Author Archives: Rick Stookey

Why the Church celebrate the Birth of Jesus on December 25th

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There are many theories as to how the Church determined when to celebrate the birth of the Christ. Here is another one.

This is the time of year when we hear of arguments being raised against the display of nativity scenes in public places and the substitution of generic holiday greetings for ‘Merry Christmas’ in department stores and retail outlets. Initially, the argument was based on the constitutional separation of church and state, but motivated by an exaggerated fear of offending non-believers, the celebration of Christmas has been under attack. Even some practicing Christians have begun to retreat from celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25th because they have been told that the origins of Christmas are pagan and have nothing at all to do with God sending His Son.

Perhaps it is time that the full truth were known.

It is not exactly true to say that the Scriptures never mention the date of the birth of Jesus. Actually they do, since the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all make it clear that Jesus died on the 14 of Nissan, a day which corresponded to March 25th in the Latin calendar or April 6 in the reckoning of the Greeks. The ancients believed that a person died on the day which marked his or her conception, and this is one reason why the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lord’s conception - the Annunciation - on March 25th and then counts nine months to His birth. This is also why the Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate the birth of Christ on January 6th, while we commemorate his Epiphany.

Do the Gospels contain any other information which would help us calculate when Christ was born? Indeed they do and while this may read somewhat like a mystery, if you follow closely you will gain a great insight.

First, turn to St. Luke’s Gospel, to the passage referred to as the ‘Canticle of Zechariah,’ in 1:5-24. The story tells of a high priest named Zechariah who had been chosen to offer the sacrifice of incense in the temple at Jerusalem. Outside, St. Luke tells us, the people were waiting for the priest to make his appearance, but inside the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah to tell him that his prayer has been answered. Gabriel goes on to say that Zechariah and his elderly wife Elizabeth will conceive and bear a son, whom they are to name ‘John.’

Catholics are familiar with this story and remember that when the Angel’s promise comes to pass Zechariah and Elizabeth become the parents of John the Baptist. What most people fail to realize is that St. Luke has given us some important clues in his story concerning the birthday of Jesus. What Zechariah is celebrating in the Holy of Holies of the Temple is the Jewish Day of Atonement, called Yom Kippur. Even today on Yom Kippur, one week after Rosh Hoshanah, the Jewish New Year, pious Jews the world over will ask God to release them from their sins . Rosh Hoshanah generally falls in early to mid September (counting 183 days from Passover), so Yom Kippur falls in mid September, about the 21st of the month (although it can be as late as October).

Continuing to read in Luke (1:26-56) we come to the Annunciation of Our Lord, when Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary, asking her to cooperate in the most significant event is history: the birth of Our Savior Jesus. Much can and has been written of this, but of relative importance to our question about when Christ was born is Luke’s note that this second annunciation occurred six months after Elizabeth had become pregnant.

Now this is where your math skills come in handy! Elizabeth conceives around September 21st and six months later is March 21st. This is the date that Mary conceives. The length of a woman’s pregnancy is 40 weeks, or 9 months and a couple of days. Add nine months and a couple of days to the date of Our Lord’s Annunciation in mid-March and we arrive at December 25th, Christmas Day, a date, which confirms the calculations made working backwards from the date of Our Lord’s crucifixion.

These were the same calculations that the early Church made when they chose December 25th for the annual celebration of the birthday of Jesus. While the pagan Romans were celebrating their feast of Saturn (the Saturnalia) from December 13th through the 18th, the Christians in the empire were preparing for a much more important celebration one week after the end of Saturnalia.

Romans celebrated no holiday on December 25th until the last quarter of the third century when Diocletian (Emperor from 284 to 305) made that day the “Feast of the Unconquerable Sun.” (Some scholars believe this was the work of Diocletian’s predecessor Aurelian.) Since there is clear evidence that Christmas was already being celebrated in the principal cities of the western empire, Diocletian’s new feast must have been meant to usurp the Christian holy day by turning the day into a pagan feast and a civic holiday.

Thus it was not the Catholic Church that introduced a pagan celebration into Christianity; but the pagans who attempted to usurp a Christian holy day. And now, as we hear it said, “you know the rest of the story

A Paul Harvey Christmas Story

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Over the many years Mr. Paul Harvey told thousands of stories. He claimed that they were all true. And to my knowledge he never repeated the same story twice, with one exception. There was one story that he told every Christmas. I believe that Mr. Harvey was Irish and the Irish have a philosophy that one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story. I leave it to you to decide if this story is true or not. It is my prayer that you will be touched by this story then copy it and pass it along this season to someone you care for.

