Qui Locutus - Formerly The CathApol Blog - a Catholic Apologetics Blog
Defending the Faith and keeping Catholics Catholic!
Scott Windsor, MEd. - aka: CathApol
The Fourth and final Sunday of Advent! The ChristMass is almost here!
Drop
down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the
just one: let the earth be opened and bud forth a
Savior. [Ps.viii] The
heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament
declares the work of His hands. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the
just one: let the earth be opened and bud forth a
Savior.
Stir up Thy power and come,
we pray Thee, O Lord, and with great might succor us; that our
deliverance, which our sins impede, may be hastened by the help of Thy grace and
the forgiveness of Thy mercy.
Since ChristMass this year also falls on a Sunday, this is the longest possible Advent Season! The last week of Advent is usually the shortest week of Advent, but again - with ChristMass falling on Sunday, we get the full week before ChristMass!
And remember - it's NOT CHRISTMAS YET! Christmas begins with the ChristMass - usually the Midnight Mass or First Mass of Christmas.
We begin the to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the First Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
What IS Advent?
As stated above, it is a preparatory time. Christians celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus at the Christ Mass (aka: Christmas) and Advent is the season to prepare us for the Christ Mass.
Advent is often compared to a "Little Lent" as this preparatory time is a time of penance and reflection. The liturgical color is purple, just like Lent too - for that reason. What little sacrifices can you make during this season to remind you of the First Coming of our Lord?
What Advent IS NOT!
Advent is NOT the Season of Christmas! Christmas begins with the Christ Mass - or the First Mass of Christmas. So during the Advent Season, consider responding to people who wish you a Merry Christmas, before Christmas has begun, with "And a Blessed Advent to you!"
Offended by "Happy Holidays?"
Well, DON'T BE! "Holidays" is short for "Holy Days" - so when someone wishes you "Happy Holidays" they are (whether they are a aware or not) wishing you to have Happy Holy Days! You might consider responding with, "Thank you, and may your Holy Days be special too!"
Some argue that they are "taking Christ out of Christmas" - but that is not true! First off, as already stated, it is NOT Christmas yet! These are the Holy Days which lead UP TO Christmas! In the context of the liturgical year, Christ isn't here yet, so how can you be removing Him?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Yes! In the Church year, today is the first day of the new liturgical year! So, Happy New Year!
My Anniversary Too!
November 27, 1981 - I married Katherine Marks - and we have had 41-derful years together! Here's to the start of year 42 and even more wonderful years to come - Lord willing!
The start of the Christ Mass Season is right around the corner!
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!
As you light the fourth and last candle of the Advent wreath, pray these prayers:
INTROIT Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just (Is. 45). Let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Savior. The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands (Ps. 18:2). Glory be to the Father.
COLLECTRaise up, O Lord, we pray Thee, Thy power, and come, and with great might succor us: that, by the help of Thy grace, that which our sins impede may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness. Through our Lord.
(Readings from the Extraordinary Rite)
Remember, the BEST way to keep Christ in Christmas is to keep the Mass in Christmas.
Yes! It is a NEW YEAR! Today marks the First Sunday in Advent and liturgically speaking, this marks the liturgical new year!
Advent - is a penitential season, similar to Lent but not as severe. Still, we are called to look to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ - not only to celebrate His birth at the Christ Mass but also to prepare ourselves for His Second Coming!
This is the Fourth Sunday in Advent - and this year it is also the LAST DAY of Advent! Tomorrow is the Christ Mass! Joy to the world! Peace unto men of goodwill (not the mistranslation of "goodwill, peace to men").
Today marks the closing of the shortest possible Advent Season, and tomorrow starts the Christmas Season. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" start on December 25th, Christmas Day, and go through January 5th. January 6th begins Epiphany (which is also a Christmas Season). Christmas can actually be celebrated all the way to February 2nd which is Candlemas - and in the lectionary Candlemas is the last time for the liturgical year that the Nativity of our Lord is mentioned in the readings. So, don't be in too much of a hurry to take down your Christmas decorations!
Don't forget! While every Sunday is a holy day of obligation, so is tomorrow! The Christ Mass is one of the highest of all the feast days - second only to Easter Sunday. The way we explained this to our children when this happens is "You don't HAVE to go to Mass two days in a row, you GET to!"
