This is what Christmas is About

In November, I posted some notes about Advent that I used to teach my Faith Formation (CCD) class. I want to do the same for Christmas. Much of the content from this lesson came from "Catholic Customs & Traditions: A Popular Guide” written by Greg Dues. Even though this lesson was geared towards Catholic children and their parents I think that it has value for everyone.

Lesson
As Christmas Day approaches, we can all get wrapped up in the final preparations – baking cookies, getting those last minute gifts, wrapping gifts, and decorating. It is important that we remember the reason we as Catholics celebrate Christmas. As I did for Advent, I have compiled some notes covering what we have talked about - what Christmas means to Catholics.

• Christmas not only celebrates the birth of Jesus, but also his second coming.
• The name “Christmas” comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse or “Mass of Christ.”
• Christmas also celebrates the mystery of giving and receiving
• The actual date of Jesus' birth is unknown, but we use December 25th as a day to commemorate his birth.
• Why December 25th? One possible explanation is that on the Julian Calendar (early Christians followed the Julian Calendar we now follow the Gregorian Calendar) the Winter Solstice fell on December 25th. Prior to the solstice, the days grew shorter (the darkness was creeping in), and after the solstice, the days grew longer (light was pushing out the darkness).

Some ways we celebrate Christmas:

• Christmas Tree – The Christmas tree originated in Germany. Today's Christmas trees, for some, “preserve...rich Christian symbolism: the green of hope at a time of dying, the burning light of Christ at a time of spiritual darkness, and the fruits of paradise” in the form of tree ornaments. (Greg Dues, Catholic Custom's & Traditions: A Popular Guide.)
• Lights in the Window – Comes to the United States from 19th Century Irish Immigrants and represents either:
• A beacon for lighting the way for Mary and Joseph, or
• During the times of Catholic suppression, to let fugitive priests in Ireland know where safe houses were located.
• Nativity Scene – Shows the scene at Bethlehem when Christ was born. The scene includes Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Shepherds, Angels, and Animals. St. Francis of Assisi popularized the living nativity in Greccio, Italy in 1223

Christmastime runs from Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th. This is the Twelve Days of Christmas. There is the idea* that says that the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” originated as a Catechism for teaching Catholics in 16th England the basics of our belief. (Practicing Catholicism was against that law in England at that time.)  Below is a list of the days and their Catholic meaning (source):

• 1st Day – Partridge in a Pear Tree – Jesus is the Partridge and the Cross the Pear Tree
• 2nd Day – Two Turtle Doves – The Old and New Testament
• 3rd Day – Three French Hens – Three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Love)
• 4th Day – Four Calling Birds – The Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
• 5th Day – Five Gold Rings – First Five Books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
• 6th Day – Six Geese A-laying – Six Days of Creation
• 7th Day – Seven Swans A-swimming – The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leading, and Compassion)
• 8th Day – Eight Maids A-milking – The eight Beatitudes (Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake)
• 9th Day – Nine Ladies Dancing – The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control)
• 10th Day – Ten Lords A-leaping – The Ten Commandments (You shall have no other gods before me, Do not make an idol, Do not take God’s name in vain, Remember the Sabbath Day, Honor your father and mother, Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not covet
• 11th Day – Eleven Pipers Piping – The Eleven Faithful Apostles (Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon, Judas son of James)
• 12th Day – Twelve Drummers Drumming – The Points of Doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed ( 1.I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7. I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8. the holy Catholic Church, 9. the communion of saints, 10. the forgiveness of sins, 11. the resurrection of the body, 12. and life everlasting.)

I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!

*There is some debate about the authenticity of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" being used to teach Catholics children about our faith. To me it doesn't matter whether it is true or not. The fact is we can use the song as a mnemonic device to teach our children about our faith.

