Illustration in the Menologion of Basil II (c. 980)
Bible connection
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. — Luke 2:21
In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. – Colossians 2:11-15
All about the circumcision
New Year’s Day is also, among other things, the traditional Feast of the Circumcision of Christ. As today’s reading notes, on the eighth day after his birth, Joseph and Mary had Jesus circumcised in line with the command given to Abraham to do this as a sign of the covenant God made with him and his descendants. On this occasion Jesus was given the name the angel Gabriel had given Mary: “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” The circumcision of Jesus was first time Jesus shared humanity’s suffering as he was made part of the people of Israel, subject to the Law of Moses.
But as the second of today’s readings shows, the “eighth day” has a larger meaning that includes all of us in a new “circumcision.” The resurrection of Jesus was the first day of the renewal of creation!—”He is risen” echoes the Creator’s voice over the void: “Let there be light.” Jesus rose on the first day of the week which became the first day of the new creation. This first day coincides with the day of the week he was circumcised, the eighth day.
Paul makes meaning out of how these days go together. Like Jesus lost some foreskin to be made a member of the Old Covenant, all of us who are raised with Jesus lose the record of our sin, kept by the law. What’s more, we lose the domination of the rule of evil, kept at bay by the Lord’s triumph. We live in a New Covenant. From the blade to his foreskin to the blade in his side, the blood of Jesus we drink makes us one with him as he became one with us. We lose our death and are remade alive in Christ. This is the main reason we keep the first day special each week. It is the first day when Christ rose, but it is also the eighth day when we, and creation, were born again and were named the children of God.
On the 8th day of Christmas my true love sent to me…Eight maids a-milking.
The wonder of being new with Jesus is especially good news for the poor, who always get the worst treatment by the law and the rulers. It is the poor who enter the children’s song we have been exploring on this day: “Eight maids” is an odd present and watching them milk would make an odd parade float. It implies a herd which requires a lot of servants; so that is quite a gift to poor farmers!!
In the “secret” meaning of the song, the catechists were supposedly teaching children to remember the eight “beatitudes” (Matthew 5:3-10): Blessed are 1) the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
At the time this ditty was written, there was no job much lower than working in the barn. A female servant used as a milker meant she did not have much value to her master. But as today’s reading shows, she has a master who values her with his very life! Jesus disarms the authorities, and the poor are especially blessed. Today they lead the Christmas parade.
What do we do with this?
Pray: Jesus the poor and Jesus the risen, lead me into the fullness of the eighth day.
We love the idea of memorizing the beatitudes. Have you ever done that?
The first day/eighth day symbolism is rich. In an era when capitalism runs 24/7 and doesn’t really care what day it is, we lose the rhythm of the earth and our own bodies. We don’t keep the weekly marker of the Sabbath and often lose the value of holy days and seasons. Today might be a good day (or at least sometime this week) to mark the calendar with the times you don’t want to miss this year. This could include the birthdays of your friends and family, but it would certainly include the birthday of Jesus and the new creation! How about organizing the coming year around your life in Christ as a member of the body rather than trying to fit that meaning into your “time off?”
Be poor: a helpless baby being cut according to an arbitrary principle, a milkmaid stuck in the barn, a human accosted by the rulers of the air and the age. Those are the kind of people who get saved. Be risen. Be saved.
Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There’s no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?
Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right. – Romans 5:15-19 (The Message paraphrase)
All about Sylvester (285-335)
There is probably not a more “pagan” holiday than New Year’s Eve (not that some Christians don’t try to redeem it). If you are likely to go off some deep end, it might be wise to avoid tonight. If you feel strong enough to have some fun with the national celebration of making it through 2024, enjoy!
As a day in the church year, the 7th day of Christmas is the Feast of St. Sylvester, who was Emperor Constantine’s buddy and the pope who presided over the church becoming legitimate in the Roman Empire, along with managing some major building projects! [Irish video] The church calendar does not have a slot for New Year’s Eve or Day — that would more likely be Easter, if you need one, since there’s a beginning to celebrate! The traditional church calendar begins with Advent.
In Europe, some places call New Year’s Eve “Silvester.” In several languages New Year’s Eve is known as “St. Sylvester Night” (“Notte di San Silvestro” in Italian, “Silvesternacht” in German, “Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre” in French).
Sylvester was leading the church when the Arian heresy came to a head [link to video about Arianism]. During Sylvester’s time, the church held big meetings of its leaders to clarify their theology in relation to Greek/Roman philosophy about how Jesus could be God and not just another created being.
Many people are content to leave the “how?” of the Trinity mostly to mystery and deal with the “fact” of relating to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Paul is looking through the Jesus lens, not the metaphysical lens, when he says in today’s reading,
“If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?”
