BLACK FRIDAY FRENZY - IS IT REALLY WORTH IT ?...........

On this morning after ThanksGiving Day in what has become known as, "Black Friday", Christmas shoppers are all aflutter at stores, and malls, throughout the U.S.  In and of itself, this is the appropriate day for the Christmas shopping season to begin.  But the lengths to which merchants and consumers both have gone to make this so called Black Friday, especially black in a downcast way.  Why any store or mall was open yesterday in the USA, our ThanksGiving Day, was a profane abuse of the holiday for American families, given those who were made to work and made to abbreviate, if not miss time spent with their familes and the sharing of the ThanksGiving meal.  It is sad enough emergency personnel, hospital staffs, and first responders are required to work, on ThanksGiving Day.  For commercial establishments seeking to jumpstart Christmas and holiday sales and manipulate their way into dividing and distracting familes from what is our day of national consecretion and blessings, is high unfortunate.  And the frenzy of late night, early morning crowds crowding and rushing into stores, oftentimes oblivious of any semblence of care or concern for others, that this year in Los Angeles resulted in a self absorbed fanatic shopper, pepper spraying other shoppers, once the store's doors were open; danger has become a reality in these frenzied shopping experiences.  And for what ?  First crack at extremely discounted loss leaders, that only a handful pof shoppers can really only benefit from saving on ?  This is one day of the year, I intentionally stay away and out of stores.  For those who approach today's Black Friday shopping oppportunities, in a civilized, common sense, social, and retail therapy, like way - full marks/  But for the fanatical zealots who put the totally selfish and black eye impetus into this day, wake up and get real.  Your freedom to shop for bargains and discounts, in no way lessens your responsibility to others, to be civilized and polite in the way you carry out your Black Friday shopping.  If Christmas is your reason for shopping today, how would Jesus the Reson for the Season expect You to Act in the Marketplace as Elsewhere ?...........Fr.  Troy