Per Christum

A few days ago I re-published another blogger’s comparison of Bishop Schori & Pope Benedict’s Christmas messages asking readers to compare, contrast and offer thoughts. I wanted to think about how I would formulate what struck me right away.

The difference between them, when comparing and contrasting, was the difference between night and day in a real way. It is a difference in illumination.

These past few nights in my corner of the world the moonlight has been exceptional. Just the other night when the dogs were taking me for a pre-bedtime walk I marveled at how I could have read a book by the light of the moon.

“By the light of the moon” is a funny colloquialism. Truly the moon produces no light, it merely reflects a great light - the sun. While our side of this good earth turns from the sun, the moon reflects the sunlight that is shining on the other side of the world.

I found the difference between the truths and message of hope between the two leaders to be very much like the difference between that noon-day sun in the dessert and even the brightest moonlight that you could read under. One is simply a fuller source.

Looking at B16’s message, it is amazing the layers of Incarnational, Trinitarian and salvation truth/light that are woven seamlessly together. The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of salvation, the trinity, the incarnation are all there. Why Jesus was - Son of the Father, Word made Flesh, Salvation of the Universe, historic reality, Judge of nations, Oblation of peace. It is all there implicitly and explicitly. His message is that of a reminder of these truths, a reminder to keep our end before us, as we recall Who came and Why and what in turn is expected of us and then WHY it is expected. “In the twilight of our days on earth, when we are about to die, we shall be judged on the basis of our similarity to the child whose birth shall occur in the plain grotto in Bethlehem since it is He who is the God-given standard by which humanity shall live. ” True bright shining sunlight like noonday in the Sahara.

The KJS text is not false. It is not heretical. It is not in error. There is much truth to it, but in stark comparison and contrast, this sort of writing is vague. There is much to it, but the greater Truth is richer still. It is true inasmuch as it reflects great Truth, but it is moonlight.