I'm writing this in the last few hours of December 23rd and soon it will be Christmas Eve. In some parts of the world, Christmas Eve vigil masses will be starting as soon as one or two hours from now. The celebration of our Christmas liturgies, beginning with the vigil, leaves Advent behind and ushers in Christmas. Why? Because Christmas is not a day; it's a season.
While I know how hard it is to delay putting up the tree and wrapping presents, Christmas just has not yet started. We have been celebrating Advent; the preparing for Christmas. Christmas will continue as a season this year until January 9, 2011 when we celebrate the liturgy of the Baptism of Jesus.
So this Saturday, when we wake up and begin our Christmas Day traditions, know that we have about 15 days to go. Christmas Day can begin with Midnight Mass, or Mass in the morning. We may open a few presents before midnight tomorrow night or have the big Santa explosion in the morning. Maybe everyone is coming to your house, or like us, off we go to the relatives.
Whatever your traditions are do not stop celebrating Christmas. The following day, December 26th gives us the day to remember the Holy Family. As we look at our nativity scenes in our homes we can recall all that the Holy Family endured in those early days of Jesus as a baby. Normally, the 26th is reserved for the feast of St. Stephen but this year he gets suppressed because of the Holy Family. As a Deacon, I usually gather with brother Deacons in New Orleans to celebrate good St. Stephen. We will do this again this year despite the calender working against him. Other great Saints we honor during Christmas season include St. John the Evangelist, St. Thomas Becket and St. Sylvester, to name a few.
And as we approach the excitement of the New Year and the fun and parties of New Years Eve we should remind ourselves that we are in the Christmas season. In fact it is such a wonderful tradition that we remember Mary as Mother of God on New Years Day. And we all can recall the celebration of "little Christmas" on the Epiphany, which used to be on January 6th but is now the second Sunday after Christmas day.
So this Christmas season, leave the tree up, keep the twinkling lights burning, keep that Nativity scene prominent and celebrate the season. Even when we all return to work or kids to school on January 3rd, wait til at least the following weekend to pack it all away. Keep the joy we experience going into Christmas day alive at least to the Christmas season is over!
Mike, I like your words above, and also your description of the purpose of your blog. I think there are many deacons who could make a wonderful contribution to society through blogging. As we tend to come from careers in which we already are familiar with technology and social media, we have a leg up on many of the priests! I have just started one myself: http://new-wood.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHave a joy-filled Christmas,
Deacon David Backes