LET ME COUNT THE WAYS: 1,2,3,4!
Christmas Day December 25, 2014 LET ME COUNT THE WAYS: 1,2,3,4! Something one does four times in a row must really be important. A celebration done fourfold must be meaningful, more than important. Something one repeats, not thrice but quatrice (if the word exists!) must be so important, meaningful and significant to the hilt. I am reminded of Sonnet 43 that begins with the question: “How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways!” How does God love us? Let us not give an answer by counting. You count things you want to manage and control. You measure things you want to manipulate towards a certain finality. You lose count when you lose all interest and capacity to even fully understand in a human way what is really beyond words, beyond description, although definitely not beyond belief. Christmas is beyond words. This maybe the reason why we count four distinct celebrations, each with distinct readings, that all have e...