"What?" You say? "Advent has FOUR weeks, not THREE!"
Well, yes - but not THIS year, nor several more to follow. This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Advent - but Monday is Christmas! This means that the "Fourth Week of Advent" is really just a single day! Monday begins the Season of Christmas! I say several more years to follow because the Fourth Week of Advent will only gain a day per year (excluding Leap Year) eventually getting us to a full week after the Fourth Sunday of Advent - which, of course, will put Christmas on a Sunday and that won't happen again until 2022.
Many of you may be scratching your heads over the statement that Monday begins the Season of Christmas. Many think the Christmas Season begins when Santa Claus rides in on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and lasts until Christmas Day. Well - they are wrong! The current season, which begins four Sundays before the Christ Mass, is Advent. The Season of Christmas begins on Christmas Day and lasts through at least Epiphany (January 6th). The older tradition is that Christmas lasts through Candlemas - in which the Nativity is read about for the last time in the liturgical year. Candlemas is on February 2nd and is the 40th day of the Christmas/Epiphany Season.
On this, the Second Day of Christmas (Dec. 26th)... the Date of Christmas Discussion is revisited...
This article is in follow-up to one I posted back in 2007: Calculating Christmas(an article I reposted from Touchstone Magazine, Tighe, 2003).
This topic came up again in a family discussion last night (Christmas Night) after we had Christmas dinner (which, due to lack of planning on our part was at Denny's - hey, "They're always open!"). The discussion was back at my place as we sat around the Christmas tree enjoying some egg nog and other festive beverages. Someone mentioned the pagan origins of the date of Christmas and when I mentioned that in reality the date had nothing to do with pagan origins - rather it was based upon the date believed to be the Conception of Jesus on March 25th which brought us to December 25th (nine months later).
Dates brought up were for Saternalia (which always ended BY December 23rd - One must ask too, why would the Catholic hierarchy have picked a date
TWO DAYS AFTER Saternalia if they wanted to "replace" that celebration
with the Christ Mass?) and Sol Invictus, which was celebrated on December 25th - but not until late in the 3rd century - and Catholics had already been celebrating Christmas on December 25th by that time! In fact the Roman Emperor, Aurelius, who instituted Sol Invictus, is said to have done so to counter the growing popularity of the Catholic holiday of the Christ Mass (Christmas).
Also, at least as early as the second century, the Feast of the Conception of John the Baptist was celebrated on September 9th. Scripture states that the Annunciation took place in the sixth month of Elizabeth's (John the Baptist's mother) pregnancy. Go six months out from September and you have March.
Now, considering that ancient belief was that one's death date was the same as their conception date, in Eastern Christianity they went with April 6th as this date for Good Friday while the West settled on March 25th. One problem we'd have with the Eastern date is "instead of working off of 14 Nisan from the Hebrew calendar they
used the 14th of the first spring month (Artemisios) in their Greek
calendar–April 6 to us. And April 6 is, of course, exactly 9 months
before the eastern date for the birth of Jesus, January 6." (qtd. from Barney. 2006). The West used 14 Nisan and came up with March 25th. This is also why Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholic/Western Easter usually falls upon different days.
For more information and discussion, I recommend the following (short) videos too:
Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Dr. Scott Hahn correct a young priest or seminarian:
And from Defeat Modernism (defeatmodernism.com) the commentary goes into more details:
Gaudete Sunday - "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!"
All the readings can be found here, but I wanted to focus on St. Paul's words for today...
EPISTLE Philipp. 4:4-7Brethren: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
When St. Paul was writing to the Philippians, he was in prison. He had every reason to be down or depressed, but his words to the Church at Philippi are to REJOICE! The lesson for us here is simple, we are to rejoice in the Lord - not only when things are going well, but even when - and especially when - things are not going so well. Have no anxiety, but be full of thanksgiving - at ALL times!
So here is your challenge for the rest of Advent, and hey, for the rest of your life! Let the world see your moderation, your calm and collective nature - and let them see God working in your life.
