Posted on 12/02/2013 3:43:06 PM PST by NYer
Fr. George W. Rutler (The Judge Report, December 1, 2013) writes:
... Without Advent, the only thing to do is to “rush” Christmas, with celebrations without much purpose. That turns Christmas inside out and can even make it depressing. Superficial Christmas is “joy without a cause” as G.K. Chesterton said in 1911 in his epic poem, The Ballad of the White Horse. He also said a couple of years earlier: “There is no more dangerous or disgusting habit than that of celebrating Christmas before it comes.
”Our Lord spoke of people who “loved the dark rather than the light” (John 3:19), and we see that today in those who would ban any mention of Christmas. The tendency to set up Christmas decorations before Christmas is at least a clumsy way of expressing a desire for light rather than dark, but it is futile without a moral awareness of what light and dark are.
Advent is awkward because its mysteries are not the sort of things entertainers dressed as elves sing about. While the Church calls attention to reality, avuncular clergymen often succumb to fantasy themselves, with Christmas parties in Advent and wreaths without reason. Of course, this is illogical, because it contradicts the way the Logos arranged the world. The Logos, or the Word, is Jesus himself, who uttered all things into being by saying, “Fiat” — “Let there be.” And the first thing he let there be was light: “Light from Light” as the Creed chants it. But the only way to recognize the illogic of Christmas without Advent is to “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
The choice of darkness rather than light is a preference for the Prince of Darkness rather than Christ the Light. The best way to walk in the Light is to get rid of the darkness in the soul, and so Advent is a prime time for confessing sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Then the penitent is re-united with the Light of the World. Christ sheds light on Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell, giving moral cogency to the mystery of life itself. “He is before all things, and by him all things are held together" (Colossians 1:17). As the highest truths are very simple, the simplest logic is this: Without the Christ of Christmas, all things fall apart.
And then there are the unrelenting commercials ... anyone seen this year’s Joe Boxer commercial? Sigh ...
I have a friend who does store decoration at one of the better department stores, (okay it is Macy’s) and she told me that it takes the entire staff at least a month working late into the evening to prepare the store for the day after Thanksgiving sale. That is considered the first day of Christmas in retail. They actually put the stuff out at night like elves. But, they have to do it in layers. That is why there seems to be Christmas stuff all over the place in early November.
Christmas dinner and leftovers are going to be big with me.
informative post...!!!
It seems to me if someone wanted to choose light over darkness, they would study the Scriptures to see the time of year when Christ was actually born. Hint: it could not have been in winter. And I’m pretty sure it would not have coincided with pagan traditions and celebrations.
Sept 29.
September was what I thought, but couldn’t remember the day. Thanks!
That dude Jesus was in town early so it seemed like the best time ti throw him a surprise party.
It appears the author believes no decoration, or celebration should occur until after advent. It is wise to consider advent a time for preparation rather than celebration but I believe such a cut and dried, dogmatic approach is not the proper way to judge. In fact it seems the Friar has more trouble with the manner in which people celebrate, by esteeming the festivities themselves higher than the reason to be festive; the rushing of Christmas being only a symptom.
Welcome. Feast of Tabernacles.
I would just like someone to show where God instituted that as one of His feast day celebrations. He did say not to add to or take from them but I can’t find that one.
That’s right. He came and “tabernacled” among us. :)
It would be nice.
Is this why my parents would never put up the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve day?
As a family, we would always gather around and decorate the tree on Christmas Eve, before going to church. We were Episcopalian, not Roman Catholic.
And, the tree had to be taken down on New Year’s Day, with all the family helping. It was our tradition, but my parents never explained why they chose to do it this way.
“....On the 29th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.....”
Matthew and Luke both have accounts of the birth of Jesus.
LOL And God commanded it as a feast day when?
It could have very well been in December. The problem is that the Roman and Jewish calendars don’t match up quite right, and they both drift in relation to “our” calendar (leap days and such).
Stuff like this makes dating anything more than a few hundred years ago problematic. Seriously.
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