Father Rob Ketcham from Saint John the Baptist Diocesan High School in New York has just released this video about his take on the Starbucks red cup controversy and it is a beautiful reminder of our call to love. If you’re not familiar with what has been going on, let us fill you in.
In past years during the Christmas season Starbucks has taken the typical white cup that they serve coffee in and made it red with some holiday designs. This year, Starbucks decided to remove any designs that might remind a person that it is Christmas. Not really a huge deal considering that Starbucks is not a Christian based company.
Fr. Ketcham brings out a good point: are we more focused on defending ourselves and attacking others? Or, on offering ourselves and serving others? Which will prevail this Christmas: fear or love? Remember that the “light shines in the darkness”. It shines in the darkness. Christ didn’t fear, whine, or complain about the darkness, he shined in it!
This is the call. This is Christmas. We are all called to dive into the darkness, to take the risk of living a Christian life amidst a non-Christian or even anti-Christian culture and shine. What’s more, we must recognize that the darkness is not only out there, but also in here, in our own hearts. Are we quicker to campaign against the mediocrities we see in others than we are against our own? Let’s hope and pray that this Christmas will be not only a time of campaigns, but of conversion, for there is not a better “campaign” for Christ than a humble Christian walking the journey of conversion.
On a more humorous note, Stephen Colbert helps to put things into perspective with his perfect solution for the Starbucks’ red cups.
With this, the idea isn’t to ridicule those who might be upset over this issue. I recognize that it can be discouraging to see what residues are left of a Christian culture, or at least what referred to us as a Christian culture, slide away. Still, complaining and complaining will do us little good. You can’t blame a man surrounded in darkness for not seeing the light. Shouting at him usually does nothing but make you look a bit foolish (as Colbert masterfully demonstrates). You yourself, through your charity, holiness, and hope, must transmit the light of Christ.
Featured Image: James Warwick @ Flickr
