The celebration of Christmas has interesting history. Soon after the end of the last great Christian persecution, about the year 330 AD, December 25 was designated for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Prior to that, predating the liturgical feast of the Nativity by at least a hundred years, Christians would gather every year for the Epiphany, when the wise men from the east brought gifts to the newborn savior. So, initially, Epiphany was a sort of proto-christmas In fact, it’s still on the feast of the Epiphany in many parts of the world is when gifts are exchanged, not today. Anyway, after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire, the Popes designated December 25 as the liturgical feast to specifically celebrate the blessed hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold.
The popularity of the feast of Christmas spread as Christianity spread throughout the known world: Christmas came to Ireland through St Patrick around 461 AD, to England through St Augustine of Canterbury around 604 AD and to the German tribes through St Boniface in 754 who basically invented the Christmas tree. The Irish monks St Columban and St Call introduced Christmas to Switzerland and Western Austria in the 600s; the Scandinavians received it through St Ansgar around 865 AD. It was brought by the brothers St Cyril and Methodius to the Slavic people in 885 AD and to Hungary by St Adalbert in 997.
By about 1100 all of the nations of Europe had accepted Christianity and Christmas was celebrated everywhere with great devotion and joy. The period from the 12th to the 16th centuries saw the development of the many beautiful Christmas traditions we now hold dear. Carols and Christmas plays were written. Devotion to the Christmas Creche of course was spread by St. Francis and the Franciscans. In fact, things got so festive, that the Pope had to dial things back a bit, he had to outlaw dancing in church on Christmas, and dressing up in outlandish costumes and playing practical jokes in church.
The Protestant Reformation brought some changes to the Christmas traditions of Europe. There were some beautiful Christmas carols that came from the Protestants. But then came the English puritans. And the puritans wishing to purge any last vestige of Catholicism from their spiritual lives denounced Catholic Christmas overly worldly and heretical, and so they launched a sort of anti-Christmas campaign in England. For a short time, as they held significant power in England, the puritans outlawed Christmas in 1642. Most people ignored the ordinances.
The Puritans finding England hostile to their anti-Catholicism, sailed for these shores. And as you might have guessed, when the Puritans came over to America, they did everything they could to suppress any vestiges of Catholic Christmas. Christmas was banned in Massachusetts in 1659. And those puritan, anti-Catholic sentiments really persisted for many years in this country. In many places there could be no Christmas trees, wrapped presents or caroling. It was not until 1870 that Christmas was designated as a federal holiday.
We can thank our german and irish and Italian Catholic immigrants for flooding this country and bringing with them all of the wonderful Catholic traditions, including of course, Christmas mass, and beloved carols, like Silent Night, translated from the original german in 1859.
St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish was founded in 1903 to be a home for all those immigrants who flooded Cleveland at the end of the 19th century. And, in many ways we are the descendants of those who saved Christmas in this country, infusing a very protestant and even puritan culture, with the beautiful traditions of Catholicism. And in a sense, we continue that mission don’t we?
For in 2020, For the first time in our lives, millions of Americans are being pressured by the government not to attend church for Christmas. In some states, heavy restrictions are being implemented. Will they be lifted? Maybe. Maybe this is one more phase of the war on Christmas, the war on Christ. Every year we hear stories of Christians gathered for Christmas in Africa, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey who fall victim to violent attacks and bombings. In the Middle East, more than 1 million Christians in Saudi Arabia are unable to participate in worship. Even the Vatican seems a bit reluctant to address the government infringement upon the Church in China, likely for fear of the Chinese Communists launching a new campaign of martyrdom.
The powers of darkness hate Christmas, the powers of darkness will always be bent upon stifling Christmas. Even in these last decades, we’ve seen materialism take on greater and greater importance. Even to turn St. Nicholas, a catholic bishop who preached the true humanity of Christ, into this neo-pagan god of winter. Santa is more beloved than the Christ Child by a great portion of the population. And that’s not right. But it makes our gathering to worship the Son of God being born in the piercing cold of midnight so important.
We need to know that God is with us, in this troubled, frightened, war-torn, disease-ridden world. And Christmas celebrates that a savior is for born for you who is Christ and Lord. In the immortal words of that great theologian, Linus Van Pelt: “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” “A savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.”
The Word has been made flesh and has made his dwelling among us. He is born for us and so struggles with us, he grieves with us, he suffers with us, and he whispers “do not be afraid” when the powers of darkness begin to encroach upon us. The light of Bethlehem overcomes the darkness of the world. The love of Bethlehem overcomes the piercing cold of selfishness.
Across two thousand years, Christmas brings joy and hope and consolation. No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what your circumstances, this what matters: “A savior has been born for you” “The Word is made flesh” And that’s something worth celebrating.
And Catholics celebrate, not simply as popular culture dictates or how any world government deems what is appropriate, we celebrate as Catholics have celebrated for 2000 years, with as much beauty, and music, and food, and family, and decorations, we can muster, and of course holy mass—Christ Mass—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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