A Beacon Of Light… Christmas, A Time Of Great Joy!
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)
- + + “And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest; and on Earth peace to men of good will” (Luke 2:8-14).
On December 25th we will celebrate the Incarnation of Christ the Lord. The above quote from St. Luke’s Gospel is the narrative of the announcement of the Birth of Christ. The yearly celebration of Christmas is truly a time of great joy! It is the moment in the history of salvation when our redemption is secured. This is accomplished in a very simple way. God uses the birth of a child, to restore humanity to Himself. Man is redeemed by man himself! The joy of Christmas Day doesn’t come and go! The joy of Christmas Day continues all through the Christmas Season during the twelve days that follow.
Each year the Christmas Season begins earlier and earlier. This year the stores were decorated before Halloween. And yet, as soon as Christmas Day is over, it’s like it never existed! As Catholics, the Christmas Season begins on Christmas Day and continues until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. So often, as I drive around the day after Christmas, I see people’s Christmas trees already on the curb for trash day. We need to remember Christmas begins on Christmas Day!
We all know the traditional holiday song called The Twelve Days of Christmas. This carol tells the tale of the interaction between two loves. This tale involves their giving a special gift for each during the twelve days of Christmas. I’d like to offer an idea for this Christmas, since the world is in such turmoil and there is such division: What if we used the twelve days from Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany to celebrate our faith. To do this we will take each day and connect it with an aspect of our faith.
On the First Day of Christmas: This is the day we celebrate the festive announcement that Jesus has been born. On this day we celebrate the beginning of our redemption. We gather at the stable of Bethlehem and offer the most precious gift ever: The gift of ourselves!
On the Second Day of Christmas: We celebrate the word made flesh. We celebrate the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, God’s revealed word to us. God’s word is alive and teaches us how to live our faith. From the most ancient of times, to the present, Sacred Scripture is always enlightening us.
On the Third Day of Christmas: We celebrate the virtues of faith, hope, and love. These virtues, called the theological virtues, are received in Holy Baptism. Faith enables us to know God and to serve Him. Hope invites us to long for the heavenly Kingdom. By knowing God through faith, we now desire to be with Him for all eternity and to see Him face to face. Love is the divine gift God gives us that shows the love He has for us. In receiving the virtue of love, we are filled with the desire to love others as God loves us.
On the Fourth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the Four Gospels. Through Divine Revelation, the Lord revealed to the Four Evangelists how to live our faith. During the Christmas Season, and every day of our lives, the Gospels teach us how to live the faith as Jesus taught His disciples. Since we are His disciples, too, the Gospels are the instruction manual needed to be the best disciples we can.
On the Fifth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the first five books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives us the history of man’s fall from grace. These books prepare us for the coming of Christ and our redemption. The Old Testament is man’s journey from slavery to sin, which is transformed into reconciliation and forgiveness, made manifest in the Birth of the Savior. Like the people of Israel who journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land, so too, we journey from the cleansing waters of Baptism to the promise of everlasting life.
On the Sixth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the six days of creation. God’s greatest work of all is seen in creation. From the creation of the seas and the skies, to the birds of the air and the fish in the sea, to the crawly and slithering creatures, to the animals roaming the Earth, God’s creative hand is at work. The greatest of all creation is Man! God created man and it was “very good.”
On the Seventh Day of Christmas: We celebrate the Seven Sacraments. The Seven Sacraments are where we encounter the Christ Child. In Baptism we receive the gift of faith. In Reconciliation we receive forgiveness and mercy. In the Eucharist we receive the spiritual food for the journey of faith. In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit as the apostles did to assist us in the journey of faith. In Marriage we participate in the sacrificial love that Christ has for His Bride the Church. In the Sacrament of the Sick, we are touched by the healing hand of the Lord, a remedy for physical, spiritual, and emotional illnesses. In Holy Orders, we receive the ministers needed to help guide us through the ups and downs of this journey of faith.
On the Eighth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the Eight Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Be satisfied with what you have. Share the good things we have with others because God wants us to.) Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Comfort those who are suffering. Help others feel better about themselves after a loss.) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. (Humility — a true sense of who you are. Get the ego out of the way.) Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. (Do what is fair for everyone. Think What Would Jesus Do.) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (We forgive those who are unkind to us. Look for ways to show kindness to others.)
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. (We do what is right just because we know it is the right thing to do.) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (We try to bring God’s peace to the world. We control our behavior so people can see Jesus in us.) Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (We are willing to stand up for God’s laws even if we are teased or insulted.) The eighth day of Christmas invites us to reflect on how we live our faith.
On the Ninth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit. In St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians we are reminded of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are Word of wisdom, Word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, gift of tongues, interpretation of tongues — these spiritual gifts are examples of how the Holy Spirit works through the faithful.
On the Tenth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the Ten Commandments. On this day we give thanks to God for establishing the Commandments to assist us in following the laws of the Lord. Man had sinned and turned away from the Lord. It was on Mt. Sinai the Lord revealed the Law to Moses. These laws would eventually lead us to redemption in Christ Jesus.
On the Eleventh Day of Christmas: We celebrate the eleven faithful apostles. The apostles were ordinary men, living ordinary lives. Jesus chose them because He knew their potential. During their denial, persecutions, imprisonments, and even martyrdom, the eleven apostles were always faithful to the Lord. We often find ourselves in similar circumstances and sometimes don’t know how to persevere in the faith. The eleven apostles show us the way by reminding us to always be focused on Jesus.
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas: We celebrate the 12 points of the Apostles Creed. If we break down the Apostles Creed, we have the 12 tenets of our faith. 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord. 3) Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary. 4) Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. 5) He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again. 6) He ascended into Heaven; He is seated at the right hand of the Father. 7) And He will come to judge the living and the dead. 8) I believe in the Holy Spirit. 9) The holy Catholic Church. 10) The communion of saints. 11) The forgiveness of sins. 12) The Resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. This is what we believe as Catholics! This is our Faith! And we are proud to profess it in Jesus Christ!
Christmas begins on December 25 and continues for twelve days. The 12 Days of Christmas presented here, help us make the Christmas Season a time to grow in our understanding of the faith.
I want to wish all our readers a very special and blessed Christmas Season. Please be assured of my prayers for you, and yours during the Celebration of the Incarnation of Christ. You will be remembered in a very special way in the Masses I celebrate on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas and May the love of the Christ Child fill your hearts with peace in the New Year!