The Ghosts Of Christmas

                           

To My Readers: This week, TradWarrior writes a most interesting piece I think you'll enjoy very much. It is the first time a post of this unique quality has been published. The images above show the Most Blessed Trinity and the "ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future" from the classic A Christmas Carol by Dickens. Please continue to pray for John Gregory and his family. Feel free to comment as usual. If you have  a specific comment or question for me, I will respond as always, but it may take me a bit longer to do so this week.

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

The Ghosts of Christmas

By TradWarrior

Every December, the world waits in great anticipation as Christmas approaches. The Season of Advent paves the way as the precursor to what becomes the most joyful season of the year. We remember family members and friends who have gone before us. Their memories are etched in our own memories as we recall many joyful times that we celebrated in years past with them.

          There are many stories that capture the Christmas spirit quite well. One such story that has always been a favorite of many is Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol.” Penned as a novella by Dickens in 1843, it has captured the thoughts and hearts of countless people around the globe. There are an array of characters in it that very much resemble all of us in our own individual lives. The Christmas Spirit is woven throughout the story.

          The story begins with Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold-hearted miser, who despises all things Christmas and everything that has to do with it. He only cares about himself, his money, and greed. On Christmas Eve, he refuses a dinner invitation from his nephew Fred. He turns away two men seeking a donation for food and heating for the poor. He grudgingly gives Christmas off to his underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit. He spends Christmas the way he always prefers to: Alone!

          That night, he is alone in his home when he hears the sound of moans and groans and the sound of dragging chains. An apparition appears to him that frightens him very much. The ghostly apparition reveals himself to be Jacob Marley, his business partner who died 7 years earlier. Scrooge finds it hard to believe that he is actually seeing what he is seeing, much like Thomas doubted that it was the risen Jesus that appeared to him. Marley asks Scrooge, why does he doubt his senses, just as Christ told Thomas to doubt no longer, but rather believe. Scrooge inquires further why Marley is appearing to him and why he appears to be in horrible pain as he drags his chains. Marley responds that he drags the chains for all of the life choices that he made in life that were not good that he is now paying the price for. He is a soul in Purgatory. His apparition is very much like an apparition out of Fr. Schouppe’s books “Purgatory” and “Hell”. In his book, “Purgatory”, there are all kinds of stories of souls who appear to those on Earth who are suffering horrible torments in Purgatory. They ask for prayers and indulgences offered up so that the painful flames that they are suffering will cease and they will be taken to Heaven where they can live forever with God in glory. Some souls in Purgatory are there for a very brief time. They had very little expiation to make for their temporal punishment that remained on their souls at the time of their deaths. 

    Other souls were not so fortunate. They are on the bottom level of Purgatory, right at the base of Hell. Their torments are far more severe and they will not be released from Purgatory for a very long time. To satisfy God’s divine justice, they suffer multiple torments and their pain is exponentially worse. In Fr. Schouppe’s book “Hell”, the stories are even more frightening and overwhelming. Many people who have read his “Purgatory” book had to stop because it was too intense. His book on Hell is even far scarier. In his book on Hell, Fr. Schouppe tells stories of souls in Hell who are burning in pain forever. They will never be released, their torments will never cease, and their pain will go on and on forever. There is no help for them. The stories of apparitions of the damned in his book are horrifying and take the torments mentioned in his Purgatory book to a whole other level. As 2 Maccabees reminds us, it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sin. This applies to the souls in Purgatory.

          Marley reveals to Scrooge that if Scrooge does not amend his sinful ways, he awaits a fate far worse than his own. He tells Scrooge that on that very Christmas night, he will be visited by three ghosts. Scrooge tells Marley that he would rather not be visited by these ghosts. Marley tells him that he has no choice. These ghosts will be sent to Scrooge as one last wake up call. Scrooge either changes his life or he lives a life damned in Hell, far worse than what Marley is experiencing in Purgatory.

