Merry Christmas! – Fr. Isaiah Schick
December 31, 2023
Merry Christmas! I say that because Christmas is a season, not just a day. In fact, as Catholics we celebrate the Octave of Christmas in a special way, which means that eight days of December 25 through January 1 are treated as if each of the days are Christmas all over again. And not only that, but the season continues through the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It also includes the feast of the Epiphany, when we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the world by remembering three events: the adoration of the Christ-child by the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River when he was announced as the Messiah by John the Baptist, and the Wedding Feast at Cana when Jesus worked his first public miracle of turning water into wine.
The Epiphany traditionally falls on January 6th (12 days after Christmas day on Dec. 25th, hence the 12 Days of Christmas), although it can also be celebrated on the Sunday between January 2nd and January 8th (which is what we do in the United States). The Baptism of the Lord then has another feast day all to itself on the Sunday following the Epiphany, unless the Epiphany is moved to Jan. 7th or 8th, in which case the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Monday afterward (which is what is happening this year in 2024 – Epiphany is on Sun., Jan. 7th, and the Baptism is celebrated on Mon., Jan. 8th).
This Sunday is the feast day of the Most Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, which is usually the Sunday in the middle of the Octave of Christmas! Is your head spinning yet? That’s a lot of feast days to remember! And for good reason – because the good news of the Incarnation of Christ, when God became man for the salvation of the world, cannot be contained in just one day. He came into the midst of a messy world, into a human family, to be with us and to draw us to the Father. So, merry Christmas! Keep rejoicing in the good news that Christ has come in the flesh all season long, and may that good news sustain you and your own families as we begin yet another year with its own joys and challenges until Jesus comes again. Maranatha! – Fr. Isaiah Schick