The story takes place on a small farm here in the Midwest. It was bitter cold outside. One of those mornings that even the walls seemed to radiate the cold. It was early, very early, still dark outside. One of those kind of mornings that made you wish to pull the covers even tighter around yourself, roll over and go back to sleep. But the man of the house just could not do that. He still had livestock to take care of. That needed to be fed and hopefully to get them some shelter against the elements. But mostly, he had to take an ax and chop the ice from the water trough.

All in all it took the better part of two hours to finish the chores and he was chilled to the bone. In addition, heavy snow was forecast for later in the day. By the time he got back to the house the sun was up and the family was moving about getting ready for Church. The thought of getting back out in the cold was just too much. All he wanted to do was to warm himself by the fire then settle into a comfortable chair with the Sunday paper. So his family left for Church without him.

After a short while he noticed from his easy chair that it had begun to snow and he was grateful that he was finally warm. Not much later he observed that it was now snowing quite hard and was starting to accumulate. If it kept up at this pace there would be a driving hazard in short order. Now he began to worry about his wife and wished that he had gone with them. His attention was now focused on the building storm outside and his anxiety levels were growing over concern for his family as well as the livestock that had to endure such weather.

Just about then he noticed a bird had come to his window and was pressed up against the glass in order to feel the warmth. The bird was too cold to be scared of him. He could understand that as he had been out in that not long ago himself. He felt sorry for any of God’s creatures who had to endure these elements. It was out of this compassion that he raised the window just a crack in order to let some air out but it seemed to let more cold in than warm out. This would not work.

Then he had an idea. He got up, dressed warm and went out to the barn. There he opened a small door, not a lot, but just enough to let birds in and out. There, while it would not be much warmer at least they would be out of the wind and snow and could find small amounts of grain on the floor. Alas, no birds entered the barn. If only he could speak their language he would explain to them his plan; how they could survive this storm in peace and relative comfort. He would explain that they need not fear him as he meant them no harm. He wished to provide a place where they could congregate with others in safety. If only he could speak to them in their own language. If only…..

Do you suppose that God had the same idea? First he gave us the garden filled with perfection and we made a mess of that. Then he gave us six righteous families and eliminated all evil with Noah. He gave us Moses and the law, not to mention judge’s kings and prophets. Then he sent his son that spoke our language. His son, Jesus, taught us that there was a better way, the way of love. Are we not better to God than a bird?

If you are weary of the struggle against the cold winds of the world or tired of fighting against the elements of this world consider coming back to Church this Christmas. Come in out of the cold. Will all your troubles go away when you walk in the door to the Church? No, probably not. But at least you will find people who speak your language. You will find people that will listen. There are people there who would be happy to be your friend. You will find God’s word proclaimed every day. It’s even possible that you will find a new Church home and Church family. Then maybe the world’s problems will seem a little lighter.

Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic- Part 2

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Prayer-

In researching what separates the 7% of Dynamic Catholics from the other 93%, Matthew Kelly found 264 distinct characteristics. However, he grouped them into four areas. The first is daily prayer.

But let’s start with a math quiz. Suppose that there are 8 Catholics eating dinner discussing this issue. Now suppose that 3 of them decide to leave and try to change or upgrade their lives. How many Catholics are left at the dinner? Answer, there are still 8. Deciding or even trying to do something is not the same as actually doing it. You need to actually do it. This book goes to great lengths to not overwhelm a person. We can commit to small changes each week and form new habits. Usually it takes about a month to form a new habit.

When asked almost all Catholics say that they pray; most say they do each day. But they do so when the mood hits them. Whereas the committed Catholics actually have a routine within a routine. This is to say that they pray at the same time each day in the same place each day and the same way each day. They find a comfortable quiet place and follow the same exercise each day. What do they do?

Unfortunately we do a poor job of teaching Catholics how to pray, so they have stumbled into a method by trial and error. Some of them go to daily Mass. Some read a chapter of scripture then dwell on something that catches their attention. Some read a few pages from a spiritual book. Whatever you choose to do start small and add a little each week.