          Scrooge thinks that this was just a dream. He awakens to see a figure next to his bed. He sees a striking figure who appears young and yet old with wisdom all at the same time. The figure has bright flowing hair and is in a white robe with summer flowers and a silver sash. This is The Ghost of Christmas Past. The Spirit takes him back to when he was a boy. He sees his old school he attended when he was a child. He sees a solitary student by himself very lonely. He reveals to The Ghost of Christmas Past that he is saddened because his mother died while giving birth to his sister. Next, he is transported to another scene where he is now a youth. His sister Fan visits with him. Fan tells him that his father has arranged for Ebenezer to be an apprentice for Mr. Fezziwig, a jolly man. The Ghost of Christmas Past remarks to Ebenezer that his sister died a young woman but that she had a child. He tells her that is true, it is his nephew Fred. The Ghost transports him to see another scene from his past. He is at the Fezziwig Christmas Eve party. 

    There is dancing and music and everyone is happy. Ebenezer realizes that he was once happy in his youth. Time grows short as The Ghost informs him and he is transported to yet another scene from his past. He is with a beautiful young woman named Belle. She was hoping to marry Ebenezer. She knows that he has changed. She tells him that an idol has replaced her. It is Scrooge’s love of money. It is his sole passion, his only love now and Belle points this out very clearly to him as she confronts him. She asks Scrooge if he is willing to marry a poor dower-less girl. Ebenezer looks down and refuses to answer her. Belle sees right through him and no longer wants anything to do with him. She will not marry him. He chose money over her (you cannot serve two masters). She says to him that she releases him and, “May you be happy in the life you have chosen!” The Ghost shows Scrooge that Belle eventually was happily married to another man and had several children. 

    He saw what his life could have been with her, had he chosen her over his love of money. Scrooge gets angry with The Spirit and demands that this ghost stop showing him these images. The Ghost shows him one more image, that of Jacob Marley dying as onlookers remark that Ebenezer is a miserable wretch. Scrooge is angry at The Spirit and demands to be taken away from these images that he does not want to see, just as the Pharisees could not bear to see that the long awaited Christ made the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, etc. Scrooge tells The Ghost “Spirit! Remove me from this place!” The Ghost of Christmas Past responds, “I told you, these are shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame me!” Scrooge begs The Spirit to be taken back to his bedroom for he can take no more of this. Scrooge is taken back to his bedroom.

          Scrooge wakes up in his bedroom, relieved that this was all just a dream (or so he thinks). He then sees a huge figure, seated on a throne, dressed in a green robe and wearing a wreath of mistletoe. His beard, robe, and crown of mistletoe are reminiscent of Christ’s beard, His robe when the Romans mocked Him, and the crown of thorns on His head. Who is this startling figure? He is revealed as The Ghost of Christmas Present. Despite The Ghost of Christmas Past and everything this spirit showed to Ebenezer, he is not a changed man. He is still a miserable, greedy miser who cares only about himself. This Spirit tells him that there are those who walk this Earth who do deeds of passion, pride, ill will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness. How right he is. 

    The Earth is full of these sins and more. He transports Scrooge to the Cratchit house. Bob and his family are a poor family, who own very little, but they have love in their house. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Bob and his wife love each other and their many children beautifully. Ebenezer sees the youngest Cratchit, Tiny Tim. He is a sickly boy, on a crutch. Mrs. Cratchit asks if Tiny Tim behaved himself in church. Bob said he did and that Tiny Tim doesn’t mind if people see him in public places as a crippled. Tiny Tim hopes that people see him crippled on Christmas Day because the little boy hopes that it will remind people of who was the one who made lame beggars walk and blind men see. The boy has a pure heart. Ebenezer remarks to The Ghost of Christmas Present that he had no idea that Bob had a crippled son. The Ghost remarks, “I wonder why.” Ebenezer was too wrapped up in his money and greed to have ever noticed before.

