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By John Mallon
© 2004 By John Mallon

First, the Baby Jesus was not welcome at the inn. There was no room for Him. Today He is not welcome in the public square, some feel there is no place for Him there.

After the Cross itself, perhaps the most universally recognized symbol of Christianity is also one of the tenderest images of all humanity: A Mother and Child. The Madonna. Yet there are those who deem this peaceful image "offensive," ostensibly because it might "offend" those of other religions.

Who? Which ones? Observant Jews are certainly not offended by this tender image, which by the way, depicts a Jewish mother and her infant. Not Muslims, whose sacred texts honor Mary of Nazareth, and Jesus as a great prophet, if not the Messiah, as Christians believe.

At this moment in history religious believers of all the world's great recognized religions know the enemy is not each other, but rather those who seek to invert the commonly held moral law, turning it on its head to promote an agenda.

Who could take offense at the tender image of a mother and child? Why, simply those who seek the universal right of a woman to kill the child in her womb, that's who. Those who, if alive at the time would have viewed the teenaged Mary pregnant out of wedlock as a perfect case for the "necessity" of abortion.

They are unable to go back in time to accomplish this, (although Herod, guided by the same spirit, tried), so instead they seek to have this simple image, edifying to people of all faiths, be aborted from the public square. They are lovers of death and sent into blind rage at the bold statement of life that the poor child in the manger represents on so many levels: A light in the darkness, warmth in the cold, the peasant King of the Universe born in poverty, a baby, seemingly helpless and vulnerable to all forces arrayed against Him, whom death itself could not conquer. These are the forces of the anti-crèche, the anti-life, the anti-nativity. They even seem to be Anti-Christ.

It is not other believers, or even non-believers, who object to and fear the power of the image of the Holy Family, but haters of life, haters of the family and the haters of belief.

Is it any wonder the forces of darkness of our time are terrified of this image? It is a symbol of their doom. The symbol that their cause is already lost. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has conquered, let his enemies be scattered. The Culture of Death pretends to be protecting the interests of those they imagine might be "offended" but human decency is not offended by the life-affirming image of a mother and child, rejected yet triumphant, giving hope to all. What image could possibly be more "inclusive?"

They recoil from this image as a vampire from a crucifix. And it is indeed diabolical. The Child came to fulfill, not abolish, the Law, which some seek to overthrow. So of course He poses a threat to those who do death's bidding.

Some find His light blinding, not one of clarity, and His warmth burns them like burning coals heaped upon their heads. This child is indeed the cause of the rise and fall of many in Israel, which means everywhere, including your town square.

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Mallon is Contributing Editor to Inside the Vatican magazine

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