We learn to talk to God as if he is a loving father which he is. For those of us that were fortunate enough to grow up in a loving, fully functional family, this is easy but for others you may have to look to some other relationship that was nurturing as you grew up. Then talk to God about your day and the coming events seeking strength and guidance. Remember to adopt an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks for all the good the Lord has done for us.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Parable of the Good Samaritan

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Let us reason together.

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight .He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37.

“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” That is our question as well, maybe our most important question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? That question is raised several times in scripture and we should pay special attention whenever it appears. Therefore, let us reason together.

The gospel says that an attorney with an attitude stood up to test him. That is never a good idea. But Jesus uses the opportunity to teach a lesson. He reads the man’s heart and says to the man you already know the answer. The Lawyer quotes Deuteronomy where Moses summarizes the Ten Commandments. But Jesus adds something that has been missing from the law since shortly after Moses himself. He adds love. The first of the commandments show us how to love God and the later ones show us how to love one another.

The emphasis is as it was originally been designed; it is now on love. In fact he ties love of God and love of neighbor together. To you and me it means that not only must we love that person that we share the sign of peace but also with that person who cuts us off in the parking lot in order to beat us to dinner.

But it gets even worse. The keeper of the law then goes on to ask who constitutes his neighbor causing Jesus to tell us a parable in which the heroine is a Samaritan. Therefore, we should seek to understand who a Samaritan is at least in relation to the Jews.

A short summary of Jewish history would start with the Promised Land around 1250 BC. King Saul is followed by King David who is followed by King Solomon. King Solomon dies approximately 930 BC. His son promises to raise the already heavy tax burden which causes a rebellion which divides the 12 tribes. The northern tribes will from there be known as Israel while the lower tribe will be called the Jews. The northern tribes include a region known as Samaria. In 722 BC the Assyrians will capture the area and deport the men and then bring other conquered peoples into the land to marry the women left behind. This produced and mixed race of people and religious confusion.

This impure blood line together with a mixture of faith caused hatred between the two groups. This hatred at the time of Jesus was more than 700 years old. The lawyer had such a hatred that he would not even say that the Samaritan was a good guy. He simply said that it was the one who was merciful.

You and I cannot even comprehend hating some one that long as we have not even been a country for more than a few hundred years. But the message of the gospel is that we must love that person that we could hate the most.

There is a second lesson. I would like to decode some of the story and then let you see if you can determine the second lesson yourself. First, with most parable stories it should be noted that one of the characters is that of Jesus and one of the characters is you and I. lets first determine who Jesus is. How many of you would think that Jesus is the Good Samaritan. You would be correct of course. However, there is another possibility. Anyone wish to guess. The man who was abused is described as having been “beaten, stripped and left for dead. That describes Jesus during the passion. We should remember that he was both the sacrifice and the one offering the sacrifice. We should note that no one would think that the robbers are identified as God. We know that God is not the author of evil even though he sometimes permits evil to happen to us so that he can turn it into a blessing.

Next we see that the Samaritan washes the man’s wounds with water and oil and wine. What does that remind you of? Think about that one. What does that remind you of? Those are the elements of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. These represent the sacraments of initiation where we enter the church.

Next we find that the victim is taken to and Inn. What does this represent? Why do we need a hotel in the Old Testament time? People traveled in caravans or large groups with their own bedding.

In order to understand what an Inn was we need to understand that our system of law enforcement is different today that it was then. A person who resided in Jerusalem was protected by the laws and security of the city of Jerusalem. Travelers would occasionally stay at an inn because it provided security for them and their flocks. They would pay for such services. We would call these as a house of sanctuary. Actually you are more familiar with this than you realize. While I am no linguist I am told that the word for sanctuary in either Greek or Latin is “parish”. Here we have another clue.

At the beginning I told you that one of the characters of the story represents you and me. Well I am going to shorten this by telling you that you and I are the inn keeper..

Do you see a theme that has significance to you and me?

Let us reason together. Jesus tells us first he washed him in the sacraments of water, oil and wine. Then he took his to the parish and told the inn keeper to take care of him and that some day he would return and make things right with the inn keeper. Further, he says that someday he will return to settle accounts.

If Jesus sends people in need to the Church what are we supposed to do with them? Administer the sacraments and then love on them. Love them to physical and spiritual health; care for one another, even the ones that we may be inclined to hate.