     Scrooge asks The Spirit if the boy will live? The Sprit replies, “If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the boy will die.” Scrooge is troubled by this but The Spirit replies that it is good for the lame and poor and sickly to die to decrease the surplus population. These were Scrooge’s very words earlier in the story and The Spirit is throwing them right back at Ebenezer. The Cratchit family gives a toast to Mr. Scrooge, the founder of the feast. Although he treats Bob poorly and pays him little, the family is very thankful for everything that they are given in life. It is reminiscent of the one leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus for curing him of his leprosy. The Ghost of Christmas Present transports him to his nephew Fred’s house. Fred wishes that his Uncle Scrooge would attend Christmas dinner with his family but he never does. Fred has a lovely young wife Janet. Fred remarks how his uncle only sees Christmas as a humbug. He talks about how his uncle has all of this wealth but does nothing good with it. This is reminiscent of Christ talking about what good is it if a man has all the wealth in the world, but still loses his soul. In the end, he loses everything. Janet has no pity for Ebenezer. But Fred does. He sees him as a poor soul and always hopes he one day changes his ways. Ebenezer sees his sister’s face in his young nephew. He misses her dearly.

          The Ghost of Christmas Present transports Ebenezer to the frigid outside weather. There are beggars on the streets and Scrooge wants to be taken away. The Ghost opens his robe where he shows him a little boy and a little girl who are dressed in rags and are malnourished. Scrooge asks him who these children are. The Ghost tells them that the boy is Ignorance and the girl is Want. These are all the poor children of the world that roam the streets, neglected by many who see them. This is reminiscent of Jesus saying, “Let the little children come to me.” The Ghost says, “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” Again, he uses Scrooge’s own words against him. Scrooge begs him to get him out of such a wretched place. He can see no more of this! The Ghost of Christmas Present is gone.

          Scrooge finds himself alone in the cold streets. It is windy and there is thunder in the background. He sees a tall figure, completely cloaked and hooded in black. This figure has skeletal hands with bony fingers and never talks. This is The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come (Future). Scrooge says to The Spirit, “I take it that I am in the presence of The Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come?” The Ghost nods. This Spirit never speaks. Scrooge continues, “You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us. Is that not so, Spirit?” The Spirit nods. Scrooge tells The Spirit that he fears this Ghost more than any of the others thus far. This ominous figure cloaked and hooded in black terrifies him and is reminiscent of the grim reaper. The Ghost then transports him to a scene where bankers are discussing a man that died and how they do not know where the man’s money will be dispersed. One of the men says that no one will want to go to this man’s funeral. Scrooge does not understand why The Ghost is showing this vision to him.

          Scrooge is next transported to a scene where people are discussing items that belonged to a dead man as they discuss what these items may be worth. Scrooge still does not understand why The Ghost is showing him these scenes.

          The Ghost transports Scrooge to yet another place, this time to the Cratchit home. He sees the Cratchit household very sad and downtrodden. Bob Cratchit enters the house and he is extremely somber. Scrooge sees that the reason that everyone is so sad in the house is because Tiny Tim has died. Bob is especially saddened as he no longer has his little son to carry on his shoulders. The emotions start to get to Scrooge as he sees a future that is dark with an empty chair and a crutch with no owner by it.

          The Spirit is not through with Scrooge yet. He next transports him to a cemetery. Scrooge is very nervous and frightened by this point of the story. The Ghost points to a tombstone. Scrooge asks The Ghost, “Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point, answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they the shadows of things that may be, only?” This is a very powerful moment and reminiscent of the difference of the Catholic position where grace and free will work together vs. the Calvinist position where things are predetermined and there is no chance of changing them. According to Calvinist predestination, held by many, God predetermined some souls to go to Heaven and some souls to go to Hell before the world ever was and there is nothing that we can do to change our fate. Our free will is useless in the matter. This has of course been condemned by the Catholic Church but this part of the story is very important because the “will” vs. the “may” makes all the difference here. The Ghost points to the tombstone. Scrooge creeps towards the tombstone and upon seeing the inscription on it, he falls to his knees trembling. 

