We are all familiar with the Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Christmas, in which the main character’s friend Linus recites Luke 2:8-14, ending with, That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. Linus is known for his ever-constant habit of sucking his thumb and for clinging to his security blanket at all times. And yet, in the midst of his recitation, Linus does an astonishing thing: he drops his blanket.
It’s easy to miss, and yet it’s an incredibly powerful moment, for it happens at precisely the moment when Linus recites Luke 2:10, Fear not.
Jesus’ birth, Linus seems to suggest, is meant to free us from our bondage to fear. The Incarnation invites us to let go of everything that keeps us from the Lord, and from one another, all that stands in the way of a more profound relationship with God. Jesus’ birth opens a way to that relationship, so long as we surrender all that offers us false security and embrace in its place the one truth that we can count on: the love of God, manifest in his Son Jesus.
Linus may pick his blanket up again at the end of his recitation – we all have issues with fear and insecurity throughout our lives. Our faith is never perfect. But recall the final scene of A Charlie Brown Christmas: as his friends all sing Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, Linus lays that blanket at the foot of the tree, and this time, he does not look back. Linus has placed his full trust in God’s truth and in God’s love, one and for all.
This post was inspired by Fr. Bill Swichtenberg’s homily
at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Appleton, Wisconsin,
on Christmas Eve 2021.
on Christmas Eve 2021.
Image & video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ8qjdxxzzE
Thank you for this reflection. Despite the many, many times I’ve watched this beloved classic I’d never put this together. Seeing this now has made me love it even more.
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