The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas

CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

Let’s do something rather daring. Imagine, if you will, this day without carols, no child in the manger, no Christmas trees, presents, or fine, big meal. How would you celebrate?

For the first three hundred years after Jesus’ time Christian communities did little to mark the occasion of Jesus’ birth, although commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection were given great prominence. It was relatively easy to ascribe a date to Easter, because it happened at the time of the Jewish Passover. However, the scriptures are silent about the date of Jesus’ birth. After the Roman Empire stopped persecuting Christians, the church was free to add celebrations to its official calendar and finally settled on December 25 for Christmas. No one knows exactly why this date was chosen.

Christmas became a more elaborate festival during the Middle Ages, but with the rise of Protestantism in England and Germany, the feast was suppressed. Puritans who came to America did not celebrate Christmas, calling it pagan and popish. Only in the nineteenth century, especially after Charles Dickens published his runaway best-seller A Christmas Carol, did people begin to observe Christmas again, but often more as a family festival than a religious event.
In one of today’s readings, Saint Paul tells us what is at the heart of this day: “When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4–7). Now that is really something to celebrate!

Weekly reflections are provided by our bulletin publisher, J. S. Paluch, Inc.