Just one additional note... today we did not light the "pink" candle! The priest is not wearing "pink" vestments, nor are the alter vestments "pink!" Liturgically speaking, it's "rose!" Yes, you will find sites, even Catholic sites, calling it "pink," but it is really a subdued "rose" color - to signify "joy" - which is also the name of this Sunday, "Joyful" or "Gaudete" Sunday. During this season of Advent - which, contrary to commercial propaganda, is a time of penance (like Lent). However, on the Third Sunday of Advent, we look eagerly for the coming of the Lord and we rejoice in His coming. Lent too has Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent (midway through the penitential season of Lent), and Laetare also means "joy," and thus the for the same reason - a break from penance and a turn toward "joy" exists during both seasons.
OK, one final remark... it's NOT CHRISTMAS YET! I wish you all reading this a Blessed Advent! I will reserve the "Merry Christmas" greeting for after the celebration of the Christ Mass.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE! Last Sunday was Gaudete Sunday. It is a day of rejoicing in the coming of the Lord. It is a time for relief from the penance of Advent. We should all pause for a moment before returning to penance and take time to rejoice in the coming of the Lord, both His first and anticipated second coming.
A reminder too... keeping Christ in Christmas means keeping Mass in Christmas - it is the Christ-Mass, after all.
OK, no, not THAT Santa Claus! However, even though highly commercialized, the Santa image from early Coca-Cola advertisements and even the name "Santa Claus" is based in the name of the REAL Santa Claus, St. Nicholas of Myra. It doesn't take much imagination to phonetically hear "Santa Claus" in the name "Saint Nicholas." One of the common names for Santa is St. Nick too - why? Because the legend of Santa Claus is based in the reality of St. Nicholas.
The tradition of the giving St. Nick comes from a story of a poor man who had three daughters for whom he did not have money for a dowry... well here, let me quote from another site:
The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of
hanging up stockings to get presents in first started! It goes like
this: There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did
not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get
married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides
parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even
today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the
chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then
able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung
by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter.
Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money,
the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught
Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell
anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to
himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret
gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/fatherchristmas.shtml
The Feast Day of St. Nicholas is December 6th. This is the day the Church officially remembers "Santa" and is a good day to give someone a gift - especially if you have children. As you do, you can share the story of the giving spirit of St. Nicholas - and it is that spirit which lives on in Santa Claus and the giving/receiving of gifts as we celebrate the greatest gift of all, the gift of our redemption as we celebrate the Christ Mass on Christmas morning. Yes Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus...
You might think it strange to have such a sign welcoming in the New Year, but this is exactly what we find in the Gospel readings for the First Sunday in Advent - which marks the New Year, liturgically speaking.
Gospel - Matthew 24:37-44 (Ordinary Rite)
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Gospel - Luke 21. 25-33 (Extraordinary Rite)
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke.
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand." And He spoke to them a similitude: "See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh; so you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."
In both the new and old lectionaries this week the Gospel message is for the End Times, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Advent is the season of expectation, anticipation of the Coming of the Lord. As we prepare to celebrate the Season of Christmas (which begins with the Christ Mass), Advent is a time of preparation and penance. Are YOU ready for the coming of the Lord? The Church uses this Sunday to remind us not only of the First Coming, 2000 years ago, but also the Second Coming, for which no one knows the hour.
In all the hustle and bustle of the secular observation of Christmas - let us not lose sight of the fact that Christmas is not here yet. Christmas begins with the Christ Mass, which we celebrate on Christmas Day, December 25. Christmas then lasts at least until Epiphany, January 6th. These days are known as "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I say "at least" because traditionally, Christmastide lasts all the way through Candlemas - which is February 2nd (though often the celebration of Candlemas is moved to the nearest Sunday). Candlemas is the celebration of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin - not that she needed purification, but she needed to comply with Jewish Law, which she did to avoid scandal and sin. During this Mass the Preface for Christmas is read, and this is the last reference to Christmas and the Nativity for the rest of the liturgical year. The bottom line is, Christmas does not END on Christmas Day, it just BEGINS! Leave your lights up and on through Epiphany at least, if not all the way to Candlemas!
