Christmas is the LAST Catholic Event...
...That Truly Influences ALL of Modern Society.
This piece is more of a reflection than it is a commentary, but there will be commentary through out this article. If you are interested in statistics, I will have some more stuff along those lines before the end of the year.
That said, it is extremely important, that we OUTWARDLY celebrate Christmas as Catholics through out the world. Bold proclamations of “Merry Christmas” instead of being politically correct and saying “Happy Holidays” or the like.
Christmas is truly the last mainstay of Christendom that has managed to carryover into modern secular society. Every shop will decorate for Christmas, most companies still give people Christmas Eve and Christmas off BY NAME, and many radio channels will exclusively play “Christmas Music” from now till the end of the year.
EMBRACE IT. If we ever recapture Christendom in the West, then EVERY liturgical season will be the predominant fixture of society going forward, and that starts by all Catholics embracing their faith PUBLICLY.
That means we embrace the Church’s and the Saint’s feast days throughout December, and for those that need it, here is a brief list of those:
Major Feasts & Solemnities
Dec 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Mary preserved from sin).
Dec 25: Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).
Dec 26: Feast of St. Stephen (First Martyr).
Dec 27: Feast of St. John the Apostle.
Dec 28: Feast of the Holy Family & Holy Innocents.
Key Saints & Marian Feasts
Dec 3: St. Francis Xavier.
Dec 6: St. Nicholas.
Dec 7: St. Ambrose.
Dec 9: St. Juan Diego (Our Lady of Guadalupe apparitions).
Dec 10: Our Lady of Loreto.
Dec 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patroness of the Americas).
Dec 13: St. Lucy.
Dec 14: St. John of the Cross.
Dec 21: St. Peter Canisius.
Dec 31: St. Sylvester I.
As Catholics truly living our lives in the faith, we need to embrace this season, and take hold of it.
Go to Mass on December 8th (Holy Day of Obligation) and make sure people who ask what you are doing, know exactly what and why you are doing it.
Greet visitors in the Church at Christmas Masses, make sure they feel welcome (and obligated to return on Sunday for Mass).
Celebrate the traditions of Catholic Saint’s feast days, like putting out your shoes for small gifts on December 6th for Saint Nicholas Feast Day.
On that note though, we should also LIMIT music which diminishes Christ in Christmas. Many songs have completely secularized the season and make light of the Christian aspects of the season.
Songs like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, “A Holly Jolly Christmas”, “Silver Bells”, “Hallelujah”, “Winter Wonderland”, “White Christmas” etc. all attempt to secularize the season, with some songs even using Christmas in the title, but not giving any credence to the reason for the season.
It is important that even if these songs make it into the Christmas playlist, that children, and the rest of our families, are treated to plenty of songs that point to Christ and the Nativity. We should be adding songs like “Silent Night”, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, “O Holy Night”, “Hark the Herald Angel Sings” etc.
The decorations we put out for Christmas can also point to Christ, making sure we all put out our Christmas Nativity set (indoors and outdoors), and things like that can help to keep the season firmly Christian.
And on that note, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, make sure you all make it to Mass!
Sincerely,
Your Brother in Spirit, Frater Spiritus
Follow me on Twitter / X: @FraterSpiritus