From Christmas to Calvary

A Blessed and Merry Christmas.

I find the liturgical week between Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1st. to be a wonderful connection of the birth of Christ and the whole of our faith. December 26th is the feast of St. Stephen, who was the first martyr for the faith. His death by stoning emphasizes our need for complete fidelity to the faith, even in the face of death. December 27th is the feast of the Apostle, John. His writings, especially the fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelations stress our responsibility to spread the faith and also points to the Coming of Christ at the end of time. December 28th is the feast of Holy Innocents. This feast commemorates Herod's killing of all the males children near Bethlahem who were two years and younger. This feastday accentuate the importance of all life, especially children and the unborn. The sanctity of life is a foundational element of our faith and the feast of Holy Innocents reminds us of this. The feast of the Holy Family is usually celebrated on the Sunday following Christmas, but it is on December 30th this year since Christmas itself was on Sunday. This feastday commerates the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. This reminds us of the extreme importance of the family in our Catholic faith. Marriage between one man and one woman, the prohibition against the use of contraception, which denies life, and the fact that the family is the primary environment in which we learn the faith are all emphasized in this feastday.

The week between Christmas and January 1st isn't simply the week of bowl games and playing with our new Christmas presents. It is a week in which we encounter many of the foremost elements of our faith.

Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 09:24 | link | comments |
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