The Grinch was accused of stealing Christmas in Ron Howard’s 2000 Christmas comedy movie based on the 1957 children’s story by Dr Seuss. But he is not the real culprit.

Abroad and locally there is a dual challenge to Christmas, the real Christmas. On one side there is its over-commercialisation together with the negation of the word ‘Christmas’ itself.

The other prong of the attack is by those Christians who undermine the radicalism of Christmas by downgrading it into a saccharine feast of pleasantries that paper over the structural injustices of our society.

One theory has it that Christians chose December 25 to celebrate Christmas in order to undermine the Roman pagan festivals associated with the celebration of the winter solstice. The over-commercialisation of the season together with the de-Christianisation of many European countries make it seem that it is payback time for Christians. We are moving towards the celebration of a winter festival more than of Christmas.

There is nothing wrong with Christmas shopping, or the exchange of gifts or celebrations and partying, so long as they help us to realise that this is the season to be jolly. But when such celebrations become the raison d’être of Christmas, especially in a world where injustice reigns, they undermine it.

Because of all this, Pope Francis said: “There will be lights, parties, Christmas trees and Nativity scenes… It is all a charade.” The de-Christianisation of many countries – ours included to an extent – quite naturally leads to the deformation of Christmas from a religious to a secular or cultural feast.

The other enemies of Christmas are those who undermine its radicalism. There is no treacle or excessive sentimentality in the Christmas narratives of the Gospel. The context is an event of great political significance, that is, a census ordered by the ‘divine’ Emperor to show the might of Rome. The message of the Gospels is politically subversive. The kingdom, the power and the glory are not Augustus’ (then and now) but Jesus’. The Good News is that salvation lies not in what is might but in what is right.

God became man in Jesus Christ to radically change the world by giving an infinite dignity to every human person. Christ became a man who suffered State-sponsored terrorism, was a refugee, challenged the political powers, denounced the idolatry of money, suffered at the hand of an unjust legal system and was the victim of corrupt dealings.

This radicalism marks God’s intervention into the history of humanity. The divine mission here on earth was not only to save individual souls. The birth of Christ and His message have social and political dimensions as well, and therefore our celebration of Christmas should have social and political meanings.

This is one of the challenges that the Church faces. Malta is no exception. Philanthropy and caring for souls is worthy of great praise. Indeed, when the Church cares for the old, provides shelter for orphans, gives dignity to the disabled, shelters the poor and organises fundraising events for all sorts of charities, it is universally praised.

But when, in the true spirit of the radicalism of Christmas, the Church denounces the abuses of the powers that be, condemns the creeping cynicism stifling the pubic space, decries the culture that money is all, appeals for good governance, censures corruption and strongly criticises those who abdicate their duties, it is lambasted. Same thing happened to Christ when the crowds shouted “Crucify him.” Today these shouts resonate on the social platforms. But it is the duty of the Church to forge ahead in its mission instead of holding back.

The Church has to preach the true spirit of Christmas in season and out of season – when it is popular and when it is despised. It must defend democratic principles, denounce the greed and pride that appears to lie behind much of our current malaise and be the protector of the vulnerable.

During this season the Church should also remind its members of the many Christians in several countries who are suffering persecution as a result of Islamic fundamentalism, ethnic nationalism or secularism. Countries in Asia and the Middle East are the main culprits. But an anti-Christian spirit is being fomented even in Eur-ope. German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that Christianity is “the most persecuted religion in the world” and did so for very good reasons.

This is not just a season to be jolly but a season to seek justice. Christmas is not the season of alienation but it is also a call for building a political and economic system that truly respects all human beings.

This is a Times of Malta print editorial