[Robert Drobot]

The Story of Christmas by Abbe Dom Prosper Gueranger By God's design the number 40 is most significant in holy Mother Church's liturgical year, especially in this particular liturgical year. After four weeks of Advent, we follow with 40 days of Christmas called Christmastide, with the main emphasis on the time between the Nativity of our Lord and the Epiphany. This year within four days of the Feast of the Purification, we follow Christmastide with the 40 Days of Lent, then 40 glorious days before Christ's Ascension into Heaven. Alleluia, indeed! "There is scarcely a prayer, or a rite, in the Liturgy of this glad Season, which does not imply these two grand Mysteries: an Infant-God, and a Virgin-Mother. The Liturgy never loses sight of the Divine Babe and his incomparable Mother, and never tires in their praises, during the whole period from the Nativity to the day when Mary comes to the Temple to present [ our heavenly Savior ]." The Feast of Christmas We apply the name Christmas to the forty days which begin with the Nativity of Our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which she received the good tidings from the Angels on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing four thousand years. The Faithful will remember that the Liturgy commemorates this long expectation by the four penitential weeks of Advent. The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our Savior's Nativity by a feast or commemoration of forty days' duration is founded on the Holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending forty days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfill, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers. A Roman Feast The Feast of Mary's Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus' Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of forty days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Catholic Church. And firstly, with regard to our Savior's Birth on December 25, we have Saint John Chrysostom [ whose feast is during Christmastide on January 27 ] telling us, in his homily for this Feast, that the Western Churches had, from the very commencement of Christianity, kept it on this day. He is not satisfied with merely mentioning the tradition; he undertakes to show that it is well founded, inasmuch as the Church of Rome had every means of knowing the true day of our Savior's Birth, since the acts of the Enrolment, taken in Judaea by command of Augustus, were kept in the public archives of Rome. The holy Doctor adduces a second argument, which he founds upon the Gospel of Blessed Apostle Saint Luke, and he reasons thus: we know from the sacred Scriptures that it must have been in the fast of the seventh month that the Priest Zachary had the vision in the Temple; after which Elizabeth, his wife, conceived Saint John the Baptist: hence it follows that the Blessed Virgin Mary having, as the Evangelist Blessed Apostle Saint Luke relates, received the Angel Gabriel's visit, and conceived the Savior of the world in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, that is to say, in March, the Birth of Jesus must have taken place in the month of December. Christmas and Epiphany But it was not till the fourth century that the Churches of the East began to keep the Feast of our Savior's Birth in the month of December. Up to that period they had kept it at one time on the sixth of January, thus uniting it, under the generic term of Epiphany, with the Manifestation of our Savior made to the Magi, and in them to the Gentiles; at another time, as Saint Clement of Alexandria tells us, they kept it on the 25th of the month Pachon ( May 15 ) , or on the 25th of the month Pharmuth ( April 20 ). Saint John Chrysostom, in the Homily we have just cited, which he gave in 386, tells us that the Roman custom of celebrating the Birth of our Savior on December 25 had then only been observed ten years in the Church of Antioch. It is probable that this change had been introduced in obedience to the wishes of the Apostolic See, wishes which received additional weight by the edict of the Emperors Theodosius and Valentinian, which appeared towards the close of the fourth century, and decreed that the Nativity and Epiphany of our Lord should be made two distinct Festivals. The only Church that has maintained the custom of celebrating the two mysteries on January 6 is that of Armenia; owing, no doubt, to the circumstance of that country not being under the authority of the Emperors; as also because it was withdrawn at an early period from the influence of Rome by schism and heresy. An Infant-God and a Virgin-Mother But what is the characteristic of Christmas in the Latin Liturgy? It is twofold: it is joy, which the whole Church feels at the coming of the Divine Word in the Flesh; and it is admiration of that glorious Virgin, who was made the Mother of God. There is scarcely a prayer, or a rite, in the Liturgy of this glad Season, which does not imply these two grand Mysteries: an Infant-God, and a Virgin-Mother. The Liturgy never loses sight of the Divine Babe and his incomparable Mother, and never tires in their praises, during the whole period from the Nativity to the day when Mary comes to the Temple to present Jesus to God Almighty as His Son made Man. The Greeks, too, make frequent commemorations of the Maternity of Mary in their Offices of this Season: but they have a special veneration for the twelve days between Christmas Day and the Epiphany, which, in their Liturgy, are called the Dodecameron. During this time they observe no days of Abstinence from flesh-meat; and the Emperors of the East had, out of respect for the great Mystery, and that no servile work should be done, and that the Courts of Law should be closed, until after 6 January. Christmastide Greetings May His boundless and merciful love fill your homes and workplaces throughout this new liturgical year, and may each of us prove ourselves worthy of His forgiveness by our thought, word and deed in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Praise be the grace and glory of the Most Holy Trinity; Through our Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; Praise be His Holy Name. Robert Drobot robertdrobot@att.net .

