Dear Ron:

Well, Ron, you state that you were afraid that you would get a scolding with your last post. In this post you will get one.

The linguistic and historical facts about abbreviating the name of Christ, with the term Xmas or any other term, is not a rationalization my friend. It is a fact. The rationalizations are coming from you as you desperately try to defend your scrupulosity and prejudice over this issue.

This idea that "X" is not used the same way today as in ancient Greece is a ridicules assertion. That as much to do about nothing.  "X" is a symbol of Christ used by the Church today, in 2011. There are forms of the Cross that look like "X". In fact, many people were crucified on "x" style crosses. "X" as a symbol of of Cross is ancient and current. Whether you like it or not "X" is a legitimate symbol of Christ.

If people are ignorant of that fact, then the cure for ignorance is education, not abandoning words, phrases, or symbols because they are abused by contemporary society. If we were to abandon legitimate words and symbols because of contemporary abuse of them, then we must abandon the Cross itself, which is used by Heavy Metal Satanic bands, the word "Christian", which is used by people are are not Christian (such as Mormons, and Jehovah Witness, and other non-Christian sects), even the word "Christ" cannot be used because in the New Age the word "Christ" refers to the "christ-consciousness" concepts.

Ron, the entire notion that we cannot use certain words or symbols because the contemporary world has abused and bastardized them is a false notion and one that buys right into the devil's schemes.

But, if you wish to maintain this logic over the Xmas, then you must apply the same logic with the word Christmas. If you do not, then you are a hypocrite. Why? Because our culture today uses the word "Christmas" in the same way it uses "Xmas" -- with no thought of Christ. Christ has been taken out of Christmas without having to refer to it as Xmas (a term rarely used these days anyway).

People say the word Christmas all the time without a single thought of Christ, but rather of thoughts of family get-togethers and gift-giving, or nothing at all. Some spit out the word Christmas with irritation. Even some atheists use the word Christmas and they are not talking about Christ. To the world Christmas as become a mere holiday and that is all.

If you wish to be sure that Christ is kept in the name of the the holiday, then use its proper and official name: The Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord.

But, you need to stop this emotional reaction toward this issue. The Church officially teaches that emotions are a great gift from God, but emotions must always be under the guidance of reason.

As for your judgments of Joe, you owe more than an apology to him. You committed the grave sin of rash judgment. You need to go to confession before receiving the Eucharist next time.

You do not have to use the term Xmas if you do not want to. In fact, I rarely see anyone of any stripe use that term these days. It is no big deal.

I applaud you in realizing that you need to refrain from sinful judgmentalness toward those who use the term, but you need to do more than refrain from those judgments. You also need to abandon the intellectual dishonesty seen in your rationalizations to hold on to your errant views of the issues. You also need to abandon the emotional reactions to something that is pointless. Submit your emotions to reason as the Church teaches.

We need to always stand for the truth, including the truth of the historical, linguistic, and current use by the Church of abbreviations for the name of Christ. When there is ignorance, then we must teach and inform and not allow the Enemy to get us to avoid terms and symbols.

We can be saddened by the flippancy and abusiveness by much of the contemporary world toward this Holy Day, but let us not abandon truth, which is the point of the holiday, the celebration of the God-Man who is the "truth, the way, and the life."

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary