Holy consumerism and the Second Coming of Retail

Where has the beautiful and rich liturgical season of Advent gone? On that note what has Christmas become? It’s heartbreaking to learn that even before Thanksgiving people are already camping out in front of retail stores in order to be first to purchase consumer products. Consumerism has not only hijacked Christmas, but Advent as well.

What have we lost? Will the second coming of Christ find all of his sheep living into the theology of consumerism, forsaking their baptisms and the call to live out the Gospel life? And for what? A fifty-inch large flat screen television? Is that what our salvation has come down too? Will the birth of our Savior continue to be second to shopping for the best bargain? What about the true gift of grace Incarnate, Jesus, who came into the world only to die for our sins? Did he die so that we can celebrate our gift of grace at Best Buy?

Advent celebrates not only the anticipation of the birth of the Christ Child, but second coming of Christ in all his majesty and glory. Christmas celebrates the gift of the Incarnation, God taking on human flesh and life. It is the beginning of Christ’s salvific mission to save us from the powers of sin and death. This is vital to our Christian understanding and beliefs. Yet in this post Christian era many people would never understand our Christian theology.

The season of Advent is almost non-existent and Thanksgiving is nothing more than the preparation day for Black Friday.  The only anticipation of the season is what deals and bargains one might receive. When we think of John the Baptist pointing towards Christ, in this day and age he might as well be pointing towards the latest retail ads!

Christmas has become little more than decorative lights and sitting on Santa’s knee. Do folks still understand that Christmas is more than just one day? It is a season.  

As the Church it is our responsibility to go into the world and reinvest our energy and spiritual lives into reclaiming the true meaning of Advent and Christmas. We need to somehow reach out to this generation made up of largely unbelievers and “Convenient Christians” and evangelize the Incarnate Word of God.

The seasons of Advent and Christmas are too important for us to allow their meaning to be lost to the world of retail. Perhaps if people filled their spirits the way they fill their shopping carts the Church would look like a very different place. Many souls would be fed, perhaps some that don’t even realize they are in need of Christ.