One final reminder... Advent is NOT the Season of Christmas - it's ADVENT! While "the world" is into Santa Claus (which in proper perspective, is not "bad" - more on that later), we Christians are to be in a period of PREPARATION. It is a time of reflection and penance, preparing our souls for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ - the Second Coming, that is. We "use" the anticipation of the Christ Mass as a reminder of the Second Coming, which is why the readings for this week are on the End Times. Take time to pray and meditate upon the state of your soul - and prepare yourself for "that day" which you cannot know precisely the day or hour of.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? There are a lot of rumors, half-truths, and anti-Catholic nonsense circulated every year at this time. One thing must be stated from the start, many of the customs, feasts, and celebrations have their roots in the not only in the 1st century Church but from the Jewish roots of the original Christians. Many of these traditions were not formalized or universally celebrated until Christians were no longer persecuted by the Roman Empire.
Back to the original question--Why was that day, December 25th, chosen for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ?
First of all, there is little evidence that prior to the end of the persecutions that Christians had any interest in celebrating Christ's birth. The biggest reason for this is that they were expecting Christ's return at any time; they thought that Christ would be back in their lifetimes. As time marched on, the disciples of Christ decided to begin writing about Christ and His teachings in the event that Christ's return did not occur while they were yet living on Earth.
Modern biblical scholars believe Mark may have written his Gospel first, and there is no mention of the manner of Christ's birth nor the date of His birth. Matthew, one of the original apostles, and Luke did include details of His birth interspersed with Old Testament prophesies concerning the awaited Messiah. They both, Matthew and Luke, added infancy narratives for the purpose of making it clear that He was the actual Son of God, not just a son of God in the sense that we all sons and daughters of God.
The only chronological evidence of Christ's birth is contained in the two Gospels which include the birth narratives say that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great. So, Christ was most likely born around 6 BC on our modern calendar according to most biblical scholars. I won't get into the mistakes of how our calendar is slightly off as far as the starting point of year one; that is a whole different post.
Ancient peoples thought that the earth was "born" or created at the vernal equinox in the Spring. So, as the "new Adam", it was thought that Jesus was born on March 25. However, a man named Sextus Julius Africanus put forward the idea that March 25th was the day of Christ's conception, so that December 25th would be the actual birth day. Since Malachi called the Messiah, the "Sun of righteousness", some early Christians applied this to Christ. So, later some of ideas surrounding the sun god in the winter would be incorporated into secular celebrations of Christmas. The days becoming longer after the winter equinox and Christ being the "light" or the "Sun" helped make the 25th of December a popular, then later the only, celebration of Christ's birth in the West.
Over 16 centuries after the feast of the Nativity was fixed in Rome, rumors still circulate that December 25th was a pagan festival re-appropriated by the Catholic Church, therefore it is really a pagan holiday. This error is a reference to Saturnalia. While Saturnalia is in December, the date of December 25th was not chosen because of it. As already mentioned, this date was advocated by a Churchman named Sextus Julius Africanus as the date of Christ's birth because he advocated the conception of Christ happened March 25th, the traditional date of the creation. Saturnalia was a festival celebrated from December 17 through December 23 with all kinds of eating, drinking, gambling, and forms of debauchery. While the Catholic Church authorities did hope that the celebration of Christmas in December would encourage Christians not to celebrate the pagan festival, it was not the primary purpose of choosing that date nor was the date chosen to take over that pagan holiday.
There is evidence that the decision to celebrate Christ's Nativity Mass (or Christmas) on December 25th happened no later than AD 335. There is a document dating from that year that lists the dies natalis Christi on December 25th. There is no mention on who made the decision or how it came about but it was a fixed feast and celebrated in Rome by December 25, 335.
Another error put forth about the December 25th date is that the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar causing the loss of 10 days of the calendar, caused the celebration of Christmas to be moved from January 6th to December 25th. While it is true that the Gregorian calendar was not adopted by everyone at once, Christmas was already being celebrated on December 25th by the Western Church. The conflict of the date of Christmas was mainly in the East, where they still celebrated Christ's birth, the visit of the magi, and the baptism of Christ on January 6th. Some countries in the East did change to the Gregorian calendar, therefore celebrating Christmas about 10 days eartlier than their neighbors. So, some churches in the East may have changed their date to the same day as the West for consistency and wanting to be one with the rest of the Church in the West.
The earliest record of the celebration of Christmas in Rome is 335AD. It was chosen because of a North African theologian's suggestion that Christ was conceived in the Spring. Another theologian asserted in 320, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans
because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it." December 25th was not chosen specifically because of the pagan festival but after the fixing of the date, it was the hope of the hierarchy that Christmas would counteract the pagan festivals (Saturnalia December 17 - 23 and the January 1-6 New Year) and be a way to make families closer to Christ.
