First Sunday in Advent!

 

Today is the First Sunday in Advent! 

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!
 

 

Reason for the Season

 I noticed that we had a visitor to an article written back in 2005, during Advent - the "Reason for the Season," so I took a moment to revise it and add an image to it.

Take a look back! Click here: https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2005/12/reason-for-season.html

Ninth Day of Christmas -

 And on the Ninth Day of Christmas, per the song, the gift is nine ladies dancing.

Tradition has at least a couple meanings here. First example, it has to do with the nine fruits of the Holy Ghost. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Collins, 2021).

A second tradition is the nine ladies dancing represents the nine choirs of angels (CatholicsKnowTheAnswer, n.d.):

I tried to give full credit to this image, but it appears that page on Facebook, while you can still get to the images for now (Catholics Know the Answer, n.d.) the page itself is not accessible. 

Saints of the Day - January 2nd

The Saints for today are Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Vatican News, 2017). These two were lifelong friends in the early 4th century and fought against the Arian Heresy.

References

Catholics Know The Answer, (n.d.). On the Ninth Day of Christmas. http://36qy.2.vu/1 

Collins, A. (2021). The surprising meaning behind "The 12 Days of Christmas" lyrics. Crosswalk. https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/the-twelve-days-of-christmas.html

Vatican News, (2017). Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus, Bishops and Doctors of the Church. Vatican News. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/01/02/sts--basil-the-great-and--gregory-nazianzus--bishops-and-doctors.html 

Eighth Day of Christmas - Circumcision of Our Lord

 On the Eighth Day of Christmas

Merry Christmas! 

The song goes "Eight maids a-milking." A traditional view [allegedly debunked by Snopes (Mikkelson, 2000)] is that this relates to the Eight Beatitudes. Mikkelson makes a fairly convincing argument, but not absolutely so. There is still room to accept that Catholics, under persecution from King Henry VIII's Church of England, had to hide the fact they were using the song to help remember key Catholic tenets. Most notably, the 7 Sacraments (for the 7th Day) are not the same for Anglicans and Catholics, other than that, the other tenets do not differ - still - if Catholics were using this song as a tool of remembrance, and were caught doing so, it could have meant imprisonment or even death. Regardless, Snopes is not our ultimate authority and even if the tradition is ancient or not, today we can use this as a reminder of the Eight Beatitudes.

Circumcision of Our Lord -  January 1 - Within the Octave of Christmas

Circumcision was part of the ancient Law, starting with Abraham. Jesus fulfilled the old Law, but when He was only 8 days old, that fulfillment had not yet taken place. The Holy Family, still under the old Law complied and brought Jesus to the Temple to fulfill this part of the Law. 

The various Christian denominations that observe the feast emphasize different aspects of the events surrounding Jesus' circumcision. In 1969 the (modern) Catholic Church changed the name of the observance to the "Solemnity of Mary," a name that reflects their emphasis on Mary's role as mother of the Savior (Traditionalists still hold to the traditional lectionary). Orthodox Christians continue to observe the day as the "Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord." Episcopalians call the festival the "Feast of the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ." They emphasize the significance of Jesus' name, given to Mary by Gabriel - the angel of the Annunciation - which means literally "God saves" or "God helps." Lutherans compromise by calling the festival the "Feast of the Circumcision and the Name of Jesus." (Feast of the Circumcision, n.d.).

References

Feast of the Circumcision. (n.d.) Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year\'s Celebrations, 2nd ed.. (2003). Retrieved January 1 2022 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Feast+of+the+Circumcision

Mikkelson, D. (2000). The Twelve Days of Christmas: Was the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' created as a secret code by persecuted Catholics? Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/twelve-days-christmas/ 

6th Day of Christmas

 On the Sixth Day of Christmas - we celebrate St. Anysius (and others).

Saint Anysius was a Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor. A soldier accosted her in the street and tried to drag her to a pagan sacrifice. Anysius resisted and was killed when the soldier attacked her with his sword.  

 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-anysius-100 

In the song, the 6 geese a-laying refers to the six days of creation and is also symbolic of new life.

• 
  Gospel

  Luke 2:36-40
  

  36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity,37and as a widow, till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.38And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.39And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.40And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

 

Merry Christmas!

Today is the 5th Day of Christmas!

We remember St. Thomas Becket today - murdered on this day in 1170 in the cathedral due to his opposition to King Henry II. In 1539 King Henry VIII had his remains burned.

Please Don't Wish Me a Merry Christmas

 Well, so goes the headline of an article written for The Washington Post, December 21, 2018. 

The writer, a Jewish person named Julia Ioffe, wrote this while acknowledging it is a dominant American cultural event, but being Jewish - she does not celebrate this holiday. Why? Because it is not just a secular holiday, which certainly it has become, but as the name states - it is the recognition of the birth of Jesus the Christ in Christianity - a point which Ms. Ioffe does acknowledge as well.

 

Ms. Ioffe also acknowledges that she planned on going to a Christmas party at a friend's house and was planning on bringing Christmas presents out of respect for their family practice. This writer finds that a bit ironic that Ms. Ioffe complains on one hand that she is not a Christian so do not be impolite or alienating in wishing her a Merry Christmas, yet, on the other hand, she has no problem attending a Christmas party and celebrating Christmas in the tradition of her Christian friends. "The lady doth protest too much. methinks" (Shakespeare, 1601).

 

I saw this on Twitter, and one of the respondents there (@OldTom_Morris) said "If I lived in a majority Muslim nation, and people wished me a happy Ramadan, why on earth would I be offended by that?" Mr. Morris makes perfect sense here! Many of you reading this blog are aware that I annually wish everyone a "Happy Chanukah" which is a Jewish celebration. Of course, in that case, I do argue that it really should be a Christian celebration as well since, without Chanukah, or more specifically, the Maccabees, we would not have a Christmas - or it would be significantly different than the way it is celebrated and has been for some 2000 years now. But I digress, the point is there is no real reason to be "offended" by someone wishing you a Merry (or Happy) Christmas season (or day), or a Happy Ramadan, or Happy Chanukah, etc. Why not have enough goodwill to simply accept the good wish from a fellow human?

 

This brings me back to a recent article here on Qui Locutus - Peace - to men of goodwill (Windsor, 2021). Ms. Ioffe does not express goodwill to her fellow man (or woman) in her article. Now, I do not wish her ill-will, but the verse, literally translated is not "goodwill to men" but "peace on earth, to men of goodwill" (Windsor, 2021). If I could reach out to Ms. Ioffe, I would ask her to be more open to accepting others where they are and as @OldTom_Morris said, accepting that where she is, in a country that is predominantly Christian, she should not be offended when one of "us" wishes her a Happy Christmas season. Be a person of goodwill, be at peace - and may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding be with her - and be with the readers here.

References

Ioffe, J. (2018). Please don't wish me a Merry Christmas. The Washington Post.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/12/21/please-dont-wish-me-merry-christmas/ 

Shakespeare, W. (1601). Hamlet. Act III. Scene 2. E-Books-For-All. http://www.ebooks-for-all.com/bookmarks/view/Hamlet.html 

Windsor, S. (2021). Peace - To men of goodwill [blog]. Qui Locutus.   http://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2021/12/peace-to-men-of-good-will.html 

Christmastide Has Begun!

 Let us not forget - Christmas has JUST BEGUN! Not only the "12 Days of Christmas" - from Christmas Day to Epiphany (December 25-January 5th, January 6th is Epiphany). AND - even though the Season of Epiphany begins on January 6th - Christmastide lasts through Candlemas, February 2nd! 

So - MERRY CHRISTMAS! And do not be ashamed to keep wishing one another that through February 2nd! It can even be an ice-breaker for you to engage others in not only the true meaning of Christmas, but also the reality of how long the season lasts - AND that it did not even begin until Christmas Day - the weeks prior were a different season - the Season of Advent - a penitential season, similar to Lent, but not as severe, and a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord.

Many of the lessons in Advent are not about the Nativity, but the Second Coming of Jesus - which brings into focus the REAL meaning behind WHY God became Man to redeem us from our sin.

And also remember to keep Christ in Christmas - you have to keep the Mass in Christmass (spelled this way on purpose!). 

Fourth and Final Sunday in Advent

The Fourth and Final Sunday in Advent! This marks the second longest possible Advent season, and the longest Advent season will happen next year! The longest Advent season happens when Christmas falls on a Sunday, which it will in 2022. For those who like to stretch out the seasons, especially Advent, this is nice! And remember too - Christmas Day does not mark the end of Christmas - it is the BEGINNING of Christmastide!

