Christmas – 2019 | The Oregon Catalyst

So here we are again. As each year passes Christmas becomes more a time for reflection than anything else. We are Catholics and Christmas begins for us with the Mass celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the promise of forgiveness and redemption that His birth affirms. It is remarkable that as we age that the awe of a Creator becomes more acute.

Just the complexity of the human body is enough to sway the most jaded into recognizing that this was not simply an evolutionary accident. Theories abound about the creation of the universe and the history of man but each requires a suspension of what we know about physics – matter cannot be created from nothing. While forms of energy can exist independent of matter – light, radio waves and radiation – none can be created without matter. The very essence of the “big, bang theory” assumes suspension of the known laws of physics. The only difference between faith in a “theory” and faith in God is the consequences.

A physician friend of mine – one of the smartest and well read people I have ever met – described his lifetime journey from agnostic to theist in just such terms. The statistical chances of creating the human body are so astronomical that you must acknowledge a different paradigm – a creationist paradigm. What comes after that? The journey to a recognition of a single, supreme source is a short one. Thereafter, the recognition of a purpose for creation is an even shorter journey.

So take time this Christmas to reflect on how this remarkable world and the even more remarkable human being came to be. Maybe you will find yourself in a pew next to us on Christmas Eve giving thanks for the birth of the Son of Man and the remarkable gift of forgiveness and redemption He affirms. If not, please keep thinking and join us when you can – you will always be welcome.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you.