THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Christmas comes too slowly and goes too quickly. The time for preparation never quite seems to be enough, last minute to do things pile up, some never to be done. The day comes. Gifts are exchanged. Meals are eaten. The things of Christmas are accomplished. At night we, hopefully, look back over a happy day but are aware that for most tomorrow will mean going back to the ordinary things of life. Christmas becomes a happy memory to be clouded as the days of the new year pass by.
The" twelve days of Christmas", from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7 is the liturgical way of deepening Christmas so that it does not recede into some not often used part of our memory banks. Please dc not take exception to the use of the singular "is". This was dont quite deliberately because the "twelve days" should be looked at a; a unit. Because of the transfer of the Feast of Epiphany to thi nearest Sunday "the twelve days" is often made shorter. In the yea 2000 we only have eight days. The readings from the feast of th Epiphany, Jan 2, to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord take on little different focus.
As we go through the days we will find many teaching: The one which surprises us is the almost daily appearance of the Cross in one form or another. It appears either explicitly or ; times hidden , but it is always present, a paradox, certainly. The joy of Christmas seems to be mixed with the sadness of Good Friday. Are we being told not to celebrate too much because the story is not over? Should our celebration of Dec. 25 be tempered I what the future holds?
There certainly may be that reaction. However, the liturgy is telling us something different. Instead of toning down the cel bration it is asking us to celebrate more jubilantly. By entering into the mystery we find that the peace, joy all the promises of Christmas are brought about by the mystery of the Cross. Perhaps I could state it this way: Christmas is the day of promise, both promised fulfilled and promise made, and the Paschal Mystery, His death and resurrection are the fulfillment of this promise.
Therefore, as in so many other aspects of our faith, we must always look for the absolutely amazing reversals that take place.
Dec. 26...the second day of Christmas...the joy of Christmas is over, in sharp contrast to the time after Easter during which the liturgy rings out with the joy of the day...the time after Christmas is pervaded with the Cross. The joyful prophecies of the Old Testament are done... they give way to fulfillment but fulfillment in a most surprising way. Christmas is fulfilled in Easter as a matter of fact they may even be looked at as one feast. We are reminded that the wood of the manger points to the wood of the Cross.
The" twelve days of Christmas", from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7 is the liturgical way of deepening Christmas so that it does not recede into some not often used part of our memory banks. Please dc not take exception to the use of the singular "is". This was dont quite deliberately because the "twelve days" should be looked at a; a unit. Because of the transfer of the Feast of Epiphany to thi nearest Sunday "the twelve days" is often made shorter. In the yea 2000 we only have eight days. The readings from the feast of th Epiphany, Jan 2, to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord take on little different focus.
As we go through the days we will find many teaching: The one which surprises us is the almost daily appearance of the Cross in one form or another. It appears either explicitly or ; times hidden , but it is always present, a paradox, certainly. The joy of Christmas seems to be mixed with the sadness of Good Friday. Are we being told not to celebrate too much because the story is not over? Should our celebration of Dec. 25 be tempered I what the future holds?
There certainly may be that reaction. However, the liturgy is telling us something different. Instead of toning down the cel bration it is asking us to celebrate more jubilantly. By entering into the mystery we find that the peace, joy all the promises of Christmas are brought about by the mystery of the Cross. Perhaps I could state it this way: Christmas is the day of promise, both promised fulfilled and promise made, and the Paschal Mystery, His death and resurrection are the fulfillment of this promise.
Therefore, as in so many other aspects of our faith, we must always look for the absolutely amazing reversals that take place.
Dec. 26...the second day of Christmas...the joy of Christmas is over, in sharp contrast to the time after Easter during which the liturgy rings out with the joy of the day...the time after Christmas is pervaded with the Cross. The joyful prophecies of the Old Testament are done... they give way to fulfillment but fulfillment in a most surprising way. Christmas is fulfilled in Easter as a matter of fact they may even be looked at as one feast. We are reminded that the wood of the manger points to the wood of the Cross.
Dec. 27, THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH.
Dec. 28, The Feast of the Holy Innocents...there is something within us that cries out when we see a child subjected to suffering...innocence is defiled, the trust which children have towards those who are older is betrayed, the defenseless are attacked. The world is filled with the holy innocents...they can be found in the train stations of Calcutta, the barrios of South America, the streets of New York and in the wombs of mothers contemplating abortion. The holy innocents are found in the sweatshops of Mexico, China, and Thailand....the gift of youth is stolen in many ways...
Dec. 29...the fifth day of Christmas...light and darkness are so much a part of our lives. There is a flow that is unavoidable...it goes from the joy which Simeon sung out at first to the darknes "your heart a sword shall pierce"...the mixture of joy and sadr of moments of great light and times of darkness...are we put in position of being afraid to be happy because we are afraid of sadness to come, are we fearful of those moments of great light cause the noon day sun will give way to the twilight of half 1 and half night.
This flow of light and dark is not just a series of event our lives, disconnected from one another but really find their fying force in the one true light who covers all the moments of lives. It is the light of Christ which permits us to see in those ti of joy His joy and in the times of darkness His cross.