Some excellent resources on Christmas and the choosing of the date: The Origins of Christmas by Joseph F. Kelly, PhD.
This book is a well research source on all the traditions we all know and love about Christmas. He goes into the tradition of the Wisemen and their names, the names of Mary's parents, the date of Christmas, and much more. The Feast of Christmas by Joseph F. Kelly, PhD.
This book is an abbreviated version of The Origins of Christmas focusing specifically on the fixing of the date of Christmas in the Western Church. I did use some information I learned from reading this book.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25? by David Bennett
In this online article, Mr. Bennett goes into the reasons why December 25th was chosen for the Nativity for Christian reasons. He also cites Mr. Kelly's research in his article. A Timeline of Catholic Church History: 1 -500 AD by David MacDonald.
This is a good general outline of Church history. He references the Christmas date recorded in AD 336.
(Let the earth be opened and send forth a Saviour").
We are reminded today to prepare ye the way of the Lord! Make straight His paths; let every valley be filled and every hill and mountain be brought low! In the Gospel we're reminded of the "voice crying in the wilderness," St. John the Baptist. I am reminded of the following song from "Godspell" (not the greatest theological piece, but I like this song)... "Prepare Ye"
From the Epistle for today we are reminded of our conscience - that little voice inside us that warns us when we're about to do something wrong... do we listen? Often we do not. Conscience can be Scrupulous, Lax or Delicate.
Scrupulous - can overdo it - make one not trust anything. Lax - does not say enough (or we do not hear enough) and we make poor decisions. Delicate - has a balance, not too scrupulous, not too lax - and we make rational decisions which do not get us into moral difficulties. We should strive to have a delicate conscience.
Conscience - presents us with two scenarios and lets us pick the "better" one. Say you're out duck hunting with your buddy and you see what you think is a duck, but it's too far away and maybe it's your buddy - do you shoot first and work out the details later, or do you hold off and wait until you're sure?
Today's readings in the Traditional Lectionary:
Introit
Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior. (Psalm) The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declareth the work of His hands. Glory be to the Father. Drop down…
Collect
O Lord, we beseech Thee, stir up Thy power, and come, and with great might succor us: that by the help of Thy grace that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness: Who livest and reignest.
Epistle –1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Brethren: let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Here now it is required among the dispensers, that a man be found faithful. But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by man’s day: but neither do I judge my own self. For I am not conscious to myself of any thing: yet am I not hereby justified, but He that judgeth me, is the Lord. Therefore judge not before the time, until the Lord come: Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise from God.
Gradual
The Lord is night unto all them that call upon Him: to all that call upon Him in truth. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless His holy name.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia. Come, O Lord, and tarry not: forgive the sins of Thy people Israel. Alleluia.
Gospel – Luke 3:1-6
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea, and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina; Under the high priests Annas and Caiphas; the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins; As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight; and the rough ways plain; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Offertory
Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Secret
O Lord, we beseech Thee, look down favorably upon these present Sacrifices: that they may profit us unto both devotion and salvation. Through our Lord.
Communion
Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son: and His name shall be called Emmanuel.
Post Communion
Having received Thy gifts, we beseech Thee, O Lord that as we frequent this mystery, so the work of our salvation may advance. Through our Lord.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee oh Israel!
The Third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, we rejoice in the promise of the coming Messiah! For those anticipating the First Coming of our Lord, they are in anticipation of what we celebrate on the Christ Mass (Christmas) and it is also a reminder that we rejoice in the promise that He will come again!
Today we light the pink candle on our Advent wreath - only two weeks until the Christ Mass! Remember, the Christmas season has not yet begun! Sure, "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" - but Christmas arrives at the Christ Mass, the First Mass of Christmas - traditionally the Midnight Mass. The Christmas Season lasts at LEAST until Epiphany (January 6th) or according to older traditions it lasts until Candlemas (February 2nd). I challenge you to keep your lights up and on at least through Epiphany (which is also the "Twelve Days of Christmas") if not all the way through Candlemas. Including your Christmas tree! Now, of course, if you have real or cut tree and there is a fire hazard, remove the tree as soon as it becomes brittle - but leave the Nativity and other decorations up!
