"It is the day before Christmas, and I should be scurrying around, doing my last minute shopping, and letting the holiday spirit overcome me all at once. I fight it, you see, feeling somehow that a day celebrating the birth of the Son of God by a virgin is just too much to take.
"But I yield in the end, not so much to the theology, but to the chance to draw close to those I love, and to shut out the world for a few days.
"Christmas is like that, you see. If you let it, the holiday will transform you. Ebenezer Scrooge wasn’t the only one undone by love. . . .
"I am not saved. The cross is foolishness to me. Or so it seemed …
"You can't escape the cross in Italy. It's everywhere. There are
churches seemingly at every square. In recessed alcoves on street
corners, religious figures peer out onto passersby. Works of art
proclaim a story of sacrifice, salvation, and damnation. . . .
"God, it seems, is everywhere. . . .
"But there’s something more substantial than the eye candy, something
lingering in the silence. Just what it is, I cannot say, but I know
enough to want more of it.
"It is easy to scoff at the Church until you stand inside one.
There’s a silence in the air, the intimation of something holy. All
truly is calm. . . ."
In a recent commentary, lawyer and columnist Norm Pattis reflected on his encounter, as a non-churchgoing person, with an awe-inspiring "something" in a church.
To access Mr. Pattis' complete essay, please visit:
New Haven Register: Columns: Norm Pattis: God, it seems, is everywhere (24 DEC 15)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment