"Christmas is an event which is renewed in every family, parish and community which receives the love of God made incarnate in Jesus Christ. Like Mary, the Church shows to everyone the "sign" of God: the Child whom she bore in her womb and to whom she gave birth, yet who is the Son of the Most High, since he "is of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:20). 

— Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi Message, December 25, 2015

Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church year, second only to Easter. It is the feast of the incarnation, the feast of God becoming flesh (the Latin "in carne" means "enfleshment"). It is a uniquely Christian teaching, the Divine choosing to become one of us. Because of this belief,God is not only Transcendent, but also wholly Immanent, Emmanuel (God-with-us). While remaining Transcendent (meaning we must rise above our present condition to reach Him), He is at the same time Immanent (meaning He is with us as we rise toward Him). Every Eucharist is like Christmas where the bread and wine are transformed into His flesh, His Body and Blood, and, in a sense, He is born anew on the altar. 

The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him ... including the fact that he was born to die for us.

The Christmas tree and the Nativity scene are popular symbols of the season and a tradition in many Christian homes. It is also traditional to exchange Christmas gifts with family and friends as a way to honor God the Father's gift of his only son to the world. Having received the gift of Christ, we naturally want to pass that gift along to our loved ones.

— Source: USCCB.org

Celebration of Christmas is not just for children

Every once in a while, at parties or dinners before Christmas, I’ve asked adults about their holiday plans only to hear some lament “Oh, Christmas is for children.”  I must confess that such a comment saddens me a bit. 

Yes, Santa Claus and his eight reindeer are for kids; yes, singing “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph,” “Frosty the Snowman” and the dramatic reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” are for kids; and, yes, staying up all night waiting to tear the wrappings off Christmas presents is for kids.  These are the family traditions that have long accompanied December 25^th.  Remember your own Christmases and all the excitement and happiness that filled your homes, memories that linger long past childhood and bring a nostalgic smile to your faces?  Sure enough, these are the more commercial and secular side of the great feast of Christmas and not the true “reason for the season.”  But they do bring about a feeling of joy that permeates the weeks leading up to Christmas.  They prepare the world for something special, something unlike any other time of the year!

Christmas is, indeed, about a Child but it isn’t only “for children.”  The weeks of Advent that the Church offers Christians each year — young and old — ready us for the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago.  There were no Christmas trees then but the evergreens today remind us that Christmas brought about something that is forever, something not just for children.  There were no blinking Christmas lights then but there was a Star that shone so brightly in the ancient eastern sky that curious shepherds and even Kings followed its light to a stable.  There were no gifts exchanged then but gold, frankincense and myrrh were laid at a baby’s feet.  There were no Christmas carols then but angels were heard singing of “the glory of God and peace on earth.”  And children, “staying up all night waiting” now reminds us of the expectation and hope of Israel then for the long promised Messiah, foretold by the ancient prophets.  A manger, a Mother Mary, a beloved husband Joseph and a Child born and lying there wrapped in swaddling clothes warmed by the breath of huddled stable animals — that was how Christmas began; and that is what we celebrate each year as we remember the true “reason for the season.” [Continue reading ...]