Yes, it's finally the right time for people of faith and members of His one holy faith, the Catholic Church, to wish everyone Merry Christmas. Advent ended today before the recitation of Evening Prayer for the Vigil of Christmas.
The Catholic Christmas Season begins today, accelerates with the great Feast of the Nativity, Christmas Day, continues in the celebration of an Octave(8 days) until January 1st when we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. Then the season of Christmas continues to the traditional date of the Epiphany, January 6th, which we used to call Little Christmas. Now Epiphany is officially celebrated on the first Sunday after January 1st. The season still continues one more week to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the second Sunday after January 1st. If that's not enough to take in, Catholics who follow the traditional calendar, and other Catholics as well, consider it Christmas season until February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and also called Candlemas.
Bottom line: do not stop celebrating Christmas anytime soon, it's really just beginning.
For the Mrs. and me this Deacon had a busy weekend preaching twice for the end of Advent, celebrated our first family event with a Christmas dinner with Wendy's family and then I transitioned back to work; a full day yesterday and a half day today. After work I met up with wife, daughter and Brennan for a Christmas Eve afternoon lunch. Always a joy to be with my grandkids and, of course, Brennan lives close by so there's that. After lunch off we went for the first Christmas of the Feast, the 4pm vigil at our little mission church in Bush. Usually, this church holds about 75 for normal weekends but today we greeted about 180 worshippers. That scene will repeat itself all across our parish and the world today, tonight at midnight and tomorrow. And hopefully many will remember to come back for the rest of Christmas and the whole year too.
Tonight, Wendy and I are embracing our reality and staying home, resting some, cleaning some before family arrives for dinner tomorrow and I assist at one more Mass in the morning.
I am marveling at the peacefulness and quiet while we watch some Christmas movies, try to stay awake until Midnight Mass from our beloved Cathedral streamed over the internet and I'll take a walk outside later tonight and marvel at that beautiful bright star in the western sky fully visible from my front porch; perhaps the same star that greeted the angels and shepherds that first Christmas and guided the wise men to the Holy Family.
May peace be with you as I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas on this beautiful Christmas Eve night!
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