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SPIRITUAL

Fr. Valerian M. Michlik
GCU Spiritual Advisor

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree! have the tradition of decorat-
O Christmas Tree O, Christmas Tree, ing evergreen trees, symboliz-
Your branches green delight us. ing the resilience of life during
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, the harsh winter.
Your branches green delight us. With Christian missionaries
They’re green when summer days are bright; spreading the Gospel in Eu-
They’re green when winter snow is white. rope we see how many pa-
O, Christmas Tree, O, Christmas Tree, gan traditions were gradually
Your branches green delight us! absorbed and transformed to
align with Christian beliefs. A
ear Friends, prime example of this trend is
I have to make a confession. Growing up we the Christmas tree that took on
never had a real LIVE Christmas tree. In North- a new symbolism and a con-
eastern Pennsylvania initially our family had a nection to a saint who lived al-
D silver tree (quite fashionable in the 70’s). After- most 1400 years ago. His name
wards the artificial tree was green. Even living is St. Boniface, a missionary
in the “old country” we had an artificial Christmas tree. bishop known as the Apostle
Once I was an adult with my own family, I was outnum- of Germany. It was St. Boniface
bered on the decision to have a live Christmas tree in- who came across a tribe (in
stead of an artificial tree. My first thought was: “Why do we today’s modern Germany) that worshiped the Norse god
have to endure the mess of dried pine needles, the risk Thor and as part of their winter ritual they would sacrifice a

of a fire hazard and impossibly tangled strings of lights?” child under an oak tree, known as the Thunder Oak, which
But taking the girls down to Trax was dedicated to Thor, god of Thunder.
Farms, going out into the fields Appalled by this, St. Boniface intervened, declaring that
and finding that perfect Christmas the oak tree was not sacred and that the true God could
tree was a wonderful experience. demonstrate his power by preventing the sacrifice. Accord-
Seeing their smiles and them ing to one tradition, a strong wind suddenly arose, tumbling
dancing around the tree is a mem- the mighty oak, sparing the child, and convincing the pa-
ory that I will cherish as a parent. gans of the Christian God’s supremacy. Many of the local
But why do we have a Christmas tribesmen and their leader witnessing all this and hearing
tree in our homes, in our church- St. Boniface preach the Gospel, converted immediately.
es and public places. Where does But what happened next started one of our most cher-
this tradition come from? ished and widespread Christmas traditions. Past the
According to scholars this be- now-fallen oak tree stood a small fir tree. St. Boniface
loved symbol of the holiday sea- pointed to the tree and said this: “This little tree, a young
son has a rich and diverse history child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is
that stretches back centuries. Its the wood of peace. It is the sign of an endless life, for its
origins can be traced to ancient leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heav-
pagan traditions, that included en. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather
the celebration of the winter sol- about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes;
stice in Northern Europe that can there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and
Christmas Tree at the be traced back to pre-Christian rites of kindness.” (Matthew Sewell; Thor, Saint Boniface,
Rectory. times. From that era, we even
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6 GCU MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2024