Merry Christmas seems like an odd thing to say. There is nothing merry about a young girl being pregnant and unmarried. There is nothing merry about a young couple driven into homelessness because of government policy. There is nothing merry about living as refugees in a foreign land with a new born child. The sentimental patina contemporary culture spreads over the Christmas story does not wrestle with the underlying social reality it reflects. Which might help explain why the day after Christmas is dedicated to St. Stephen, the first martyr. The coming of Jesus was going to be costly, it was going to make demands. The babe in swaddling clothes changes the way we value things and we must be prepared to pay the price.
