Christmas through another's eyes

This Christmas, I had an unusual experience. I saw my own religious actions and convictions through the eyes of someone else. This is neither an easy thing to accomplish nor an easy thing to understand, and I am not certain that I have done so fully, but I am still working through the experience.

What happened was this: my son brought a friend home from college for the holiday. She was raised in a strict Muslim household, and went to a Muslim school in Dallas, so she had little understanding about Christmas beyond the mish-mash of media which includes Santa Claus, Charlie Brown, and the Grinch as well as Jesus Christ.

When she asked, "Why do you do this," and "Why do you do that," it caused me to take stock about my own answers. Why DID I do those things? Was it just habit, or was there a deeper meaning for me, and for my own faith? Her questions held no animosity, just curiosity and a desire to understand this holiday that is so prevalent around her in Western American culture, which is connected to but separate from her own experience.

I found that I explained more carefully the meaning of the Advent candles to the children in church, rather than merely going through the motions with a cursory reading and prayer. I found that I was more thoughtful about my own prayers, both at home and at church, knowing that someone from a different faith tradition was listening and trying to understand. You would think that I would be that thoughtful all the time, but I'm usually not. I guess we all get lazy sometimes.

For me, this was a good lesson. It was a lesson in how I OUGHT to celebrate; thoughtfully and meaningfully. And it was a lesson in how interfaith relations can be a blessing and actually help us as we think more carefully about our own traditions and the ways in which we celebrate our Holy days.

Here is wishing you all a safe and blessed Christmas, and a Happy New Year!