It's the end of the year as we know it! That's right, last Sunday was the Last Sunday After Pentecost - the final Sunday in the Liturgical Year. This coming Sunday will be the First Sunday in Advent. The traditional music for this day might include the Dies Irae, which comes from the Requium Mass. From one of the first lines of the song we hear of how the testimonies of David and Sibyl ("Teste David cum Sibylla") come together in prophecying the "End Times" or "Parousia." Now I have heard of the Old Testament prophecies (those "of David" - which does not literally mean David's prophecies, but from the line of David), but I had not heard of this testimony of Sibyl before last Sunday's sermon with Fr. Robinson. Sibyl is in reference to the Greek/Roman oracles - which also fairly closely fit the prophecies of the Old Testament, and those from Christ in the New Testament regarding His Second Coming and the end of the world. The end of the Liturgical Year is to remind us of the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. As an aside, from the last line of Dies Irae, Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote Pie Jesu. Another interesting note is that the traditional readings for the Last Sunday of the year are very close to the First Sunday of the year - also reminding us of the Second Coming of Christ as we begin the season celebrating His First Coming - Advent. It's time for my annual campaign too! This is NOT the Christmas season! Christmas begins with the First Mass of Christmas - the Midnight Mass - and lasts through Epiphany (more modern tradition) or through Candlemas (the more ancient tradition). Either way, the Christmas season begins ON Christmas Day. Advent, the season we enter this Sunday, is a time of penance and anticipation - and it is a similar season to Lent. And remember....
A video/slideshow with the above information (and a year in quotes from Pope Francis)...
And a sermon from "Fisheaters:" Today we've almost completed the liturgical cycle, which starts over again with Advent next Sunday. Our focus now is on the Second Coming of Christ (the "Parousia"), the Last Judgment, and the Heavenly Jerusalem. Today's Mass readings will include the frightening "Olivet Discourse" (Matthew 24:15-35). What does the Church teach about the Parousia? That Jesus will come in glory and unexpectedly and that no man knows when this will be. That when He comes, the bodies of the dead -- who've already been judged in what is called the "particular judgment" that takes place just after death -- will be raised and united with their souls. That all who have ever lived will be judged in what is called the "Last Judgment" which will happen in such a manner that everyone will know Who Christ is and that His judgments are just. This world will be destroyed, and a new world will take its place. Christ will reign forever and ever with His saints. Apocalypse 21:1-5, 22:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more. And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell with them. And they shall be His people; and God Himself with them shall be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me: Write, for these words are most faithful and true... ...And He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no curse any more; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see His Face: and His Name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall be no more: and they shall not need the light of the lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall enlighten them, and they shall reign for ever and ever. It is interesting that the readings from Matthew for today's Mass are almost duplicated in next week's Mass's readings from Luke 21:25-33. On the first Sunday of Advent, we hear again of the destruction of Jerusalem, but this time with an eye toward His Second Coming -- even as we ready ourselves to remember His First Coming at the Feast of the Nativity. The first and last Sundays of the year meet and together remind us to prepare.
A campaign was started a few years ago in a bit of a response to the "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign being promoted by many Christian organizations. The goal was to draw attention to the fact that "Christmas" is named for the "Christ Mass" - which is the celebration of Christ's birth. The earliest I have found in my own articles supporting the Christ Mass is 2003. Unfortunately, I cannot locate earlier archives (I started online apologetics for the Catholic Faith back in 1988). I am pleased to see many others are using the slogan of "The best way to keep Christ in Christmas is to keep Mass in Christmas." The point being is that where the non-Catholics using "Keep Christ in Christmas" are doing so in name only, whereas in the Mass, and especially the Christ Mass, the Real Presence of Christ is truly found in Christmas! Every Mass is Christ centered, with the Eucharist being the re-presentation of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the Cross - and the Christ Mass is celebrated in honor of His birth while not losing focus on why He was born. He was born to redeem the world, which He did in the week of His Holy Passion culminating on Good Friday. He ultimately arose victorious over sin and death on what we now celebrate as Easter Sunday.