4th Sunday of Advent: "Everything's Going to Be Okay"

Today is the fourth and final Sunday in Advent. Next up is Christmas - the time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In order to get to this celebration though, we first have to get to that time and place of his birth. Today's readings take us on quick scriptural journey of the prophecy of Jesus' birth, just before his birth, and after his resurrection. In all three readings, Father Bob told us in these week's homily, that one message is clear -  "Everything is Going to Be Okay."

Isaiah in chapter 7: 10-14 tells the people when the demand a sign that God will fullfill God's promise to David of the ideal king in 2 Samuel 7: 12-16. He tells them that a woman from the House of David shall give birth to son whom she will call Immanuel (Emmanuel) which means, God is with Us. Isaiah tells them that "Everything is Going to be Okay."

Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, finds out the she is pregnant. According to Jewish law at the time, he could have had Mary stoned to death for having relations with another man while betrothed to Joseph. But, Joseph was simply going to divorce her. I think Father Bob said it best when he said to put yourself in Joseph's shoes. Here he was very close to marrying Mary and think of how he must have felt when he found out she was pregnant, presumably by another man. Then, an angel appears to him in a dream and tells Joseph that "Everything is Going to be Okay." Think about the faith that Joseph displayed.

Finally, in Paul's letter to the Roman's, he tells the people that "Everything is Going to be Okay" because they "have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of [Jesus] name" among all peoples (Romans 1:5). Those first apostles laid the foundation for a Faith that has lasted close to two thousand years.

Christmas can be a very hard time of year for some people either because they are alone, have suffered tremendous loss, or are hurting for whatever reason. It makes me really sad for those folks because this is one of the two Seasons in the Church year that really reminds us that with faith "Everything is Going to be Okay."

I think it is up to us to remind those people who are suffering that they are not alone, we will do what we can to ease their pain. God never said it was going to be easy, but with a little bit of faith "Everything is Going to be Okay."

3rd Sunday of Advent: Gaudete - Rejoice!, Patience, and Preparation

The third Sunday of Advent is a time for us to rejoice as Christmas is getting ever closer. We must show some patience for we have still have preparations to make. Today's readings cover all three of these aspects for this glorious day.

"Let the desert and the dry lands be glad, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; like the asphodel, let it burst into flower, let it rejoice and sing for joy." (Isaiah 35:1-2a) We should rejoice; we know that Christ has come for us once, and we can prepare for the day when he comes again. It will be a glorious day.

In order to be ready for his second coming, we need to prepare our hearts. The first time around John the Baptist was sent before Jesus to tell of his coming. This time around, I do not know who will foretell of that great day when Jesus returns. We had better be ready. This is the perfect time of year for us to change. The Christmas season is full of chances for us to change and redeem ourselves.

We also need to be patient, because we do not know when Jesus will be back. 2 James 5:7 says: "Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord's coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains!"  Like a farmer, we are going to have to wait through barren seasons before the spring comes, in the form of Jesus.

2nd Sunday of Advent: Remorse vs. Repentance

Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent. Today's readings were about preparing for Jesus' coming and for whom Jesus came. Father's homily focused on one aspect of preparing for Jesus' coming - repentance.

He said that repentance was when you ask for forgiveness and then take steps to change your ways.  Remorse is merely asking forgiveness because you know what you have done is wrong. For example, if you have a man who cheats on his wife and feels badly about doing so, he may ask her forgiveness. Then, two months later he does the same thing. He has not repented. He will repent when asks forgiveness and stops cheating.

I had never really thought about repentance in that way. It was a pretty profound statement. I had always believed that if you asked God's forgiveness then you had repented. It never really occurred to me that I would need to change my ways to fully repent my sins. Then, as I sit here and write about it, I wonder why I did not see that earlier.

I would feel badly if I did not talk about the second topic covered in today's readings - for whom Jesus came. The simple answer is that he came for the Jews and the Gentiles. That covers everyone on the planet. It is comforting to me to know that no one is excluded. We just have to choose to follow in his Ways.

