The Christmas season is a time to care for the spirituality in our hearts and minds.
To prepare our hearts for Christmas, we must cultivate the spirit of expectancy.” “Peace with God, peace with others, and peace in your own heart.” “The good news of great joy changed the course of every silent night to come.” “The story of Christmas is the story of God’s relentless love for us.” Handel. H. Brown
“We Christians are called to safeguard and spread the joy of waiting,” Pope Francis said in an address at the Vatican. “We await God who loves is infinitely and at the same time we are awaited by Him. In this way, life becomes a great betrothal.”
The Christmas season stretches into early January with the Feast of the Epiphany. There are nine Catholic traditions to help celebrate this very special time of year and prepare our hearts and minds to receive God’s love beginning with the Advent Wreath.
ADVENT WREATH
Roman Catholics adopted this custom in the 1920s and within a decade, its use spread to North America. It symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the Western church.
NATIVITY SCENE
Also known as a creche, this tradition dates back to Saint Francis of Assisi, who is credited with creating the first live nativity scene in 1223 as a way to make public worship of Jesus part of the Christmas season. Typically, the manger is kept empty and only filled with the baby Jesus on Christmas Day.
FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS
Observed in most countries on December 6, this feast day is meant to celebrate the man who is the precursor to Santa Claus. The tradition is a homage to this early Christian bishop from the fourth century who had a reputation for secret gift-giving.
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
December 8 is the day Catholics celebrate the pure conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Known as the Immaculate Conception and is celebrated by Catholics around the world. It is generally considered a day to spend time with your family and one in which Catholics are obligated to attend mass.
FEAST OF SAINT LUCY
Celebrated on December 13, the feast day of Saint Lucy marks the life of this virgin martyr killed by the Romans. Executed in Sicily in 304, her veneration quickly spread across Europe. A number of traditions incorporate symbolic meaning to her as the bearer of light in the darkness of winter. Since some versions of her story recall that her eyes were removed by her executioners, Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind.
CHRISTMAS EVE/DAY
The day before Christmas is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of the birth of Jesus. Celebrations throughout Christendom have a tradition of starting on the evening of December 24 due in large part to the liturgical day starting at sunset the previous day, a practice inherited from the Jewish tradition of marking the sabbath.
The annual day commemorating the birth of Jesus is celebrated by all Christians who adhere to the Gregorian calendar. It is commonly celebrated by exchanging gifts and spending time with family.
Although the date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, several factors contributed to the choice of December 25. Most notably, it was the day of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. Saint Augustine, in his writings, said the date chosen to remember the birth of Jesus was “on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length.
FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN
December 26th is set aside to remember the first Christian martyr and used to extend the Christmas holiday. The Book of Acts chronicles that Saint Stephen was stoned to death.
SOLEMNITY OF MARY
Jan. 1 is the feast day to celebrate Mary’s motherhood and dates back to the early days of Christianity.
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY
Also known as Three King’s Day, it marks the official end of the Christmas season for Catholics. The holiday marks the adoration of the baby Jesus by the magi. In the Gospel of Matthew, the men found the child by following a star for 12 days that led them to Bethlehem. The men — Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar — presented Jesus with three symbolic gifts.
Those gifts — gold, frankincense, and myrrh — are steeped in symbolism. The gold represents Jesus’ standing as “King of the Jews,” while frankincense manifests the divine nature of His existence. Myrrh often used to embalm corpses in ancient times, is a symbol of Jesus’ mortality, a prelude to his death on Good Friday.
The Health and Wellness Ministry wishes you a Christmas season filled with the Love of God, Family, and Friends and blessings for good health and happiness.
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