In Luke 11:23, Jesus says, “Whoever does not gather with me scatters.” What is Jesus talking about? A journey into linguistics might help. When we use the word ‘symbol’ in English, we usually mean that something just represents something else, as when we say that a flag symbolizes a nation. In practice, we tend to make an absolute distinction between the symbolic and the real, but this is not the case with linguistics! The opposite of the symbolic is not the real but the diabolic. Symbolic means to throw together (to gather) and diabolic means to throw apart (to scatter). Our word ‘devil’ comes from the Greek word diabolos. Proverbs 6:19 refers to the devil (or diabolos) as, “a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.” The devil wants to make us scatterbrained, unable to function as true sons and daughters of God. In the story of the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8, Jesus casts out the devils from a truly dysfunctional fellow. At the end of the story, we see him sitting at the feet of Jesus “in his right mind.” His scatterbrained days are behind him.

Sitting in between the symbolic and the diabolic is the parabolic, which means to throw two seemingly different things together. This can be used as a method of gathering someone into the wholeness of the symbolic. Jesus taught primarily through parables. Think of how he contrasts bread/ body, wine/blood, enemy/neighbour, the greatest among you/servant, and sinner/ saint. The parabolic creates a tension. Sometimes we need to symbolically enter into the suffering that that parabolic tension creates. That stress can open up for us a small portal. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” There is a ‘Lord of the Rings’ element though, in travelling this narrow road, as per Genesis 4:7, “sin (diabolos) is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” This is a journey that we cannot make purely on our own. We need to take Deuteronomy 31:8 to heart, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” “Fear not” was the message of the angels to the shepherds on the first Christmas morning. 

All these symbolic, diabolic, and parabolic elements are embedded in the Christmas story. Interestingly Christmas is a time when we gather together socially, with family and friends, at Mass and at the creche. This year, let us enter into the drama of the Christmas narrative and hopefully be gathered into the symbolic reality behind the story so that each of us can end up sitting at the feet of Jesus in our right mind.