On the 7th day of Christmas my true love sent to me… seven swans a-swimming.
The undeserved gift of grace from love that transcends understanding is what Christmas is all about. So, it is appropriate the “secret” meaning of the Twelve Days of Christmas has SEVEN swans given on this day.
In terms of extravagant gifts, seven swans would definitely be what rich people have gliding regally in their private lakes. When the carol was written, most people considered swans to be the most graceful and beautiful fowl of all. Supposedly, the English Catholic catechists (who were forbidden to teach publicly) said the seven swans represented the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God. Others take elements of Bible spiritual gifts lists to make the main seven gifts: prophecy, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy). Regardless of your list, the idea is to enjoy these gifts of grace moving in your life, as valued, serene and confident as a swan on God’s lake.
What do we do with this?
Pray: God gifting yourself in Jesus, I receive you by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are Arians who believe Jesus is a created being who is therefore not eternal and not God. They specifically argue that Jesus was Michael the Archangel. Our era tends to solve the problems of heresies and pluralism, in general, by ignoring people or saying everything is fine as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. But our view of God matters. Your view may not be too metaphysical, but what is it? How do you see God, when you are just reacting, not thinking real hard? May we suggest a Jesus lens, regardless? [About the Arian crisis]
Answer this question from the reading today: “Can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?” Journal what you are imagining. If you grasp the gift with both hands, what will that mean in 2024?
Saint James the Greater, Rembrandt f. 1661 — Clothed as a pilgrim, with a scallop shell on his shoulder, and his staff and pilgrim’s hat beside him.
Bible connection
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. — Acts 11:27-12:3
All about James (ca. 4-44)
James, the Apostle was one of the twelve disciples who made up Jesus’ inner circle. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles to die (after Judas Iscariot), and the first to be martyred.
On December 27, you got to know his younger brother, John, also an Apostle. Together, they were known as the “Sons of Thunder” apparently due to their impetuosity and anger.
Some commentators suggest his temper got James noticed and killed. The famous F. F. Bruce notes that the line in Acts about his death introduces a longer story about Peter’s miraculous escape, which he attributes to the “mystery of divine providence.”
James’ martyrdom makes him even more influential in death than in life, especially in the church on the Iberian Peninsula. Saint James is the patron saint of Spain and his remains are believed to be located in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia: Sant’ (saint) Iago (James) de (of) Comp (field) o (of) stela (stars), referring to the star that guided those who discovered his burial ground.
This “discovery” leads to the interesting history of the church in Spain and the symbol of it James becomes.
Mozarabic liturgy
Christianity gained dominance in the wake of the conversion of Emperor Constantine early in the fourth century. As communities emerged from smaller gatherings to large assemblies in public halls and new church buildings, common worship practices developed. The forms used in the patriarchal cities (where the leader of the area bishops lived) had greater influence. By the 5th century there are many families of liturgies. In the East: Armenian, Alexandrian, Antiochene, Byzantine, West and East Syriac. In the West: African (completely lost), Gallican, Celtic, Ambrosian, Roman, and Hispanic (later Mozarabic) families.
Unlike all other families, the Hispanic Rite celebrates James on December 30, and so he is celebrated, here.
Mozarab church in Santiago de Peñalba, 1960
In 507, the Visigoths [nice history video], who were Arian Christians, moved their capital city to Toledo. We can tell there was already a distinct liturgical tradition in Hispania prior to their arrival because the Hispanic liturgy lacks any Arian influence. This ancient liturgy went on to survive the occupation of the Iberian peninsula by Islamists from 711 to 1492. It became associated with the Mozarab (Arabized) Christians of Andalusia in southern Spain, so is called the Mozarabic Rite. Even though Spanish kings wanted to adopt the Roman Rite and join the rest of Europe, the church leaders and the people of Spain wanted to keep their distinctives and the rite was generally accepted as an non-heretical alternative.
Legend of St. James
By the 1100’s, the legend of St. James, which had been growing for centuries, was compiled. Two propositions are central to the story: 1) James preached the gospel in Hispania as well as in the Holy Land; 2) after his martyrdom, his body was carried by sea to Hispania, where it came ashore at Padrón on the coast of Galicia, and made its way inland for burial at Santiago de Compostela.
As to the first proposition, according to ancient local tradition, on January 2, 40, the Virgin Mary appeared to James on the bank of the Ebro River (from which we get “Iberia”) in the old Roman town, Caesaraugusta (now Zaragoza), while he was preaching. The fact that she would have still been alive is not explained. She appeared upon a pillar, and that pillar is conserved and can be venerated within the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar right on the Ebro. Following that apparition, James returned to Judaea, where he was beheaded.
