Tomorrow is less likely to be observed reverentially as the last Sunday of Advent and more likely to be just one more shopping day in the hurly-burly before Christmas. The Celtic Tiger booming economy has probably guaranteed that this has been one of the biggest pre-Christmas shopping bonanzas Ireland has seen. But in the midst of all the jingles of Christmas bells and shopping tills, how many have stopped to ask whether we are in danger of losing the real meaning of Christmas, or whether the Christmas message is being reduced from one of hope to one of hoping for more profits?
It is estimated that £130 has been spent on toys and gifts for the average Irish child this Christmas. There is nothing wrong in shopping and gift-giving. The Wise Men brought rich presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child? But when gifts and presents become status symbols and objects of social competitiveness, we may wonder whether we are starting to lose some of the core values that we believe were once the hallmarks of Irish society.
As the Gospel accounts of the first Christmas are read once again this weekend, they will be interpreted in many ways. Some will dismiss them as simple folk tales that provide no more than an excuse for the festivities; others will see them as inspiration, but only for personal piety and faith that makes no demands on social and political action; but for some, closer reading may force them to pose a series of questions for own society today.
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, their search for bed and board was frustrating and less than rewarding. How many couples and families today, squeezed out of the housing market by spiralling prices, are housed inadequately, often in grim conditions? The Shepherds sleeping out rough on the night that the angels appeared with the Good News might find today that they have much in common with those who are sleeping out in the cold on our streets and in our doorways tonight, and with those who hear little good news except from the angels who give their time and commitment to the soup runs organised by the Simon Community.
The wise men who came from the east may have had rich offerings, but would they have managed to get into Ireland today? In a country short of skilled workers, would these men, laden with gifts and learned in the sciences of their day, have been turned away? Would they have been turned back at Rosslare Port, refused entry as economic migrants? Perhaps we all need reminding that the family that fled to Egypt with a young child were political refugees or asylum seekers, fleeing Herod's deathly plot to guarantee he would be unchallenged as the political leader of his people.
In the past year, Dominus Iesus, has dealt a blow to the ecumenical movement, confirming for some the fear that we are living in an ecumenical winter. But the Gospel accounts of the Nativity are shared by all churches, and their common heritage also includes the traditional Christmas hymns and carols. Have the themes of "peace and goodwill" been so reduced to mere folklore that over the sound of the shop tills and seasonal jingles they fail to have a resonance for us today, fail to drive us on to journey the extra mile on the road to peace and justice on our own island? But, once the Christmas message is separated from the demands of peace and reconciliation, we miss the whole point of the incarnation, and Christmas is easily reduced to just one more excuse for a good shopping experience.