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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-12-24, Page 4Canada is, potentially at least, one of the most promising nations on earth. Bless- ed with an even wider variety of natural assets than those which helped to make the United States a world leader, Canada still has vast reserves of many essential resources which are rapidly becoming depleted in the U.S. Our far northern regions are largely unexplored and probably contain tremen- dous amounts of 'many essentials for the further development, not only of our own industrial and business prosperity, but for the well being of the rest of the world as well. Despite all these natural advantages Canada's potential as a leader in today's world is rapidly running out — and all because we do not have enough Canadians with sufficient foresight to forestall their own doom. Even though our average standard of living is the highest in the world we have so far been unable to avoid the trap into which the people of the United Kingdom have led themselves. We are so intent on grabbing more than our neighbor can get that we are committing national suicide. Although labor unions (and only a few of them) are the villains at the present mo- ment, the finger can be pointed equally at business, both large and small, at the professions and almost every level of our national structure. Take, as one example, the hundreds of thousands who are currently living off the rest,oftil'S'Ai ough unemployment insurance ben'efitg'. Needless to say, there are many who do, in truth, need our assistance and with those people we have no quarrel. But the remaining thousands who are so fussy about what work they will accept, and those who still draw from the "pogy" when It's holly leaves, and crystal snow . . , the scent of spicy pine, and the sparkle of tinsel . ribbons and packages, and greeting cards. It's peppermint sticks and plum pudding, chestnuts roasting over an open fire and laughter neath the mis- tletoe. Christmas is the love of your loved ones. It's children's laughter and the "ohs" and "ahs" of anticipated satisfaction. It's homemade costumes and a pageant of the three wandering kings. It's Dickens and Scrooge and Tiny Tim. It's the singing of familiar carols . . . the warm greeting and' hearty handshake of friends. Christmas is many things , . the silent snow settling on the rooftops of the Let Christmas be a bright and happy day; but let its brightness come from the radiance of the star of Bethlehem, and its happiness be found in Christ. H.G. Den And so we come again to Christmas with all its color and joy, its magic and wonder, its spirit of good will and warmth. But how do we come to Christmas? What it means to us depends on what we bring to it, not in gifts and outer display, but in the inner offerings of love and faith that abide in the heart. Esther Baldwin York Christmas is a time of giving . . . not merely of gifts, but of one's love and joy. Happy and kindly thoughts toward others. Spreading the spirit of Christmas. Forgetful of self . . remembering others most of all. Celebrating this beautiful event in this manner and in this spirit, there is sure to be carried into the New Year an ennobling remembrance. There could not be a better time than this Christmas to invest in Good Will . . . good will toward all men. If nations did this, all nations would be great! Christmas is a many splendored thing Christmas musings Promising nation the income of the spouse is quite adequate for comfortable living, are an unbearable drain on those who do work and pay taxes. This common greed, epitomized by the staggering demands of organized labor, are all contributing to the situation in which Canada, as a trading power, finds itself to- day. Our goods have become so high priced that our nation is losing its foreign trade. On top of that, the federal government is now predicting a 12-month deficit of something in the range of $6 million — almost double the amount forecast when the fiscal year began. No nation on earth can long survive such devastatingly un- profitable business methods. Those who are too young to recall the years of the great depression simply cannot visualize the suffering and despair that resulted from an economic,,collapse. They do not call their parents liars when tales are told of those times; they just think the old folks are losing their memories. Only deep and bitter experience can teach the lesson which has to be learned from total economic recession. A good many of us can clearly recall the suicides, the young men tramping the wintry roads and sleeping in jail cells, the handouts of 35 cent meal tickets to keep body and soul together. If this article sounds gloomy, that is what is intended. The western world was rescued from the depression of the thirties only because a world war broke out and full employment became a necessity. Somehow we managed to scrape through that conflict in one piece — only to project ourselves into the cauldron of a se- cond rash of greed and over-spending. Are we going to repeat the whole tragic drama all over again? Wingham Advance-Times world . a husband and wife exchanging a kiss . . a treasured memory, a family feast, forgiveness of wrong and injury. It's a season of good cheer, good will, and peace. Christmas is a bell, carols, manger, church at midnight, a bowed head, a vast hush in the midnight heaven, and the ma- jestic swell of a church choir. Christmas is a time of prayer, renewal of spirit, of in- spiration, of hope. Christmas is Mary and Joseph and the Child wrapped in swaddling