All Saint's Day 2010

Today is All Saint's Day. For those of you who do not know what this day is, this is the day when Roman Catholics honor all of the Saints known and unknown. What does known and unknown mean? Known Saints are the people who have been canonized (recognized) by the Church as being Saints and typically have a feast day on which they are honored. An Unknown Saint is anyone else in heaven.

I am not here to give you a lesson about the Catholic Church. Instead, I want to discuss a point our Priest made about the canonized Saints in his homily (sermon) tonight. He said that all of the canonized saints started out just like us.  They were people who had their own trials and tribulations; but they rose above those problems to do God's work and spread His Word.

For him to say that people like St. Joan of Arc or St. Peter (the Apostle Peter) was like me, was comforting and ironic.  Two weeks ago I was trying to explain the concept of Saints to my CCD (Faith Formation) class. One of the things I told them was that Saints were people just like us. As kids do, one of them asked a tough question. She asked me if Saints ever told lies. I told her I am sure they did at one point or another, and then it came to me. St. Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times just like Jesus told him he would. Anyway you slice it, Peter lied. In a way, that is comforting. He showed a great sign of weakness. But that is not how we define him today. He is recognized by Roman Catholics as the First Pope. He had done great things before his denial and continued to do great works after it.

Both St. Joan of Arc and St. Peter had humble beginnings. St. Peter began his life as fisherman. St. Joan of Arc was born in the peasant class in 15th century France and eventually led an army to help the King of France regain his crown from the English. They went on to do astounding works in the name of God.

My point is that we can be inspired by learning and honoring saints.  It does not matter if you are Catholic or not. The Saints were good people who were doing great things for the people of their time. For me, those are the best role models to have. This is especially true at a time when it seems decent role models are becoming scarce. Here is a link to a site that lists all of the canonized Saints and brief biography. Pick one and read about him or her and tell me that you are not at least a little bit inspired.

Terry Jones Annoys Me

I am extremely annoyed by the Pastor down in Florida, Terry Jones, who is planning to burn thousands of Korans on Saturday. What annoys me most is the fact that I feel compelled to write about him. My goal is to use this blog for fun; I do not want to write whole bunch of serious stuff. But, this situation is driving me crazy, and I have to get it out.

What does he think he is doing? What is tyring to gain by this? A few possible answers come to mind: He really thinks he is doing God's will; He is trying to attract attention to his church to bolster membership; or He has so much hate for Islam that he isn't thinking.

I know one thing for sure that he is doing, and that is boosting sales of the Koran in the Gainesville area. If you think about it, how many of his members have Korans lying around their houses? In a perverse way, the booksellers and publishing houses are going to be benefitting. Especially since Jones & Co. plan to burn thousands of copies. At around $10 a pop, that is a nice chunk of change.

This Jones character is also creating more hate which is exactly what we do not need right now. He is not acting Christ-like. I am pretty sure Jesus would not condone this. I cannot say for sure, because I have never had a face-to-face meeting with him. But from what I have heard and read, this is not how Jesus rolls.

He is acting a whole lot more like Hitler. Mr. Bookburner himself. The Nazis burned any books in Germany that did not live-up to the Nazi ideology. Jones is burning the Koran in part because he doesn't agree with its teachings. Sounds more Hitler-like.

If he is trying to convert people, again, he is not going about it the way his pastor, Jesus, would have done. Jesus taught people about love and helping your neighbors. He did not go around burning Torahs to get people to follow him. No, Jesus performed miracles and healed people. His following grew from his works and has continued to grow for over 2,000 years. Maybe Jones should take a lesson out of the book he puts so much faith in and help others by doing them a service rather than burning someone else's holy book.

I say to you, Terry Jones, if you want to get people to pay attention and not think you are off your rocker, be like Jesus and not like Hitler. Help people. Head north to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and work on the memorial that they are building to honor those that died on Flight 93. Or go to the local VA hospital and help the soldiers who have been injured serving our country. Or if you are dead set on a bonfire, go get some pallets to burn and have a nice prayer service.

Remember, Mr. Jones, channel Jesus; not Hitler.