents, who stay in relationships despite the difficulties, who hang together through tough times and deny the temptation of a fantasy-based fling, these are the everyday heroes our children celebrate.
The family is at the heart of Christmas. As we celebrate the birth of the Christ child, who gave up heavenly glory to be born into poverty and whose life, death and resurrection became the inspiration for countless saints and heroes, so we are reminded that all of us, created in God's image and likeness, are invited to become God's children, loved and accepted by Him.
May each of us have the grace to live out that love and acceptance in our celebrations this year.
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This article has 1 comment
Are you Samuel L Jackson on the side lol
By PAUL WALSH.. Posted December 22 2008 at 6:07 AM.