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"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.
A message from Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M.
Solitude cannot extinguish the joy of Jesus’ birthSometimes, when you’re all alone – as we have often been throughout these many months of pandemic – you hear things differently, more clearly than when you’re surrounded by others in a crowded room, in a class, in an office where the phone keeps ringing and people file in and out. Or on a busy street, a crowded train or bus, sitting in traffic that doesn’t seem to move.
Sometimes, an empty church may be the place where things sound different than they do when preachers preach and choirs sing. Things you may have heard a thousand times before: a Bible text, a poem, an article you’ve read and talked about; a phrase or saying, song or conversation that you’ve had with others. Or, perhaps, in these December days, a Christmas carol. Familiar, yes, but strange in a sudden newness.
When you’re alone, the words sound different because you have the time to think, to hear them and the sound they make as they touch your mind and heart with no one else around. [...continue reading.]
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Also from Bishop O'Connell:
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December 26
The “Christmas Season” in the Catholic Church lasts from Christmas Eve until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and includes Christmas; the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (December 27, 2020); the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1, 2021); the Solemnity of the Epiphany (January 3, 2021); and, finally, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 10, 2021).Read More -
December 22
The word “advent” comes from the Latin term adventus, literally meaning “coming to.” The four weeks of the season of Advent before Christmas create a unique season of hope-filled preparation for all of us in the Catholic Christian community — although it can easily be missed by society at large as simply an extended, early celebration of Christmas. True enough, Christ has come, and we should rejoice in his Incarnation every day of our lives. But Advent gives us all time for a prayerful “retelling” of the story of the “Hope of Israel.” We prepare ourselves for the commemoration of Christ’s coming in history in Bethlehem, his coming in mystery each day in the Church and the Sacraments, and his coming in majesty at the end of time.Read More -
January 3
For much of contemporary secular society, Christmas is over for another year. For Catholics and Christians, however, there is “still more to come.” This weekend, January 4-5, the Roman Catholic Church anticipates the Christmas feast of the “Epiphany of the Lord,” traditionally celebrated throughout the Western Christian world on January 6. Known by many other names in a number of different cultures – “Little Christmas,” “Three Kings’ Day,” the “Twelfth Day of Christmas,” “Twelfth Night,” etc. – this feast extends the Christmas season by commemorating the visit of the “magi” or “wise men” to the Christ Child. What is the Feast of the Epiphany all about in the Church?Read More -
December 20
Sometimes, when we’re all alone, we hear things differently, more clearly than when we’re surrounded by others in a crowded room, in a class, or in an office where the phone keeps ringing and people file in and out. Things sound different when on a busy street, a crowded train or bus, or maybe sitting in traffic that doesn’t seem to move. Sometimes an empty church may be the place where things sound different than they do when preachers preach and choirs sing.Read More -
December 16
I don’t know how you feel but preparations for Christmas seem to be coming earlier and earlier every year. The leaves haven’t even begun to change color and fall from the trees when evergreens and Christmas lights find their way into malls and department stores.Read More
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