As to the second proposition, the translation of James’ relics from Judaea to Galicia in the northwest of Hispania was purportedly accomplished by a series of miraculous events. One version says his decapitated body was taken up by angels and sailed in a rudderless, unattended boat in the shape of a single scallop shell to Iria Flavia (now Padron), up the Sar River until a massive rock closed around it. Another version says the disciples of James, Theodore and Athanasius, brought the remains to Spain and asked Queen Lupa to provide a place to bury the apostle. She appears in the Codex Calixtinus, which describes how she tries to get the disciples killed, which does not work. Then she tries to get them to go into a cave which is the entrance to hell and is guarded by a dragon, but the Holy Cross saves them. She gives in, converts and helps build the apostle’s tomb in Libredon, a hill near Compostela. The relics were discovered by Pelayo (Pelagius the Hermit) in the forest in 812
These traditions were the basis for the many pilgrimage routes established in the 9th century to visit the shrine dedicated to James at Santiago de Compostela. The Way of St. James is still one of the most famous Christian pilgrimages in the world.
In the Middle Ages the tradition was further embellished and James miraculously appeared to fight for the Christian army during the legendary battle of Clavijo in 844 as the reconquest of Muslim lands began. After this, the apostle was also called Santiago Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer). Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) has Don Quixote explaining in The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha that “the great knight of the russet cross was given by God to Spain as patron and protector.” The cross of St. James became a familiar symbol of this more martial James, with the top looking like a sword hilt, while maintaining the scalloped top, alluding to the shell — a symbol of James that marks the routes of the Way of James. If you want to make a cake to celebrate James, today, put a stencil of the cross on top and sprinkle powdered sugar around it to sanctify your dessert. People do this in Spain.
More
22-minute documentary video that tells you everything:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches in 1829 the Apostles James, Peter and John appeared as heavenly messengers to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred upon them the Melchizedek priesthood authority of apostolic succession, and thus giving the authority on earth to their organization, exclusively. In a similar fashion, John the Baptist appeared to Smith and Cowdery and conferred upon them the Aaronic, or lesser, priesthood, stating that he was doing so under the direction of James, Peter and John.
In 1553, Pope Julius III regulated mixed marriages between Mozarabic and Roman Christians with the ruling that the children were to follow the rite of the father, but if the eldest daughter of a Mozarab married a Roman, she and her husband might choose the rite to which she and her children should belong, and if she became a widow she might return to the Mozarabic Rite, if she had left it at her marriage. This rule remained in force up until the early 20th century.
Six geese a-laying on the road
On the 6th day of Christmas my true love sent to me… six geese a-laying. The song we have been including in our Christmastide prayer is also a good example of adding on meaning to things which don’t have it, on the face of it.
In the “secret” meaning of the song the six geese and their eggs represent the six days in which the Lord made the world. 1) The language used to describe the beginning of creation in Genesis 1 is related to a bird brooding over her eggs. 2) In Job 38, the starts “brood.” He ask where we-who-question-God’s-goodness were “when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly children of God shouted for joy?” These angelic “morning stars” appeared in the heavens again to shepherds when Jesus was born and again sang for joy over the new creation. Advent is all about “brooding” and Christmastide is all about the joy of birth.
What do we do with this?
On the Roman Catholic calendar, this day in 2024 is an “unencumbered day.” That means no saints, feasts or special obligations are attached. So you devotees can relax, for once.
James is a fascinating character. Out of whole cloth, Europeans develop legends that befuddle post-modern people accustomed to provable facts being “truth” (notwithstanding the last American election, that is). [Rod writes of a similar legend from France]. ……The veneration of relics and a the spiritual discipline of pilgrimage developed when Constantine’s mother came back from the Holy Land with a remnant of the “true cross” and the Emperor began building churches on the site of a martyr’s death. The fantasies and abuses surrounding practices related to relics and pilgrimages are religiously debunked by modern people who have their own delusions (and Chaucer gives them a few whacks). However, the enormous demonstration of faith, hope and love they represent are often overlooked. Consider how you might make your own spiritual pilgrimage. For inspiration, try the book Soulfaringby Cintra Pemberton, who explores pilgrimage in the Celtic Church centuries before the Visigoths take Spain.
Cut through the legends and concentrate on what you know about the Apostle James from the Bible. Read Luke 9:28-56 and imagine being James. Really, what if you were James in these stories? What would you feel and learn?
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright. — Psalm 20:7-8 [Here it is in song]
All about Thomas Becket (1118-1170)
The Fifth Day of Christmas is also a time to remember the faith of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was martyred for his defense of the rights of the church against the English king, Henry II.