For those who just "want Christmas to be over," I have bad news for you - Christmas has not even begun yet! Christmastide BEGINS on Christmas Day - and lasts until Candlemas, February 2nd! So, even with next year's "longest Advent" - the Christmas Season lasts longer! You can actually keep your decorations up for over a month after Christmas Day!

Advent 2021 Nov 28th

Can you believe it? Advent is almost here! 2021 seems like a blur of 2020 with all the COVID issues across the globe - and sadly - it is still with us. I work in a hospital in north-central Arizona and while we are not seeing numbers of COVID hospitalizations over 200 (like we did in January-February of 2020) and it has been as low as getting into the 20s - this week we are back over 50 hospitalizations - and that doesn't count the cases being treated at home. But here we are again, approaching the Advent Season and the end of the liturgical year - the First Sunday in Advent marking the Liturgical New Year.

I like to remind everyone that Advent Season is NOT the Christmas Season too. Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation - even a time of penance - as we get ready for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Rather than waiting for Advent to begin this year, I thought I would start the discussion of various Advent traditions - and ask what YOU do with your family for Advent - so please comment below! 

Do you use an Advent wreath? Does yours have 4 or 5 candles? Do you go with the traditional 3 purple and 1 pink - and if 5, the 1 white candles?

How about Advent Calendars?

Or do you do the O Antiphons?

Please share your Advent traditions!

And remember, from the First Sunday of Advent (November 28th, this year) through Christmas Eve - the season is Advent - NOT - Christmas! Consider wishing friends and relatives a "Blessed Advent" in response to "Merry Christmas" this year! It can be an ice-breaker to get into a discussion of what the REAL meaning of Christmas and the Christ Mass. More to follow!

Candlemas - February 2nd

Candlemas - February 2

Christmas IS Over!

Candlemas Eve

Down with the rosemary and bays,

Down with the misletoe;

Instead of holly, now up-raise

The greener box, for show.   
 

The holly hitherto did sway;

Let box now domineer,

Until the dancing Easter-day,

Or Easter’s eve appear.   
 

Then youthful box, which now hath grace

Your houses to renew,

Grown old, surrender must his place

Unto the crispèd yew.

When yew is out, then birch comes in,

And many flowers beside,

Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,

To honour Whitsuntide.   

Green rushes then, and sweetest bents,

With cooler oaken boughs,

Come in for comely ornaments,

To re-adorn the house.

Thus times do shift; 

Each thing his turn does hold;

New things succeed,

As former things grow old.

(Source: https://www.bartleby.com/337/368.html)

The poem takes us from Christmastide, taking down our Christmas decorations, to Easter and then Pentecost (Whitsunday) and into summertime - and back to when "cooler oaken boughs..." and it is time again to re-adorn the house for the next Christ Mass celebration.

 

Today's readings are from the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple - and is the last lectionary reference to the infancy of Jesus for the liturgical year.

Fourth Sunday in Advent

 It is the FOURTH and LAST Sunday in Advent!

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.

COLLECT Raise 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.

Happy New Year!

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! 

OK, Christmastide Ends Today

Today is Candlemas, traditionally celebrated as the Feast of the Purification and the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. In today's Gospel it is the last reading related to the Nativity, and with this - Christmastide ends for this liturgical year.

Gospel:

Luke 2:22-24
And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons

Of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary did not need purification, but she fulfilled the requirement of the Law, for to not do so would have been scandalous and could even have been called sinful. 40 days after the Nativity is the required time (for the birth of a son, it is 40 days, 33+7, for the birth of a daughter it is 80 days, 66+14) and after this time the mother is able to be present at the Temple for the presentation (Mowczko, 2018).  
 
This is the picture of a mikveh, similar to that which the Blessed Virgin would have been immersed in 40 days after the birth of Jesus (this one is at Magdala):

And here is a mikveh found on the Temple mound:  

After the purification ceremony, the mother is permitted to go to the Temple to present her son to the Lord, which is why we also celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple on this day.

Time to Take Down Christmas Decorations!

OK, so how many of you waited to take down your Christmas decorations until today?  Please comment below!

