Pastor's Circle - Albert Haase

Father Albert Haase, a Franciscan priest, joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss the "challenge of Christmas". Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What are your reflections on Christmas this year?

Let me tell you something about Christmas. We often talk about how the feast has become commercialized. 

But I think there is something much more important that many of us miss. I like to talk about having an "adult Christ" at Christmas. 

We have turned our celebration of Christmas day into a celebration for children. But Christmas really has an adult challenge.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, we always celebrate the feast day of St. Stephen, the first martyr, the day after Christmas.

I think what that says to us is this: this Babe also comes with a great responsibility. If we're going to accept Jesus Christ into our lives, we have to be willing to die for that. The cross always shadows the crib.

The Christmas celebration is wonderful, but let's never forget that it also requires us to take a hard stand for the God that we have in our lives.

In Nigeria, for instance, Christians were killed for celebrating Christmas.

Also in Pakistan, where two Christian churches on Christmas Eve were attacked by Hindus. In America, we are so insulated from this kind of having our faith put at risk.

So much of American culture is Christian, we've really lost the counter-cultural edge of Christianity.

So what does it mean for us to take a stand?

No matter where anyone is in the world, we all experience injustices. In our homes, businesses, we see people treated with disrespect rather than dignity.

So you and I might not risk our lives by walking in the doors of the church on Sunday morning, but we still have a stand to take when we walk into the office.

You and I disavow Jesus Christ every time we turn a blind eye to an injustice that we clearly see.

Injustice was at Jesus' birth too, with the slaughter of the innocents.

I think that's really interesting. Herod hears about the birth of this newborn king, and he is so threatened that he has all the two-year-old boys slaughtered around the vicinity of Bethlehem.

You and I don't slaughter children, but how many times have I slaughtered the reputations of other people because my little power base was being threatened?

Christianity is meant to be a religion of life. There is no other way around it. But we as Christians often find it "inconvenient" to stand up for that.