Like yesterday’s Feast of the Holy Innocents, this day adds the somber foundation for Christmastide, since every incarnation of God’s grace has an opponent waiting to kill it.
The church and the burgeoning idea of the “state” vied for power in Europe as it emerged from centuries of reorganization after the fall of the Roman Empire. Periodically, a leader would have an actual debate about the theology of the matter with some kind of spiritual conviction instead of just managing his power in order to expand it.
Once Becket was made the leader of the English church, he surprised the king with his new set of convictions. Like the surprising Oscar Romero who stood up against U.S.-sponsored death squads and unjust government soldiers, Becket was murdered in his own church building.
Becket had more influence as a martyr than a leader. Within years, King Henry was making public penance at his very popular shrine and pilgrim destination.
Becket’s Well in the 1950’s
Once a saint, Becket’s fame grew around the Norman world. He remains a peculiar, English phenomenon. As a member of the clan who were founders of the mercantile fraternity of Mercers, Becket was much lauded as a Londoner and adopted as the city’s co-patron saint with Paul the Apostle: they both appear on the seals of the city and of the Lord Mayor. The idea of drinking the “water of Saint Thomas,” sprang up, meaning one could buy a miraculous mix of water and the remains of the martyr’s blood. Here’s the story:
A citizen of Canterbury dipped a corner of his shirt in the blood [of Becket], went home, and gave it, mixed with water, to his wife, who was paralytic, and who was said to have been cured. This suggested the notion of mixing the blood with water, which, endlessly diluted, was kept in innumerable vials, to be distributed to the pilgrims; and thus, as the palm was a sign of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and a scallop-shell of the pilgrimage to Compostela, so a leaden vial or bottle suspended from the neck became the mark of a pilgrimage to Canterbury. — Arthur P. Stanley, Historical Memorials of Canterbury
Local legends reflected Becket’s well-known gruffness. “Becket’s Well”, in Otford, Kent, was said to have been created after Becket was displeased by the taste of the local water. Two springs of clear water bubbled up after he struck the ground with his crozier. The pilgrims to Canterbury grew greatly in number. (Chaucer’s Canterbury Talesmentions Becket)
Pray: Guide me on the difficult path of discernment and trust
Christians often talk a good game when it comes to “speaking truth to power” but we mostly keep to ourselves. We even have problems talking to each other! So we can get locked into going with whatever the latest graceless thing the government is doing, even acting as if political power is all that matters. This day calls us to change our perspective.
Pray with your journal and ask the Lord to show you what you actually trust. It might be the fear-led defenses that protect you from experiencing lack of trust! It may be some substitute for God that promises safety in a troubling world. It may be yourself. “Who or what do you actually trust?” is a basic question we all need to answer, right?
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. – Luke 2:15-16
All about the Holy Family
Today’s reading provides the picture of the iconic family: Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Almost everyone, Christian or not, has seen a painting or a card depicting this group. In Roman Catholic culture, today is the Feast of the Holy Family, designed to focus everyone on the spirituality of the home.
In Eurocentric Christianity, this veneration for the Holy Family as a group, did not arise until the 1600’s and was not officially recognized until the feast day was formally instituted in 1921. That was also about the time the phrase “nuclear family” was coined to define the basic, normal family grouping in a capitalist society. The feast was originally celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany but was moved to the Sunday after Christmas in 1969, to bring it within the Christmas season, the most family-oriented season of the year.
Both the Catholics and Protestants have been obsessed with the health of the family as capitalism has done all it could to fracture it in the name of enriching it. The Church’s focus has often left unmarried people, people from broken or foster homes, and people who don’t fit into hetero-normative relationships feeling like second-class members of the Church — all the while Jesus never married and Paul suggested it might be better if one did not.
Nevertheless, it makes sense to have a very “fertile” day in the midst of the Christmas celebration. It is, after all, a celebration of miraculous conception and the birth of the Son of God! The incarnation overturns the propensity of spiritual people to long to be without a body by affirming the goodness of the body as a fitting place for God to dwell and affirming the miraculous experience of sexual ecstasy, conception and birth. The incarnation is all about reclaiming and restoring the good, reproducing creation.
More
An interview with Janet McKenzie, the artist of the painting above. [link]
It is not without merit that On the 5th day of Christmas my true love sent to me… Five Gold Rings.
For two centuries after the Reformation, the Catholic structure of the Church was repressed in England, especially. The legend has grown up that catechists used this song for children to defiantly teach their polity.
Purportedly, the gift on the fifth day “secretly” represents the Torah, the central five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The gift of these books reminds the singer of humanity’s fall from grace and of God’s response by creating a people to be a light to the world into which THE Light of the World would be born.
