An opininon on pluralism and Christmas. There is mention of Ismaili JK Centre Calgary.
Faith, any faith, is what matters
Naomi Lakritz
Calgary Herald
December 23, 2004
I got a Christmas card this week from my good friend, Father Leo Couture, who served for many years as a priest at Winnipeg's St. Boniface Cathedral.
The card showed a picture of Mary holding the infant Jesus, and the printed message read: "May His love surround you at Christmas and all through the year."
Should I be offended because I'm Jewish and a priest sent me a card bestowing Jesus's blessing on me? Sorry, but I'm too engaged by the beauty of the sentiment and the comfort that hearing from my dear Father Leo brings, to bother with anything so petty as taking offence.
What on Earth is there to be offended about when one person wishes beautiful things for another?
I find it troubling that "offensiveness" has become such a ritual of the Christmas season that it almost claims ornament status on the tree. One wonders when the so-called offended will start protesting New Year's celebrations. After all, isn't it offensive for Muslims and Jews to have the Gregorian calendar forced on them when in their faiths, the year is 1425 and 5765 respectively? Let's toss out that cartoon of the cherub with the ribbon stuck to his diaper that says "2005."
I don't understand the fuss about the nativity scene at City Hall, nor why the Calgary Health Region felt it necessary to stash St. Luke away behind doors at the Foothills Hospital chapel. There was a menorah at City Hall and nobody complained. But what's there to complain about, anyway? What's so offensive about displays of Christianity, and to whom? Certainly, not to the non-Christians I know.
As for chapels, they are uplifting places regardless of faith. Years ago, on a particularly troubling day, I wandered into the aforementioned St. Boniface Cathedral and sat in one of the pews for about an hour. The place was empty, but it was full of peace. I came out feeling much better. I felt that same sense of peace when we members of the Herald editorial board toured the Ismaili mosque in northeast Calgary a couple of years ago.
The politically correct folks at the CHR don't understand that it's the intangible aspects of a chapel that uplift. There are common tenets all faiths share -- ideals about goodness, kindness, peace and hope -- that are soothingly reflected in the very notion of a chapel as sanctuary. Those themes lend it a profound universality that transcends the particular faith claiming ownership of the physical structure, and speaks to everyone who enters.
How hypocritical that we spend the whole year gabbling about respect for diversity, only to make an exception at Christmas and show incredible disrespect when diversity involves Christianity. The language has been emasculated and we're supposed to mumble "Happy Holidays" or some other wishy-washy words of alleged cheer.
Just what is the problem, and why the need to hide one faith, while openly celebrating others?
Happy Holidays? Bah, humbug. Merry Christmas to all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a Christmas card to send off to Father Leo.
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© The Calgary Herald 2004