    He says to The Spirit, “No, no, it can’t be! Am I that man?! Am I the man who died who no one mourned? Say it isn’t so, Spirit! Say it isn’t so!” The Spirit points to the tombstone. Scrooge (crying now) says, “Spirit! Hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for your intervention. Why show me this if I am past all hope?” The Ghost’s hand trembles. Scrooge continues, “Surely your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I may yet change these shadows you have shown me, by a changed life!” 

    The Ghost’s hand continues to tremble. Scrooge says, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will remember the lessons of the Past; I will live in the Present; I will live toward the Future. The Spirits of all three will strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me that I may sponge away the writing on this stone!” (The 3 Persons of the Blessed Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost live within those who have been baptized and receive the sacraments that the Catholic Church dispenses to Her members. The 3 Persons live in the souls of those who possess sanctifying grace. The 3 Persons of the Trinity have a correlation here to the 3 Ghosts in the story.) Scrooge begs The Spirit to spare him this dreadful death. He knows that he is at death’s door, but even worse, Hell’s door. The next thing he experiences is he wakes up in his bed.

          Scrooge is overjoyed and dancing and happy to have come through this scary ordeal that the 3 Ghosts put him through, all in one night. He remarks how the 3 Spirits did it all in one night and how they can do anything they like (reminiscent again of the 3 Persons of The Blessed Trinity). He opens his bedroom window and sees a boy running in the snowy streets. He asks the boy if a large turkey is still in the poultry shop. The boy says it is. Scrooge tells him to bring it to him and he will pay the boy very handsomely for his efforts. Scrooge decides to send the turkey to Bob Cratchit’s house.

          Scrooge sees two men on the streets who always ask for money. He whispers into one man’s ear how much of a donation he will give him, and the man can hardly believe his ears and whispers the amount into the other man’s ears. Scrooge has changed and they can tell a transformation has taken place. (When we receive the sacraments, transformations occur in our souls).

          Scrooge next visits his nephew Fred’s home. Fred can hardly believe to see his Uncle Scrooge at the door. Scrooge asks if the invitation to dine with Fred and his family is still in force, to which Fred responds that it absolutely is. Fred introduces his uncle to his wife Janet. Scrooge says to Janet that he can see why Fred chose her from among all woman (this is very reminiscent of how God chose The Blessed Virgin Mary from all women). Janet is very happy that Uncle Scrooge has come to dine with them. Scrooge tells them, “I am sorry for the things I said about Christmas. And sorry for the poor reception I gave you yesterday, of which you were so undeserving. I see the image of my sister in your face. I loved her, you know. And she, you.” Fred replies, “I know it, Uncle Scrooge. She loved you very much, and wished until her dying day that we should always be close.” Scrooge replies, “And so we are, Fred, and so we shall be. So we shall be.” Scrooge’s transformation is very easy to see. He has one final visit to make.

          Scrooge is at his workplace when Bob Cratchit enters late. Scrooge says that he will no longer put up with Bob’s tardiness and that he will no longer stand for this anymore. He tells him, “ And therefore…I am going to double your salary!” Bob cannot believe what he just heard or saw. Scrooge tells him that he will assist Bob’s family from this point forward in any way that he can and he promises that Tiny Tim will walk again. Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more. And to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.

                                        Conclusion                                             

There are several Christian themes that run all throughout Dickens story. There are strong references to the 3 Persons of The Blessed Trinity with the 3 Ghosts all throughout the story. The Ghost of Christmas Present in some ways strongly resembles Jesus Christ. Fan, Belle, and Janet display virtuous qualities, similar to The Blessed Virgin Mary as well as female saints. Bob Cratchit is a hardworking man who sacrifices much to provide a decent life for his family. He bears a resemblance to St. Joseph. Fred never gives up on his Uncle Scrooge and desires that they be a family. Tiny Tim embodies a very strong youthful innocence that gets to Scrooge, even before his complete conversion. Dickens uses his characters masterfully well with every stroke of his pen.           

