The comments under the videos have sparked new thoughts, worth noting. Firstly, I neither encourage nor discourage anyone from viewing Christmas carols, priests, or religion. It is not my intention to offend anyone. Therefore, if anyone is uncomfortable with this content, please leave the channel or page. I am not forcing anyone to do anything. I respect everyone, regardless of their views, and I can talk to anyone—converse creatively. However, I appeal for respect for differing views and people. This blog is an expression of my thoughts; it aims to highlight things that are incorrectly perceived by the person writing it.
Regarding Christmas carols, the topic turned out to be more controversial than I expected. Many people reject them, and many do as well. The comments reveal some interesting conclusions. Those who reject them are probably more tolerant, open to dialogue and diverse perspectives. Those who do accept them are more defensive of their point of view, to the point of wanting to impose it. This is interesting. Christ spoke of tolerance and respect for every person. He also said that no one should be forced to believe or not believe. Faith/religion (though not identical concepts) is an individual matter between each person and God. We should not stigmatize, criticize, or persecute anyone based on their views. Perhaps Catholics should be more open to something different, to a different approach, to other people?
Caroling as blackmail. It’s an interesting approach, and there’s something to it. I’d never thought of it before, but there’s some truth to it. If it weren’t so, then the continued administration of sacraments or admission to the role of godmother/godfather or witness at confirmation wouldn’t be contingent on acceptance. If a priest wants to marry someone, send a child to First Communion, bury a deceased loved one, or be a witness or godparent, the first step is to have their parish records checked at the church office and verify whether they allow the pastoral visitor and their continued ministry depends on it, this is truly classic blackmail. This isn’t about criticizing the pastoral visitor per se, but about how it influences the church’s future actions towards us, which it definitely shouldn’t. Christ said, „You received freely, give freely.” He didn’t ask anyone to explain themselves. He simply helped, talked, and gave what was truly needed. He didn’t make anything dependent on anyone doing anything specific before He performed a miracle, before speaking with Him, etc. There’s no biblical basis for requiring the pastoral visitor to continue serving. This approach is far from correct and inconsistent with Holy Scripture. He also maintains that imposing and setting a date for the priest’s visit is inappropriate treatment of the faithful. It’s disrespectful. Without understanding, people truly have different situations. No one will quit work because the priest is attending church services. Nor will they leave the hospital or sanatorium on request because the visit is ongoing. Illness, in particular, can last longer than the priest attends church services, and even additional visits won’t help the situation.
It’s great if there are parishes where Christmas carol masses are held for parishioners, and the priest only attends where they’re asked. However, this is a minority. There are parishes where priests attend very intensively and can focus on the entire visit for up to a month. They attend mornings and afternoons, and into the evening. With a break for lunch. This raises further questions. How are people who often work in the mornings or have children at school (usually in the mornings) supposed to attend such a service? Is it appropriate to exempt children from school because the priest attends church services? I know and am certain that there are places in Poland where this happens. Not to mention altar boys, who are often children and are required to attend school, and yet it turns out they’re attending after the Christmas carol service. Should they then be a month or two behind in school, absent because of the Christmas carol service? It shouldn’t be like this. Children have the right and obligation to attend school, and the Christmas carol service and the priest’s invention are not grounds for parents to recall them. Similarly, one might ask: if a priest teaches at school, is he suddenly outlawed? No teacher gets time off during the school year; it’s prohibited by law (with a few exceptions, such as 2-3 days for a funeral of a loved one). And here he’s attending the Christmas carol service for a month in the morning. It’s impossible to reconcile this with being at school at the same time. So he’s outlawed? How is this even possible? As you can see, the Christmas carol service can also lead to abuse in completely different and unexpected places. It can even lead to breaking the law. Should priests set such an example, when public figures were absent?
In conclusion, I still don’t see anything good about the Christmas carol in its current form in Poland. I believe it should be abolished, and if someone needs to speak with a priest, they should simply make an appointment, either at home or at the parish. You can also request a blessing for your apartment/house at any time if you’d like, and it doesn’t have to be in the form of a Christmas carol. It would certainly be more accurate and better. I wonder how many people would request such a blessing if the Christmas carol were completely abolished in its current form? It would likely turn out that many defenders of the Christmas carol, if it were abolished from above, wouldn’t ask for it at all and would simply ignore it, believing that since they did it, it was good. They would conclude that it’s clearly unnecessary. I think a minority would still feel the need and request it. What are your thoughts on the matter? Leave a comment.