A PNCC Pastor asks: “Is this what getting ready for Christmas has come to mean?” in light of death of a Wal-Mart employee in a mad rush on so called “black Friday.” The NY Times article: Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death describes the carnage that occurred at a Wal-Mart store in Valley Stream, N.Y. Some excerpts from the article:

Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault.

Suddenly, witnesses and the police said, the doors shattered, and the shrieking mob surged through in a blind rush for holiday bargains. One worker, Jdimytai Damour, 34, was thrown back onto the black linoleum tiles and trampled in the stampede that streamed over and around him.

Some workers who saw what was happening fought their way through the surge to get to Mr. Damour, but he had been fatally injured, the police said.

Four other people, including a 28-year-old woman who was described as eight months pregnant, were treated at the hospital for minor injuries.

Detective Lt. Michael Fleming… called the scene —utter chaos— and said the —crowd was out of control.— … —I’ve heard other people call this an accident, but it is not,— he said. —Certainly it was a foreseeable act.—

Some shoppers who had seen the stampede said they were shocked. One of them, Kimberly Cribbs of Queens, said the crowd had acted like —savages.— Shoppers behaved badly even as the store was being cleared, she recalled.

—When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, ‘I’ve been on line since yesterday morning,’ — Ms. Cribbs told The Associated Press. —They kept shopping.—

I agree with the Lieutenant, “Certainly it was a foreseeable act.” But isn’t that statement utterly hopeless? Isn’t it is an admission of our failure as people who should be placing compassion and love ahead of material desire? Sadly, we, who call ourselves Christian, are unable to keep to the spirit of Advent preparation. It is an admission of our sinfulness — a sinfulness on steroids. While the Church cannot predict particular results from our sinfulness, it does tell us that sin has consequences, and as scripture tells us, the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:16).

The Church teaches that we, as Christians, should be involved in continual preparation for Christ’s coming. A one day shopping orgy is not a part of that preparation or the anticipation we should be holding to. A day spent in piling on debt, in serving other masters, is not a valid exercise in preparation for the celebration of incarnation of Christ.

I’m not one for the either/or neither/nor point of view on Advent. Can we shop? Certainly. Can we prepare for the coming celebration with eager anticipation and joy? Yes, but each in proper proportion to our focus on Advent preparation and expectation. Our preparation involves the state of our souls. Our expectation is focused on our joy at the incarnation in light of the fulness of the Kingdom to come. Our earthly preparation and our heavenly preparation are united and in balance if they reflect a life centered on Christ, a life of Christian preparation and anticipation, of Christian repentance, renewal, and joy. Of Advent.

It really is about Christ, about our Advent preparation of fasting and penance. If Advent is focused on proper preparation and joyful anticipation of that time to come, then Advent opposes death. If our Advent is a time of renewal then our joy will be a fuller joy, our giving and sharing will be more joyous, and we will be properly focused.

The folks at Wal-Mart and other retail outlets, most especially the executives who perpetuate false consumerism, the politicians who encourage us to spend, pile on debt, and live beyond our means, and those alleged Christians standing on-line at so many stores bear a share of responsibility for this death and for the death that goes beyond bodily death. It really is Advent or death and the choice is ours. Advent or death – I’ll take AdventXref. Eddie Izzard’s “Cake or Death” comedy routine.