What do we do with this?
Pray: Open the eyes of my heart so I can see what you have done and sing for joy over the new creation.
Christians often look askance at people who can’t love their families. So let’s assume you have already considered how that area of your life is going — how you relate to mom and dad, how you are a mom or dad, and whether you live as a beloved child of God. If not, pause here.
Let’s spend some time singing with the morning stars. Recall one of the Christmas songs that have now stopped playing wherever religious songs are still played. Let it play over and over in your mind or in your ears, until you stop resisting it and go with its joy. “Joy to the World” is a good choice. Let it impregnate you with some goodness. Here are suggestions for new carols to move with which might not be in your repertoire: The Huron Carol. Tu scendi dalle stella. Daystar Carol.
The Massacre of the Innocents by Angelo_Visconti (c. 1860)
Bible connection
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” – Matthew 2:16-18
All about the Holy Innocents
The fourth day of Christmas honors the memory of the Holy Innocents, all of the young boys slaughtered at the command of King Herod when he hoped to kill the newborn Jesus.
Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, was unpopular with his people because of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference. So he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife, his brother, his sister’s two husbands, and a number of his own sons, to name only a few.
Herod was “greatly troubled” when magi from the east came asking about where the “the newborn king of the Jews” might be whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus and offered him their gifts. Then, warned by an angel, they avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt.
Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children…” (Matthew 2:18). Rachel was the wife of Jacob (Israel). She is pictured as weeping at the place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering Assyrians for their march into captivity.
More
There is no way the incarnation is going to go unchallenged. In Jesus of Nazareth, Herod’s murders are depicted without today’s graphic treatment, but the scene is disturbing, nonetheless. [link]
On the 4th day of Christmas my true love sent to me… Four Calling Birds [That is, in the 1909 American version. Earlier English versions have “colley birds” or black-as-coal birds. There are other versions as well.]
The spiritualized version of the song says this secretly stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who told the life and ministry of Jesus from birth to death to resurrection. The word for church in Greek is, essentially, the “called out ones.” The first believers (like the gospel writers) were “calling birds,” called out to build the church.
What do we do with this?
Pray: Help me not to give up weeping for the children.
Like it happens so often with United States leaders, Herod called out hatred based on fear. What resulted was a military action that killed children. His action was as astounding a scene as the pictures of children massed at our border, or wandering around the rubble of Gaza City, or experiencing the worst impact of climate change with the most vulnerable.
In juxtaposition to such a horrible memory, this day includes a call from the gospels to see Jesus, the holy innocent, who takes away the sins of the world. To whom are you listening? To what are you called? In what death-dealing action are you complicit? — be it a blow to your own innocence or the sacred heart of other? For what are you calling? Today is a good day to meditate on those questions.
“Jesus and the Beloved Disciple” by John Giuliani, 1996
Bible connection
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:12-13
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love (Jesus). – John 15:9
All about John (c. 6-100)
Today is the feast day of John, the Apostle and Evangelist, who recorded the words of Jesus, quoted above. He called himself “the beloved disciple.” I doubt that means he was more beloved than the others, but it certainly means he knew he was loved!
John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James. According to church tradition, their mother was Salome.John is one of two disciples (the other being Andrew) recounted in John 1:35–39, who upon hearing John the Baptist point out Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” followed Jesus and spent the day with him, thus becoming the first two disciples called by Jesus.
Jesus referred to Zebedee’s sons as “Boanerges” (translated “sons of thunder”). A Gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on an unhospitable Samaritan town, but Jesus rebuked them. John was also the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had “forbidden” a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus’ name, prompting Jesus to state that “he who is not against us is on our side.”
John is always mentioned in the group of the first four apostles in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, listed either second, third or fourth. He, along with his brother, James, and Peter, formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry: the raising of Jairus’ daughter, his transfiguration, and his time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus sent only Peter and John into the city to make the preparation for the final Passover meal.
After the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, only Peter and John followed him into the palace of the high-priest. The “beloved disciple” alone, among the Apostles, remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross. Following the instruction of Jesus from the Cross, the beloved disciple took Mary, the mother of Jesus, into his care. Peter and John were also the only two apostles who ran to the empty tomb after Mary Magdalene bore witness to the resurrection of Jesus.
After Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, John, together with Peter, took a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. He was with Peter at the healing of the lame man at Solomon’s Porch in the Temple and he was also thrown into prison with Peter. Later, only Peter and John went to visit the newly converted believers in Samaria.
John is traditionally believed to live on for more than fifty years after the martyrdom of his brother James, who became the first Apostle to die a martyr’s death in AD 44.
