The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-12-23
MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Before our next issue Christmas will have come
and gone. 1t IS day of JOY and gladness to the
young and old. Christmas gifts and greetings are
freely layished. The lessons, which they teach
should be practically carried out. They mean much
namely, the fulhllment OF mans greatest natural
desire, and that is love and happiness
Christmas greetings which are exchanged in
every civilized land, recall the greatest event in
the history of the world since time began. It was
the ful6llment of the ancient prophecies and Of
the promise made by God in Paradise The happy
event communicated was the first ray of light that
shone out from the spiritual darkness that encom-
passed the world for four thousand years. 1t
meant for the human race what the angel declared
it to be: GLORY to God in the highest, and on
earth peace to men of good will. 1t was the first
visible step taken TO effect reconciliation between
the Child and his offended Father. 1t meant
new era in the history of she world, because it
was the introduction of & order of civilization
which was afterwards established
The thoughts suggested viewed from a religious
or social standpoint, may differ, yet they convey
the same lessons, namely, JOY and happiness. The
antiepatons of Christmas which bring gifts,
make the child and grown up persons hopeful.
y,
the child and the man are happy. Even the gener-
Gus giver shares in the happiness which his gift
bestows
But why this universal JOY and spirit of good
will? Because the event that took place, viewed
from religious standpoint, was the greatest source
of JOY and happiness the world ever knew. That
JOY and happiness has been continuous and uni
versal for twenty centuries The young and the
Old the rich and the poor share in it alike. There
may be poor families whose hearthstone is cold,
whose flour bin is empty and whose little ones
hoped in vain for some Christmas gift, or there
may be Christian homes where there is void be-
cause of the death of some revered member of the
households; but glance at the manger and its rich
treasure brings hope not of the good things of this
world, but of the joys and happiness of heaven,
where there are no unsatisfed wants, and where
love finds its completion in seeing God and those
who were loved here below.
Last Christmas an absent child received from
a loving sister a withered flower from the grave
of a good mother who was buried only few weeks
before. He said to the writer on entering his Of
fee. open that little box and see what grue-
some Christmas gife ! received today" He read a
short letter. and when he saw from mothers
grave" the tears flowed and he could read no more,
Pausing he said: 'Mother was good and know
she is in heaven. She is happy" With smile he
banshed all thoughts of his dear good mother, and
was happy.
But merry Christmas greetings seldom reach
the true representatives of the infant in his man
ger. Their cherries homes are unknown and in
the distributions of Christmas greetings they are
forgotten. They go as a rule where they are not
needed, to homes where there is not only an abund
ance, but a superabundance of the goods of this
world
From Bethlehem come the real Christmas
greetings to those in need. BLESSED are the poor
in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom Of heaven"
Sincere greetings, which are an honest expression
of the heart, mean peace with God and fellow man,
and generous dealings with those in want