Dec. 29...the fifth day of Christmas...light and darkness are so much a part of our lives. There is a flow that is unavoidable...it goes from the joy which Simeon sung out at first to the darknes "your heart a sword shall pierce"...the mixture of joy and sadr of moments of great light and times of darkness...are we put in position of being afraid to be happy because we are afraid of sadness to come, are we fearful of those moments of great light cause the noon day sun will give way to the twilight of half 1 and half night.
This flow of light and dark is not just a series of event our lives, disconnected from one another but really find their fying force in the one true light who covers all the moments of lives. It is the light of Christ which permits us to see in those ti of joy His joy and in the times of darkness His cross.
Dec. 30....thanks giving, praise permeate the Gospel., fulfillment of the promise... she can not contain herse fulfillments are so evasive...we set conditions and miss the • God answers because His conditions are not ours...she could se the unexpected the promise fulfilled, she could put aside her c ditions and be surprised by the workings of God...perhaps the c was not what she expected but the child was the way God had c sen to answer...surprise brings forth thanks and joy...surprise plodes into a spontaneous reaction to the wonders of God...wit? surprise the tenure of life looses so much excitement....
Dec. 31....the absolutely amazing fact that God bee; flesh is once again brought to our attention...this time with a 1 different emphasis...it is not simply the proclamation of the b but it is also the reminder that He is with us...has been with us will be with us...it is an invitation to accept that other coming Jesus the one of faith...it lies as a bridge between the having cc and the will come...it is an announcement that we are to live having come looking forward to the will come...it is the announcement that the light of Christmas never goes out...
Jan. 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God...she was chosen from all eternity to be Mother and in time, on a certain day, in given place she said yes...she had been prepared for this great moment; the "highly favored daughter" placed herself in eternity, forgetting her own plans, desires and for a brief time saw who she was at the deepest recesses of her heart...her dignity and the dignity of all is found in that part of who we are that says we are all part of God's plan for the salvation of the world. Mary said yes and became mother before she became the physical mother...she brought the Lord into the world through her saying " yes" more than the physical birth...she brought the Lord into the world by saying yes to the will of God...we do not celebrate physical motherhood as much as we do that spiritual motherhood...we celebrate also the amazing fact that we through our living the will of God bring Jesus into the world and in that sense we share in the motherhood of Mary.
Jan. 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God...she was chosen from all eternity to be Mother and in time, on a certain day, in given place she said yes...she had been prepared for this great moment; the "highly favored daughter" placed herself in eternity, forgetting her own plans, desires and for a brief time saw who she was at the deepest recesses of her heart...her dignity and the dignity of all is found in that part of who we are that says we are all part of God's plan for the salvation of the world. Mary said yes and became mother before she became the physical mother...she brought the Lord into the world through her saying " yes" more than the physical birth...she brought the Lord into the world by saying yes to the will of God...we do not celebrate physical motherhood as much as we do that spiritual motherhood...we celebrate also the amazing fact that we through our living the will of God bring Jesus into the world and in that sense we share in the motherhood of Mary.
Jan.3 The Feast of Epiphany
The Weekdays Between Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord...
Jan..4 (Mt.4:12-17,23,25)...The kingdom is one of compassion. It acknowledges the most basic of human needs, hunger. So often Gospel has been disassociated from daily life. It's preaching so important that people have been lost sight of. Today's Gospel teaches us a very important lesson: it is often times in paying attention to the ordinary things of life that the Gospel is really preached.
Jan..4 (Mt.4:12-17,23,25)...The kingdom is one of compassion. It acknowledges the most basic of human needs, hunger. So often Gospel has been disassociated from daily life. It's preaching so important that people have been lost sight of. Today's Gospel teaches us a very important lesson: it is often times in paying attention to the ordinary things of life that the Gospel is really preached.
Jan.5 (Mt 6:34-44) ... The ordinary things have within them mysteries which we should be sensitive to. The multiplication the loaves looked beyond that time and place. It looked to death and resurrection. It looked to the time when His body would be transformed and no longer limited by physical laws. In taking:care of the ordinary things He was pointing to the extra-ordinary; things . In the extra ordinary physical he was announcing the ex ordinary supernatural. They were surprised because they did not understand what He was trying to teach them. They were surprised; because they were still so materialistic that they could not see i symbols, which He worked.
Jan.6 (Mrk.6:45-52)…. this scene seems so friendly. It will soon turn to rejection. Why is it that good things are so hard to accept. We can build up conditions on how God is to act. This was a m who grew up in their midst, He was the boy who would come the same synagogue to take his lessons. They knew His mot! and father. Perhaps some of them even had business dealings w him. It could not be him. The anointed one had to come from a place they did not know, had to be someone exceptional. They forgot that the way God works is not the way we work. The people we meet sometimes are the messengers of God for us Just because we know them does not mean that they do not have a place in God's plan for us. Sensitivity is such an important virtue It is so easy to become jaded. We must always keep people fresh so that we can hear the messages of God, which they may have for us.
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