[Robert Drobot]

THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS "God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven, and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" ~~ Philippians 2:9-10 I C X C Every Catholic should love and have great devotion to the Most Holy Name of JESUS, for this is the Name of our Divine Savior. More than that, this Name is our very Salvation: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" ~~ Acts 4:12 Yes, this is the teaching of Holy Mother Church. Contrary to popular ( anti-Catholic ) opinion, we do believe that our Divine Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. We cannot be saved apart from Christ by calling upon the name of Mary or any saint ( although we certainly love them as our family in Christ ). Our salvation is in the Name of Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us a share in His divine Life! Praised be His Holy Name! This is why the Church has long promoted devotion to the Most Holy Name of JESUS, and encourages her children to pray that Name often, invoking our God and Savior with His Name Above All Names. I C X C Monograms of the Holy Name Explained IHCΣOYOΣ PIEΣTOΣ *IHS* This monogram of the Holy Name, common among Roman Rite Catholics, comes from the first three letters in the Greek spelling of the name of Jesus. Those letters are iota ( "I" ), eta ( "H" ) and sigma ( here rendered as its Roman equivalent: "S"). Variations: Sometimes the iota is rendered as a "J" ( hence, "JHS" ), or one will see the monogram in all Greek letters, or with the final sigma in a "C" shape ( hence "IHC" ), an alternate way of rendering the letter sigma. They all mean the same thing. *IC X* This monogram is more common among Eastern Christians. It is composed of the first and last letters of Jesus' Name in Greek (iota and sigma) with the first and last letters of Christos, the Greek word for Christ (chi and sigma, respectively). The sigmas are both rendered in "C" form, resulting in "IC X". This monogram is commonly written on ikons of Christ near His halo to identify Him, and in the phrase "IC X NIKE", meaning "Jesus Christ Conquers". I C X C Holy Name Devotions The simplest form of devotion to the Most Holy Name of JESUS is the devout, loving recitation of that Name above all names. Each time you whisper His precious Name ... "Jesus" ... let it be a loving invocation to your Divine Savior and Lord. You can even make it part of a short prayer, as in saying: "Jesus, I love You!", "Praise You, Jesus", and or, Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me! ( a form of the Jesus Prayer ). Praise to the Holy Name of JESUS O Glorious Name of Jesus, gracious Name, Name of love and of power! Through You sins are forgiven, enemies are vanquished, the sick are freed from illness, the suffering are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to believers, instruction to preachers, strength to those who toil, and sustenance to the weary. Our love for You is ardent and glowing, through You our prayers are heard. The souls of those who contemplate You are filled to overflowing; and all the blessed in heaven are filled with Your glory. Grant that we too may reign with them through this Your most Holy Name. Amen PRAYERS OF REPARATION FOR BLASPHEMY Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain. ~~ Exodus 20:7 Golden Arrow "May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar." - 1 This prayer is said to have been revealed by Christ Jesus to a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy. "This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully," He said, "and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy." Praise to the Holy Name of Jesus The Holy Name of our Savior is taken in vain so often. When we hear someone use the Name above all names as a common swear word, we can cross ourselves and reverence the precious Name being defamed. Another commendable practice involves the devout, fervent recitation of the following prayer: May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed! May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed! May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed! May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed! May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed! Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee. The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus! The more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hope of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole Hope of mankind! The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus! The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus! The more Thy holy laws are transgressed and ignored, the more we shall delight to observe them, O most holy Heart of Jesus! The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O most generous Heart of Jesus! The more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice them, O Heart, model of every virtue! The more the devil labors to destroy souls, the more we shall be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous Lover of souls! The more sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus! The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus! The more Thy True Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more will we honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our fidelity and pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus! O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of Heaven. Amen. Nihil Obstat - John J. Clifford, S.J. Censor Liborum Imprimatur - + Samuel A. Stritch, December 17, 1943 Archbishop of Chicago. 1 - "The Golden Arrow", Pieta Prayer Book, (Hickory Corners, MI: MLOR Corporation, 1995) 61. © MLOR Corporation 1995. ("Pictures or prayers may be reproduced for personal use, not for commercial purposes") 2 - "Act of Reparation", Holy Hour of Reparation booklet, pages 12-13; copyright © 1945 Soul Assurance Plan(TM), Chicago, IL.