Most authorship of New Testament works are disputed. John is the author of the Gospel bearing his name, three letters and the Book of Revelation.
Present-day French hens — Faverolles
On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love sent to me… Three French Hens.
Today is also the third day of Christmas. Going with our spiritualization of the kid’s Christmas song, the singer’s “true love” (that would be Jesus, in this case) sent His true love (John, Paul and the rest of us disciples/friends) three “virtues” — that is, three inner motivations that dispose one to act rightly. In the Catholic catechism, faith, hope and love are the “theological” virtues.
The famous Thomas Aquinas explained that these three virtues are called theological “because they have God for their object, both in so far as by them we are properly directed to Him, and because they are infused into our souls by God alone, as also, finally, because we come to know of them only by Divine revelation in the Sacred Scriptures”
Actual French hens, in the song, are probably just everyday chickens, although fancy French hens have been bred for show since the 1800’s. In the 1600’s, however, a meal of three nice chickens would be what rich people were eating. Some interpretations of the song say the “secret” meaning has a lot to do with expensive gifts brought by the wise men: gold, frankincense and myrrh. In that case you can sing this verse as a praise song, seeing Jesus telling the world how his true love made a feast for him in the cold world, and offered her best to do it.
What do we do with this?
Pray: As the Father loves you, you love me. Thank you.
Regardless of secret meanings, the clear message of John is all about love: Jesus and you are one another’s beloved and you are exchanging valuable gifts. It would be terrible to keep Christmas with a discussion of the value of chickens or an assessment of one’s virtue, wouldn’t it?!
Be the beloved who got the “chickens” on whatever level you want to interpret that. Supply your own secret meaning, if you like.
Be the lover who gives the gifts. We often feel so needy, we forget our commitment to love. Why don’t you take a step out of your usual reactions to others or your usual routine and do something that gives someone some love in a way they can understand? Don’t call attention to the fact you are doing this, just be it. Later, write in your journal about how that felt or how it didn’t.
When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking to me. “Quick!” he said. “Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.”
“Lord,” I replied, “these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.”
Then the Lord said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
All about Stephen (ca. 5-34)
The future that dawns with the birth of Jesus does not come without cost.
For Stephen, the future meant trading his life for telling the truth to the powers that be (Acts 6-7).
Stephen was dragged before the Sanhedrin where he faced faced two accusations: 1) he had declared that Jesus would destroy the Temple in Jerusalem and 2) he had changed the customs of Moses. Stephen denounces his accusers and listeners as “stiff-necked” people who, just as their ancestors had done, resist the Holy Spirit. “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of the angels, and have not kept it.”
The crowd, so impugned, could not contain their anger. They descended on him and took him out to be stoned. At the place, Stephen looked up and cried, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God” — the recently resurrected Jesus was standing by the side of God.
The people from the crowd, who threw the first stones, laid their coats down at the feet of a young man named Saul who later took the name Paul, the apostle. Stephen prayed the Lord would receive his spirit and forgive his killers. He sank to his knees, and “fell asleep.” Saul “was consenting unto his death.” In the aftermath of Stephen’s death, the remaining disciples except for the apostles fled to distant lands, many to Antioch.
We remember the death of the first Christian martyr on the second day of Christmas each year. This is the “feast of Stephen” we sing about in the Christmas carol: “Good King Wenceslas.”
BTW — Vaclav (“vatslaf” in Czech) Havel who died a few years back , is a namesake of King Wenceslas and also something of a martyr for speaking back to the powers when the Czech Republic was born in spite of Soviet occupation. Stephen was the first martyr of many to come in the church.
For Paul, moving into the dawn of the future meant leaving Jerusalem in a hurry, at one point, told in today’s reading. Following Jesus still means an adventurous, but totally unpredictable and often troubling life on the road.
More
From Rod: Stephen Day: The gift of Martyrdom [link]
An enacted reading of the whole story of Stephen as recorded in Acts 7:
Where is Stephen buried? Israeli and Palestinian archeologists say they found his tomb in Ramallah in 2014. Salesian monks say he is buried in a cave at Beit Jimal. Pope Pelagius II claimed he interred him next to St. Lawrence in the , whose tomb is enshrined within the church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura after he became pope in 579. According to the Golden Legend, the relics of Lawrence moved miraculously to one side to make room for those of Stephen.
St. Stephen’s Day was a big day in England. It was known as Boxing Day, the day church alms boxes were opened and the contents distributed to the needy. Nowadays is it a big day for hospitality; many people look for people who might be left out to fill their table. In Ireland some places held Wren Day — check out the link if you’d like to know another place Mummers came from.
