As the holiday season swings into full gear, I find myself pondering on Luke’s account of the first Christmas and am drawn not only to the events but also to its declarations and hope : the promise of peace on earth and good will for all people. In every strata of our society today, there is a decided lack of peace. It is evident in broken homes, tattered lives and social ills too numerous to mention. Our newspapers and airwaves are riffed with the gory details of war and turmoil.