References

Mowczko, M. (2018). Periods of purification after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8). [Blog article]. Retrieved from https://margmowczko.com/purification-after-giving-birth-leviticus-12/ 

Eighth Day of Christmas

In the song, the Eighth Day of Christmas is the gift of the eight maids a-milking, and this allegedly symbolizes the eight beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

In Catholic tradition (as well as what is the Jewish tradition) on the eighth day was the Circumcision of our Lord. In modern times this feast has been changed to the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Personally, I still recognize this day as traditionally commemorating, the Circumcision of our Lord (and in the extraordinary rite, this is still the feast/solemnity recognized).

IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS!

Do not forget!  It is still the Christmas Season!  This season lasts AT LEAST until the eve of Epiphany (January 6th), or in the older tradition it lasts all the way to Candlemas (February 2nd).

Fifth Day of Christmas

The five gold rings... as the song goes...

This year found us at the ordinary rite of the Mass, and this Sunday after Christmas is celebrated as Holy Family Sunday.

First Reading

Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14

2For the Lord honored the father above the children, and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons. 3Whoever honors his father atones for sins, 4and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure. 5Whoever honors his father will be gladdened by his own children, and when he prays he will be heard. 6Whoever glorifies his father will have long life, and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother; 7he will serve his parents as his masters. 12O son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; 13even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance; in all your strength do not despise him. 14For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and against your sins it will be credited to you; 

Second Reading

Colossians 3:12-21

12Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, 13forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Gospel

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." 19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20"Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 21And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Extraordinary Rite

In the extraordinary rite, this is the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas and the readings for today are:

EPISTLE  

Gal. 4:1-7

Brethren: As long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father. So we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: that he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: "Abba, Father". Therefore, now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.

GOSPEL 

Luke 2:33-40

At that time, And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: "Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed."

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser. She was far advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow until fourscore and four years: who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord: and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel.
And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. And the child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in him.

 Last Night of Hanukkah

Tonight is also the last night of Hanukkah!  The eighth candle is lit and Hanukkah ends with sunset tomorrow (Monday, December 22 this year).

The Fourth Day of Christmas - The Holy Innocents

Childermas - Feast of the Holy Innocents

December 28th is the commemoration of the Holy Innocents, the story of whom is told in Matthew 2 (the whole chapter, but specifically Matt 2:13-18). King Herod wanted to destroy the Christchild for he feared the Messiah as the new King of Israel would take the kingdom by force. Thus, after the Magi had informed him of the arrival of this new king, Herod ordered the massacre of all male children age 2 and under in Bethlehem. St. Joseph had a vision of the impending massacre and was told to take the Blessed Mother and Jesus to Egypt and to stay there until Herod died.

The Coventry Carol

Often just played instrumentally, has words which also tell the story of the Holy Innocents:

Lullay thou little tiny child,
By, by lully lullay.

O sisters, too how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
By by lully lullay.

Herod the king, in his raging
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might in his own sight
All children young to slay.

Then woe is me, poor child for thee
And ever mourn and day;
For thy parting, no say nor sing
By by lully lullay

Reminder: Christmastide lasts until February 2nd!  

Continue to remember the season!

No Hanukkah Equals No Christmas!

That's right! If the Brothers Maccabees had not won the battle with the Syrian Greeks who vastly outnumbered the Jews there would be no Jews. The Greeks sought to annihilate the Jews from the face of the Earth - so, had the Greeks won this battle the Jewish nation would have ceased to exist and thus, the prophecies of the Messiah coming from the City of David (Bethlehem) would have become null - think about it, if their were no more Jews - to whom would the Messiah have come? Certainly we could make all sorts of speculation over how God would have found a way - but the fact remains THE WAY which God DID FIND was through the Maccabees revolt from 167 BC to 165 BC.

So why is it called the Festival of Lights? Why eight candles? Well, when Antiochus III invaded Judea, he also captured the Temple and desecrated it - offering sacrifices of swine and building an altar to Zeus. After the Maccabees defeated the Greek/Syrian armies and took back the Temple, the Temple had to be purified and rededicated. The purification process would take eight days, yet there was only enough oil to keep the lamp in the Temple going for one day - and it would also take eight days for the kosher process to make more oil for the Temple lamp. The miracle then was that the lamp burned the entire eight days, even though it should have only lasted one day! From that time forward the Jews have celebrated the Festival of Lights, lighting one candle per day for eight days.

Again, had the Maccabees failed, there would be no Jewish nation and the Festival of Lights would not have started - thus no Hanukkah would have resulted in no Christmas!