clothes, being adored by the simple shepherds and cherubs. Yes, indeed, Christmas is all these splendid things and many, many more. George Matthew Adams He was born almost two thousand years ago. He wasn't born in a hospital; he wasn't even born in a house. When the time came for his birth, his parents were travelling. They stopped at an inn, but is was full. He was born, in the stable behind the inn. His mother laid him in a manger filled with sweet-smelling hay. A star shone directly above the stable, brighter than any star had shone before. The light frightened shepherds, who were tending their sheep on a nearby hillside. But an angel reassured them telling them not to be afraid. i Three wise men followed the star. They knelt beside the manger and gave to the baby gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. He was raised in a land of sand and olive trees. As he grew, he learned the carpenters' trade from his father. When he became, a grown man, however, he left his home and travelled around the country. Soon he became famous. He spoke to multitudes of people and taught them with parables The mothers brought their little children to sit on his lap. They called him a preacher and a teacher. He cleansed the lepers; he gave sight to the blind,hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb; he made the lame to walk, They called him a healer. He calmed an angry sea and walked on the water. He fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes. He raised the dead. They called him a miracle maker. Twelve men left their homes L G rel4f4. „vrefil •CA "FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY A SAVIOUR WHO IS CHRIST THE KING" Good girl Dear Santa I have tried to be very good all year round, but sometimes I have been bad. If it's possible could I have these 7 things, but only two things are the things I want most. Number 1 baby thataway or baby Alive & Care Set, Number 2 pant suit (orange) pg. 170 in Wish Book Catalogue, the suit is circled and it is letter B on pg 170, (size 8). I would , like the game Toss Across for the whole family. Something else we need: a World Dictionary. Mom would like that very much! Or I would like the game Perfection, that would be fun for the whole family! I would like Sketch-a-Craft, you see that would be good for school! I would be very happy with the first two things I asked for, but I would like that dictionary and games! Thank you very much for everything Santa! I hope you have a happy Christmas Santa and Mrs. Santa. (there will be cookies and milk on the table for you! ) Lots of Joy. and their jobs to follow him;, some of them were fishermen, and one was a tax collector. They became his disciples and called him "Master". He called himself the son of God. Some people praised him, but others cursed him calling him a Remember Him? Him? Louise Webb Exeter liar and a blasphemer. They sentenced him to death. One of his disciples betrayed him; another denied three times that he knew him. Bearing the sins of all men, he died on a cross. On the third day after his crucifixion, he rose from the sepulcher and joined his heavenly Father. Once again his disciples believed in him. They spread his doctrine and continued his work with renewed strength. Now, people around the world read his story. They praise him in many different tongues, but they are all familiar with him. Christmas is the season in which they commemorate his birth. The celebrations differ from country to country; each is unique. Through the years, some traditions have changed, but he remains at the heart of each remembrance. He isn't Santa Claus. The gift he gives can't be seen, yet it is the most precious anyone receives. His birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection are vital to alr mankind. Does the star atop your Christmas tree remind you of the one that shone above the stable in Bethlehem so long ago. On Christmas Day, do you think of the babe in the manger? He is what Christmas is all about. Remember Him? Baby alive Dear Santa I've been a good girl this year. I would like a baby alive, cakes, ice burg and Sorry game. Thank-you Merry Christmas Kim Heywood Exeter By ELAINE TOWNSHEND Inte totefeaimes-ibuixafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A,, 0.W.N.A. CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited Editor Jim Beckett — Advertising Manager Women's Editor, —Gwyn Whilsmith Plant Manager Les Webb Composition Manager — Dave Worby Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 1 imes Established 1873 May all your dreams in this splendid hour reach fulfillment, and may all the paths you walk be lighted with peace, not only today but in all the days of the year to come. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Advocate Established 1881 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30,197`5 5,420 Canada $9.00 Per Year; USA $11.00 iatriffir.MMR:agimaorASOBSSI Amalgamated 1924 Loretta Bauer Buckley N / 1 \ 16 tr.. tvio,$ Ci I, tio Lf Cra.ott re 04, CO,qk WHI • 1 See Christmas with cf sense of wonder By REV, J. G. MOONEY Our Lady of Mt. Carmel RR 8, Parkhill, Ontario We have come to Christmas so many times. Our prayer should be that we always come to Christmas with a sense of wonder! The preparation for the first Christmas is an endless source of astonishing events. For example, how strange is the story from the Book of Numbers 24:7. One thousand years before Christ, the King of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel and bring about its downfall. Balaam, that seer, that crystal gazer from Pethor who must have been feared by all, turned out to be a docile instrument in the hands of God. Instead of a curse, he speaks on about the glories of Israel: "A hero arises from their stock, He reigns over countless peoples" and again in verse 17, "I see Him, butan hand" in the present; I behold Him, but not closer at h How strange, Balaam, could not do what he was hired and paid to do, We find him used by God for Divine pur- poses, announcing the coming of a Saviour, a Hero who would not arrive on the scene for 10 centuries. What a fascinating man was the Prophet Isaiah! What an extraordinary gift he possessed. Here is a man, 750 years before Christ, speaking as if he were a friend of Christ, an eyewitness. 