However, I was only mildly puzzled. Why is "Keep Mass in Christmas" a
Catholics Come Home campaign? I know full well I'm one of the ones that
they hope to persuade to go back to the Roman Catholic Church. What's
the deal with Catholics Come Home, though? I already feel like I'm home.
I'm still Catholic. We have Mass. And I feel like I can be a thinker
AND a full member of the Church at the same time, which is nice.
(Reasonable minds can disagree, obviously.) I also rather like hanging
out with radical liberal feminist priests.
It must be noted how Holly puts her own feelings over truth and even reality. No Holly, you're not "still Catholic," you're Episcopalian - which is a schism from the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. You have what is "called" a "Mass," but it is not - as your priests lack the authority to validly consecrate the Eucharist into the real body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. We don't go to Mass just to "feel good" or to be a "free thinker." We go to Mass to worship and adore our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. I realize you "think" the Episcopalians have a "real presence" too - but thinking it does not make it so.
Holly continues:
Anyway. "Catholics Come Home" is a nice campaign, but admittedly, I
don't foresee myself going back until they've made some fundamental
changes to the church, which I don't see happening anytime soon.
Look at what you have done, Holly. Look at what your cult has done (and I don't use the word "cult" in a disrespectful manner). Jesus didn't build the Anglican/Episcopal Church... He built the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Anglicanism changed things and the foundation of those changes are rooted in King Henry VIII who pleaded for the annulment of his marriage so that he could marry Ann Bolin. He, who only a few years earlier was declared by the Pope to be "Defender of the (Catholic) Faith," rejected the Catholic Faith for his own personal desires. One might say he wanted to be a "free thinker." Anglicanism lead the way to artificial contraception in 1930, which has lead to an acceptance of abortion by many "free thinking" and supposedly "Christian" churches. Anglicanism/Episcopalianism is a deterioration of the Catholic Faith. Likewise the acceptance of women priests (and primates) is a corruption of what Jesus Christ Himself founded upon the Twelve Apostles, our first "primates" (bishops). No, what needs to "change" is not the Catholic Church, but your expectations/demands. When you are ready to submit yourself to Christ and the authority He left in charge of His People, we will welcome you back with open arms and you can again celebrate the Real Mass with His Real Presence.
Even an Atheist site mentions the fact that Protestants, who argue for keeping Christ in Christmas, have already taken Mass out of Christmas (not dated, but referenced by Fr. Longenecker in 2008):
Conservative
evangelical Christians complain about people taking the "Christ" out of
Christmas, but they seem to forget that they have already taken the
"Mass" out of Christmas (Mass being a service including Holy Communion).
When was the last time a prominent figure on the Christian Right has
argued that Americans should remember to attend Mass on this Holy Day?
I've never seen it and I don't expect to ever do so. This is just one of
many masses that have been excised from the season.
(I also think that this Atheist may have gotten at least some of his information from Steve Kellmeyer, see link below).
Some of you may be
asking, "why are you writing this now? Christmas was a week ago!"
Well, yes, the Christ Mass was a week ago, but the Season of the Christ
Mass lasts at least until Epiphany (January 6th) or even until Candlemas
(February 2nd) which is the last mentioning of the Christ Mass for the
liturgical year. Candlemas is the celebration of the Purification of
the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as the Presentation of Jesus at the
Temple. So have yourself a Merry Little Christ Mass now... and a bit
longer!
The Fourth Sunday of Advent! The Christ Mass is almost here! With the first Mass of Christmas beings the REAL Christmas Season! Most consider the Advent Season to be the Christmas Season, but in reality Christmas is from that first Mass of Christmas and lasts through Epiphany in many traditions, or through Candlemas in others. So, don't be in too much of a hurry, to take down your decorations!
Similar to the Lenten season's Lautare Sunday, Gaude Sunday is "Joyful" during our Advent time of penance and anticipation. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10) and this Sunday and week of Advent we look to that strength and joy with confidence in the coming of our Lord and Savior. We light the third candle, the pink one, with joy in our hearts. Again, Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. We celebrate the culmination of Advent in the Christ Mass and at the same time our readings and teachings are about the Second Coming of Christ. Let us not lose sight of the true meaning of Christ Mass.
Jesus Christ came to us in a manger and just before He died on the Cross for our sins, He gave us the Mass.
Jesus Christ comes to us still, in every valid Mass.
Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
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