On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love sent to me…Two Turtle Doves
Receiving doves is a symbol of truth and peace. That would be lovely enough. If you want to go with the possibly-catechetical secret meaning of the 12 Days carol, the two doves represent the Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God’s self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the story of God to the world.
What do we do with this?
Pray: Help me look around without fear and see my opportunities to share your truth and love.
It costs us to tell the story of our faith, or so we fear. What is your story? Spend a minute with Jesus and let him help you remember who you are in Christ. Maybe you should write it down.
“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . .” — Luke 13:34
All about Christmas Day
Jesus followers celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the incarnation of God. As a result, it is also a profound celebration of our own incarnation as the body of Christ composed of the children of God.
These days, as we gather around our Christmas trees to celebrate Christmas, few of us think of Christmas Day as a beginning. For most people Christmas is the culmination, the climax of weeks of planning, shopping, and anticipation. Not many are even aware that, traditionally, Christmas is just the first day of a twelve-day season of joy.
Ever since the Council of Tours met in 567 and proclaimed the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred and festive time, the Church has officially observed both an Advent season for preparation and a Christmas season for the celebration of our Lord’s nativity.
Unfortunately, much of the richness of religious seasons like Christmastide was muted in the Reformation. The people determined to reform the Roman Catholic Church tried to move people from the visual to the intellectual, from elaborate ritual to simple observance; they favored minimalist gatherings for teaching and prayer rather than spectacles. As a result, the festivals of Advent and Epiphany, which had become the mix of biblical stories and allegorical traditions they still are today, were suppressed in Reformed churches. However, in spite of the church’s stand, people weren’t willing to give up some of their delightful Christmas customs. As a result, Advent and Christmas became desacralized and became times of good-natured reveling rather than times for spiritual observance.
Recently some Evangelicals and Anabaptists have tried to recapture the spiritual festivals of the Christian year. They have revisited the wisdom the church year dramatizes and how it gives the whole church another look at the story of Jesus at the heart of everything. The church year forms an annual curriculum, of sorts, that tells the story of our faith: those who experience it soak up the basics of the gospel. It begins with Advent.
Christmastide allows us a restful, celebrative season to soak in the spiritual and relational joys of being one with Christ who became one with us and will come again to welcome us into the age to come in fullness.
So let’s have the twelve days of Christmas until January 5 (Twelfth Night) and enjoy Epiphany, January 6.
The popular song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” can lead us. This old carol is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children. It would not be a mistake to keep it there.
However, some authors in the 1990’s suggested that it was also a song of Christian instruction, perhaps dating to the 17th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Christian faith. They contend that it was a device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The “true love” mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who shares faith in Jesus. Each of the “days” represents some aspect of the truth in Christ that is important for children to learn. It is probably just a fun dance song that is sort of annoying when it is merely sung. But pondering how it could represent deeper things is fine. [Try these thoughts]. Jesus followers can meditate on almost anything and experience the presence of God leading us to dance! So let’s start with a line from the “Twelve Days” each day.
On the 1st day of Christmas my true love sent to me… A partridge in a pear tree
Since partridges are unlikely to be seen in pear-trees (they are ground-nesting birds), it has been suggested that the text “a pear tree” is a corruption of the French “une perdrix” (a partridge).
For those who want this song to have a religious meaning, the partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge. Legend has it that partridge mothers will feign injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings. This would be something like the Lord’s sentiment in today’s reading, wanting to take Jerusalem under his wings like a hen. The ground-nesting partridge stuck in a tree is as odd as the Son of God, now lying relatively secure in the manger, nailed to “the tree.”
What do we do with this?
Pray: I greet you Lord, born this happy morning. To you be all glory given.
If faith is expressed in one’s childhood home, they are more likely to be part of the church when they are older. Repeated traditions help all of us know and remember who we are and develop our identity as God’s children. Celebrations help us all express our faith.
Advent was meant for anticipation and preparation. Christmastide is for an extended celebration. Getting the horse back into the barn it escaped on Black Friday is probably a lost cause. But these entries are little gifts to help us recover from the worldly glut that most of us just experienced and refocus on the Joy to the World about whom angels were singing in the wee hours of this morning [Inspiring, multicultural Evangelicals]. If you really want to get into it, you could spread out the kids’ gifts over twelve days with the best one reserved for Epiphany. You could offer little gifts to those you love or who ought to love Jesus over these days of celebration — just little love notes would be more than most people get.
Like Jesus, you might want to look out over our region and have some feelings. On the one hand, literally millions of people understand quite well what this day is all about. On the other hand millions do not know what their ignorance and rejection is storing up for them. We wish we could hold them all in love.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. – Luke 2:8-16
All about Christmas Eve
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. God bless you as you sort out the two millennia of associated traditions and practices which have proliferated around the world.