'For there is a child born for us a son is given to us' Is. 9:6. In the same vein, he says in prophecy: "The maiden is with Child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel", Is. 7:14. Notice the word 'soon'. What difference, one year or 750 years. With the Lord one thousand is as one. For Isaiah, the hero would soon arise. And at the same time Micah seems to know the exact place of his coming: "But you Bethlehem, Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah. Out of you will be born for me, One who is to rule over Israel". Micah 5:2. The Church tries to impress upon us as we prepare for Christmas, that we should view the coming of Christ into our world with amazement. In the monasteries throughout the world, on the seven evenings before Christmas, the '0 Antiphons' are recited as part of the evening prayers. On the last night of Advent, the chant is "0 Immanuel, 0 Im- manuel, our King and Law giver, the Expected One and Saviour of the World, come and save us, 0 Lord Our God." How delightful is the Church's use of the letter '0'. It is the expression of a person eagerly awaiting a gift, eagerly ex- pecting a gift. It is the cry of delight and surprise of a child. And when you put some thought to it, how many times was the birth of anyone foretold? expected? awaited? And the Church identifies this Person born on Christmas Day as the One who was expected for so many centuries. An impor- tant person was to come into the world. Saintly men were manning the Divine tracking stations. They were aware of the Divine plan. These persons charted the days and finally the birth of that Person. And when He appeared some were ready for Him; Shepherds, Kings, Anna the prophetess, Si- meon, Joseph, Mary, John the Baptist. At midnight in the Basilica of Bethlehem, on Christmas Eve, the Deacon will carry the Book of the Gospels and take up a position upon the large silver star that is set in the floor. That star marks the spot where the crib of Bethlehem once stood. The Deacon will chant the Christmas story from the Book. In the local churches throughout the world, this will be repeated. Once again all mankind will have the op- portunity to hear the living voice repeat carefully, so carefully, that account of God's love for Man. Salaam spoke about a hero who would come. That per- son did come. He was sent by the Father in Heaven. He was. the Son of God; He was the Son of Man. He is true God, true Man. He is our Saviour; He is our Redeemer. God has become visible in the person of Jesus. "The Word was made flesh, He lived among us, and we saw his glory" John 1:14. Jesus our Saviour is born to undertake a new work, the work of the second creation. He would show us how to live. He would die and rise to restore the broken friendship between God and man. He would open heaven itself for us, and invite man to become sons 'of God again. He would ask man to accept a share in God's own wonderful Life, through the sacraments. He came to restore to us once again, Sonship with the Father. St. Augustine said "Who would ever have thought of it, if God had not thought of it first and done it." And Day One, how strange a day it was. For the shepherds, the night was dull, and cold. All at once the skies are opened and angels are seen, and heard singing the glory of God. The angels are singing about a place, the last place heaven should be interested in — a stable of all places. The angels sing about a great mystery, that a child is born, who is both God and man. They speak of His mother who is both a mother and a virgin. God gets around to the most unlikely places, doesn't He? A stable, only a hole in the side of a hill, a shelter for passing shepherds. So much in life consists in getting along with a sad situation, taking the thorn with the rose. And it was all in the Divine Plan. God wanted to be born in that un- likely and unfitting stable. At Christmas, one must begin by putting rebellion out of the heart to let happiness in. God's ways are not our ways. Do we really believe that? God chose Bethlehem and a stable. He bypassed the big city. Is He snubbing with a Divine snub; the city of man so powerful, so proud, so superior? He goes to the poor, the shepherds and the unglamorous. He comes to a stable that was never pretty, and was never intended to be pretty. He . 'comes to a stable that was never meant to be a home for man, not to speak of a baby, not to speak of God. The amazing truth is that He came down for everyone of us. He came for the person who is always tired and depressed, to the person who has a negative opinion of his own worth, for the child who is slow to learn, for the honest father and the good mother, for those who have and those who have not, for those who know better and for those who do not know better, for those steeped in sin, for those who wish to rise from their sin. And the deepest of all mysteries, He came down for me. And His coming is Christmas.