Practical Christian Mysticism

This a kind of holiday tradition of mine. Every Christmas season I post this article on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol. It is probably the greatest story told for the modern age and is precious to me and my family.

I have talked to people many times about how we have become distracted through morality, and how we obsess so much over the things we shouldn’t do that we forget the things we should do. In fact, the greatest evils in this world are perpetuated, if not created, by apathy and heedlessness more than hate.

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens is just such an example. I grew up, like anyone else, thinking of Scrooge as a villain. I never really stopped to think about why he was evil, that is what the story said he was, so that’s what I knew. We as people love to hate. It is so much fun to have the villain or criminal that we can hate without fear of consequence. That is why we love villains in stories.

What has disturbed me of late, is that I finally came to be aware of why Scrooge was such a villain at the beginning of the story, and here is the thought that shocked me: Scrooge was not a criminal, nor dishonest, nor a cheat. He was hard working, minded his own business, and paid his taxes. In fact, even in today’s world, he would have been looked on as a true conservative and a pinnacle of the American dream.

The scary thing is that Scrooge was absolutely moral. He didn’t drink, fornicate, or have any other of the vices we spend so much time obsessing over. All this and IN THE SIGHT OF HEAVEN HE WAS LESS FIT TO LIVE THAN ANY OTHER. Indeed, Scrooge was so hated by Heaven not for any evil he did, but for the good he did not.

You know as well as I do, that you never read or saw “A Christmas Carol”, and thought Scrooge was a good man. No, you hated him as much as any other. That is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in your heart, pleading with you. That is why we love that story, and never question it’s true message. Your heart knows why Scrooge is so low in the eyes of heaven, your heart already knows the truth.

Now take a break for a second and stop thinking about Scrooge. How many times have to looked down on those who are poor? Scrooge said, “I don’t make merry myself on Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry.” How many times do you ignore those who need another chance, just because “they did it to themselves”? How many times do you deprive yourself and others of joy, just because you are too afraid to open your heart to them? Well, these are the sins you have judged Scrooge for. Just because he is fiction doesn’t matter. That is the same judgment that awaits you in Heaven.

Of course, being the genius that Dickens was, he didn’t stop the lesson with Scrooge. Another lesson is given to us in “A Christmas Carol” with Scrooge’s nephew, Fred. While most of the characters in the story chose to hate Scrooge for what he was, Fred loved him for what he could be.

Fred’s role is that of the true saint. He loves those who hate him, and shows mercy to those who don’t deserve it. He refuses to speak badly of Scrooge, and invites him over to his house every year for Christmas. He perseveres through all of Scrooge’s insults and spitefulness and in the end, plays a large role in Scrooge’s redemption.

I love stories like “A Christmas Carol” that portray good and evil as they truly are: an internal war inside all of us. Scrooge wasn’t evil, but corrupted by it. If Scrooge was evil, redemption would not be possible, but as Fred and the Ghosts found, there was good in him after all. We should learn from Fred as well, not to write anyone off as evil but persevere in love for the sake of the salvation of all.   As for me, I am always humbled by the story. I don’t think I ever live up the example given by Fred, and often live with Scrooge’s sense of self-justification. I recommend every family takes the time to read (not just watch) “A Christmas Carol” every year, as I can’t think of any story that better teaches the meaning of the season (the Nativity excluded of course, c’mon people!)

P.S. The image I used for this article comes from the movie version of “A Christmas Carol” where Patrick Steward plays Scrooge. There is no substitute for the book, but this is the best of all the movies (and I have seen them all).