The Catholic Tradition of Christmastide
Professor Herman NuDix of Continuity College in Rome teaches a course on Christmastide, Everything is different, nothing has changed.
Professor Herman NuDix emailed ABS to try and allay his angst and anger at the obvious rupture in praxis - Christmastide used to always consist of Forty Days beginning with December 25th and ending forty days later on Feb 2, The Feast of Mary's Purification.
Dear ABS, there is no need for you to always be on edge, to always be on alert, to always be on guard, against what you imagine to be any changes in the Liturgical Year for any such "change" is merely superficial and does not really signify change at all but, rather, the very changes that unsettle you are, of course, just additional proof of continuity.
While it is superficially and nominally accurate (although this is argumentative on your part, I think) to observe that for this year - 2017 - Christmastide consists of just fifteen days - 15- as per the USCCB, and not forty days there is no reason for you to go mental.
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Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church year, second only to Easter itself. 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.
Below, you will find links to blessings and other content to help you celebrate this season of joy and hope for salvation.
Now, ABS, I would like you to consider for a
moment that both fifteen and forty are divisible by
five and what does the traditional song of
Christmas, "The Twelve Days of Christmas,"
teach about the fifth day of Christmas?
On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Christmas, "The Twelve Days of Christmas,"
teach about the fifth day of Christmas?
On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
ABS, since the glorious revolution of the early
1960s, the modern church has reached out with
open arms to the ever- maturing world and has
read the signs of the times (and the New York
Times) and concluded there had to be not only a
dialogue with the world but an accommodation
with the world and so, in its wisdom, the
Magisterium has taken the prudential decision to
split the difference between the forty days of
Christmas and the "Twelve days of Christmas"
and while some, and no doubt you are one of them
my recalcitrant friend, may say that is a surrender
rather than an accommodation, one must not
judge others because Gospel.
The fact remains that Christmastide is aught but
another example of the hermeneutics of continuity
in that Christmas does still fall on the 25th of
December and during this busy time of year, Holy
Mother Church thinks it is important that
Catholics can join with their non-Catholic, and
even pagan, friends on the Feast of the
Groundhog on Feb 2 and talk with them about
how the Groundhog is an type of Messias for if
the Groundhog is not only humble but a recondite
symbol of Christ born in a cave and then exiting
to be the light of the world then what does the
Groundhog symbolise to the world?
At this time of year, ABS, we must seek mercy and
not strife; we must seek mercy and not numerical
perfection ,for who of us is perfect?
ABS, remember the words of the Good Book;
The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David, King
of Jerusalem.
1960s, the modern church has reached out with
open arms to the ever- maturing world and has
read the signs of the times (and the New York
Times) and concluded there had to be not only a
dialogue with the world but an accommodation
with the world and so, in its wisdom, the
Magisterium has taken the prudential decision to
split the difference between the forty days of
Christmas and the "Twelve days of Christmas"
and while some, and no doubt you are one of them
my recalcitrant friend, may say that is a surrender
rather than an accommodation, one must not
judge others because Gospel.
The fact remains that Christmastide is aught but
another example of the hermeneutics of continuity
in that Christmas does still fall on the 25th of
December and during this busy time of year, Holy
Mother Church thinks it is important that
Catholics can join with their non-Catholic, and
even pagan, friends on the Feast of the
Groundhog on Feb 2 and talk with them about
how the Groundhog is an type of Messias for if
the Groundhog is not only humble but a recondite
symbol of Christ born in a cave and then exiting
to be the light of the world then what does the
Groundhog symbolise to the world?
At this time of year, ABS, we must seek mercy and
not strife; we must seek mercy and not numerical
perfection ,for who of us is perfect?
ABS, remember the words of the Good Book;
The words of Ecclesiastes, the son of David, King
of Jerusalem.
Continuity of Continuity, said Ecclesiastes,
Continuity of Continuity, and all is Continuity.