The evenings before major Church holidays have taken on significance of their own. The vigil on Christmas Eve is the culmination of the Advent time of waiting. We come to Bethlehem ourselves to greet the King as God comes to be among us.
European winter festivals
As the church became the dominant feature in many cultures, the celebration of holy days were expressed in the local language and elements of local cultural traditions were incorporated, repurposed, or given a deeper meaning.
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the birth of Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many cultures rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the long dark nights were behind them and they could look forward to growing sunlight.
In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. So Nat King Cole sings, “Yuletide carols being sung by a choir.”
In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people and decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside. So Santa flying in on his sleigh from the North Pole is not completely surprising.
In Italy, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Roman-influenced people celebrated the Saturnalia, a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. Beginning the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. In some places, slaves could become masters and peasants could command the city (a “Lord of Misrule”). Businesses and schools closed so everyone could join in the fun. So turning the whole Christmas season into a “holiday season,” even redefining the word “holy-day” as “vacation” or “party” is not unprecedented.
In multicultural Rome, also around the time of the winter solstice, some Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring children. Some historians suspect some members of the upper class celebrated the birthday of Mithras, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25 (but this is mostly false). It was believed that Mithras, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans (like Emperor Constantine before he switched sides), days devoted to Mithras were the most sacred of the year. So getting a tear in one’s eye at the sight of a child lit by the candle they are holding, enjoying the wonder expectantly, appeals on many levels.
In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not widely celebrated. Around 200, Clement of Alexandria notes an observance. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention a date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in Spring (why would shepherds be out herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I (d. 352) chose December 25. As is common with other pre-Christian holidays, when the church dominated a culture, elements of those holidays were absorbed. So it was with Christmas, strategically placed in Saturnalia. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the 500’s. By the end of the 700’s, the celebration of Christmas reached all the way to Scandinavia.
One does not need to leave one’s culture to follow Jesus. The meaning of Christmas is God with us, incarnate in time and space, in our history, in the Church, and in each of us. The longings represented by winter holidays of ancient times are met and fulfilled by the coming of Jesus Christ. “Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let Earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing!”
Christmas reinvented by Americans
The Pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, and other New England colonists were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Oliver Cromwell and the radicals who took over England and outlawed Christmas. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in the colonies they founded in New England. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston — anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill on June 26, 1870. This was the culmination of about 50 years of reinventing the celebration in the United States.
Illustration of “The Christmas Dinner” from Washington Irving’s The Sketch Book (1876)
In 1819, Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories which includes one about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving’s mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving’s fictitious celebrants enjoyed “ancient customs,” including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule and others he invented.
In 1843, Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story’s message: the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind, struck a powerful chord in the United States. The family was also becoming more sensitive to the emotional needs of children. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention (and gifts) on their children without appearing to “spoil” them.
As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants as well as Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards and gift-giving. Although most families adopted the idea they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of their growing nation.
Finally, what about Santa Claus? The basis of Santa Claus can be traced back to Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, a seaport in what is now Turkey. St. Nicholas (270-342) gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors. Along with many miracles attributed to him, Nicholas was well-known for secretly giving gifts.
St. Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 1700’s in New York, when Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of the death of “Sint Nikolaas” or “Sinter Klaas” for short. “Santa Claus” draws his name from this abbreviation.
Two covers for the Saturday Evening Post by Norman Rockwell, the left one from 1920, the right from 1922
In 1822, Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas poem called “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” more popularly known today by its first line: “’Twas The Night Before Christmas.” The poem depicted Santa Claus as a jolly man who flies from home to home on a sled driven by reindeer to deliver toys. The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today. Coca Cola ads from the 1920’s forward sealed the public’s imagination.
Saint Nicholas history in a read-along video from National Geographic [link]
From the makers of The Chosen — The Shepherd:
What do we do with this?
The holiday season in the United States is a well-known consumeristic extravaganza which vainly attempts to re-orient itself to be a family/friends holiday full of the “human spirit” of love and peace. There are many redemptive ways to join in.
It makes sense not to throw out the baby with the dirty bathwater of corrupted religion. Paul helped the Galatians sort out such things in his short letter. Try meditating on the profound meaning he reinforces:
My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. — Galatians 4:1-7
Be a former slave who has been adopted as a child and heir. Be free of the elemental spirits and the burden of the law. We are living in the fullness of time.
In the Middle Ages the tradition was further embellished and James miraculously appeared to fight for the Christian army during the legendary 
Since partridges are unlikely to be seen in pear-trees (they are ground-nesting birds), it has been suggested that the text “a pear tree” is a corruption of the French “une perdrix” (a partridge).