          There are vices and virtues that run throughout Dickens story. Where we see greed, money, and power in Scrooge, we see that countered by kindness, innocence, and charity in characters such as Bob Cratchit, Tim Cratchit, and Fred.

          Perhaps the most endearing part of Dickens story is the overlying theme of redemption. Scrooge is visited by Jacob Marley, a man suffering the pains and torments of Purgatory. Jacob Marley warns Scrooge that if he does not change his ways, he will end up in an even worse state. Hell is strongly implied here.

He is further warned by the 3 Ghosts that he must amend his sinful ways before it is too late for him. He is slow to change. He does not want to hear what these Ghosts have to say to him. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows him painful scenes from his past. They stir up memories that he long hoped to forget. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him how he currently is living and how his life’s actions are affecting all of those around him. Still, he refuses to complete the change that is needed. Finally, The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come drives home the final part of Scrooge’s transformation from a life of greed to one of generosity, where he sees that in the end, he dies alone and no one cares that he is even dead. This Ghost who frightens him the most, pushes him over the edge to conversion.

In our own lives, we often fall prey to sin, including the 7 deadly sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy, and pride. Fortunately, there are virtues to help counteract these deadly sins. Lust is countered by chastity, gluttony by temperance, greed by charity, sloth by diligence, anger by patience, envy by kindness, and pride by humility. Our good Lord gives us chance after chance to make amends in our lives and to change our lives for good. Until we take our last breath, we always have a chance to achieve salvation if we only cooperate with God’s grace. It takes humility and love of God to want to change for the better. 

As Fr. Schouppe demonstrates in his books “Purgatory” and “Hell”, most souls do not make it to heaven when they die. Many will have to undergo a painful purgation in Purgatory; whereas, others will sadly be lost for all eternity in Hell. What a frightening thought! The Christmas season is one in which we reflect on all that God has done for us, most importantly, becoming one of us, so that we could be redeemed. Christ could have redeemed us in any way that He so chose, but He chose the best and most suitable way that He saw fit, entering into the world as a little baby, growing up, and finally dying for our sins on the cross. There is no greater love that what He demonstrated.  St. Anthony of Padua has a quote that is often referenced to him where he supposedly made reference to how only poverty was lacking in heaven. In order for Christ to truly be like us in all ways (except sin), He had to enter into this world and to embrace poverty.

Many saints have spoken on the Incarnation. St. John Vianney said, “Who could find it hard to persevere at the sight of a God who never commands us to do anything which he has not practiced himself?” St. Leo the Great remarked, “Invisible in his own nature he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death.” St. Cyril of Alexandria said, “He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in him not only God, but also, by reason of this union, a man like ourselves.”

The story “A Christmas Carol” is the story of a man’s redemption as God gives him a second chance. This is only possible because the Incarnation made this possible. We too all have a second chance, and indeed, many chances throughout our lives to make amends and to turn our lives around. We all struggle with vices and sins, the result of original sin. God’s grace is always there for the taking, if we just take advantage of it. He is always there to help us. No sin is greater than God’s love.

There have been many wonderful adaptations of Dickens “A Christmas Carol” that have been made throughout the years. The story has been told over and over and has gained new audiences over time. It has become a beloved classic in the hearts and minds of people around the globe.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us take time to seriously reflect on the Incarnation and what Our Lord has done for us. If we were the only person to have ever existed, He still would have been born as a baby in Bethlehem so that we could be redeemed one day by His blood on the cross. We are truly blessed and for this we should continuously show our gratitude and give thanksgiving to God for all that He has done for us and continues to do for us.

In the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one!”

A Very Merry Christmas to all!

Works Consulted

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol: In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. Chapman & Hall, 1843.

Schouppe S.J., Fr. F.X. Purgatory: Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints. Tan Books, 1926.

Schouppe S.J., Fr. F.X. The Dogma of Hell: Illustrated by Facts Taken From Profane and Sacred History. Tan Books, 1883.