By the way - Hanukkah started on December 22nd this year and ends on December 30th. It is different every year on our Gregorian calendar because it is based on the Hebrew lunar calendar and begins on the 25th of Kislev every year on their calendar. As of this posting we are on the 5th Day of Hanukkah - so - HAPPY HANUKKAH!

One more final bit of trivia - if there are eight days celebrated, why nine candles? The answer is the candle in the middle is called the shamash - and it is used to light the other candles. It is usually set higher than the other eight candles and it is not counted as another day in the Festival of Lights.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Feast of Stephen

Today is the Second Day of Christmas! (December 26)

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the days, starting with the Christ Mass on December 25th, through February 5th. February 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany. February 6th is traditionally celebrated as Three Kings Day - or the day the Three Wisemen visited the Holy Family in Bethlehem. Does this end Christmastide?  Not quite!  Read below!

Martyrdom of Saint Stephen by Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari (1598-1669), undated

Today is also the Feast of St. Stephen, the First Christian Martyr. Stephen's death is recorded in Acts 7:54-60. He died with his last words asking God not to hold his persecutors responsible (one of whom was Saul, who would become St. Paul).

"The Massacre of the Innocents" (1482) by di Giovanni di Bartolo Matteo

As we remember St. Stephen, he being the first one killed for his faith in Jesus Christ, we must not forget the Holy Innocents, who were actually the first martyrs for Christ - though they had no idea who Jesus Christ was. The scriptural accounting of the Holy Innocents is Matthew 2:16–18 when King Herod was attempting to have the Christchild killed. St. Joseph was given a vision of the intentions of King Herod and fled to Egypt with the Blessed Mother and Jesus. The feast day for the Holy Innocents is December 28th - and is also known as Childermas.

Presentation of Our Lord at the Temple - The Last Day of Christmas

Remember!  Christmastide actually lasts well into the Season of Epiphany! Christmastide officially ends with Candlemas on February 2nd - which is the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. In the traditional (extraordinary) lectionary, this is the last time in the liturgical year that the Nativity is mentioned - and thus ends the Christmas Season.

Christmas Tree - A Christian Tradition

Is the Christmas Tree a Christian tradition?

Well, yes - and no!

First the "No"

The use of greens, especially evergreens, to celebrate the Winter solstice, dates back to the ancient Egyptians. At the solstice, the days would again start to become longer - and since they worshipped the Sun god, Ra, they would decorate their homes with green palm branches as a symbol of life being victorious over death - as the Sun was growing "weaker and weaker" culminating on the shortest day of daylight (December 21st or 22nd), after the solstice the days were getting longer again and soon would come Spring and Summer when nature came back to life again.

The Romans also celebrated the solstice for similar reasons as the Egyptians before them. They knew that soon would come the Spring and farms and orchards would come back to life again. The Romans would decorate their homes and temples with evergreen boughs to celebrate the lengthening of days.

Similarly, the ancient Druids/Celts decorated their temples with evergreen boughs, again symbolizing not just new life, but everlasting life. The Vikings also believed evergreens were a special gift of the Sun god, Balder.

And now the "Yes"

Christmas Trees, as we have come to know them now, started in Germany in the 16th century. Most credit Martin Luther with being the first to tie candles to the branches with wire and lighting the tree. It is said that Luther was on a walk one Winter evening and was inspired by the stars shining  among the evergreens. He used an evergreen tree in his home to show his family what he experienced on his walk.The evergreen being a symbol of everlasting life, the eternal life in heaven; the candles represent Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. He also put red decorations on the tree to represent the blood of Christ - keeping in mind that while they were celebrating Christmas, Jesus came to earth to be sacrificed on the Cross.

Christmas Trees in the United States were basically unheard of until the 19th century when German settlers to America brought with them the tradition of the Christmas Tree.

Did Christians Celebrate Christmas Based Upon the Solstice?

The answer here is NO! Many modernists believe Christians "wanted a holiday" to coincide with the pagan's celebrating the Winter Solstice - but this is simply not true. The date of Christmas actually has its roots with the death of Jesus! In the early days of the Church it was thought that one's death day was the same date as the day they were conceived. The death of Jesus Christ, based upon the Jewish lunar calendar and Passover, which was on the 14th of Nisan - and in 33 AD that equates to March 25th on the Gregorian calendar. So, believing Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost on March 25th, nine months later is December 25th. No pagan ritual involved, just coincidence.