A Miracle for Mother Angelica?
It's Spring!!! Merry Christmas!!!
Photo By: Flickr/Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Christmas in the spring? What's this guy talking about? Well...if you believe what the Gospel says, It's Christmas time! What is Christmas or Christ's Mass? It is a celebration of the birth of our Saviour. Do you think Jesus was born on December 25th? Nope!!! Not according to the Gospel. December 25th is actually the Feast of Saturn (which was extremely popular in its day). The Feast of Saturn was the completion of the Winter Solstice celebration among Romans. Talk about fun!?! For a week, the Romans would roam from house to house eating and drinking...and drinking...and drinking...and drinking! Whoa!!! ...but that's exactly how it was.
How did we get to the point of celebrating Christ's Mass and His birth on a day that was set aside to worship and celebrate the Father of Jupiter, King of the Gods? Well...first let's see what it says in the Gospel about Jesus' birth...
8 Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. 9 The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. 10 The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you:you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests
(Luke 2:8-14 NABre)
Notice what it says in verse 8... “there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.” Keeping the NIGHT WATCH...IN THE FIELDS over their flock, is the key. Sheep were normally penned up at night and in fact there are verses in the Gospels that allude to this. Only during the “Lambing Season” will the shepherds keep watch over their flocks by night...in the fields! This is when the pregnant ewes will just stop, drop and give birth to their lambs. The flock cannot move. The shepherds therefore keep a 24 hour vigilance to protect the vulnerable ewes and lambs from predators! The Lambing Season runs from March through May, typically. The spring...
Since the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks by night when Jesus was born, it is logical to assume that Jesus was born sometime in the spring. We may never know the exact day, but it was the spring!
How did we end up celebrating Christ's Mass on December 25th? There could be several reasons, but the most likely is that during the early Church, Rome and the Christian population were not on good terms! Being invited to “lunch” at the Coliseum is an invitation that most Christians would decline (being that they were to be the “lunch”)! How would a group of people celebrate the birth of their Lord and God (who was born in the spring) get away with having a big party when the ruling class (aka...the Romans) were not doing anything celebratory?
“How's is going, Romulus?”
“So so, Remus! Grapes are beginning to sprout. Should make some good wine and a good size harvest this year.”
“Who are those people over there and what are they doing?”
“I don't know. Looks like a party to me.”
“Is it a holiday?”
“I don't think so...if I'm not drunk, it's not a holiday!”
“I think it's those blasted Christians having some kind of religious affair! Better call the guards!!!”
Partying when the Romans aren't partying was a sure way to be noticed and to arouse suspicions! Then, some clever Christians said, “Hey...let's have our big party when the Romans are having their biggest party!!! They'll mostly be drunk so even if they catch us...a glass of wine will send them on their way! ...and more importantly, they'll be none the wiser!!!”
So I suspect, that tradition eventually won out and by hiding one party within another, many Christians escaped a very unappetizing lunch or dinner invitation with the Romans.
Some may not agree with me. There is always the possibility that I'm wrong. We will never know the exact day Our Lord was born. However, it would seem to me that there is something logical and symbolic about Our Lord...The Lamb of God, being born during the Lambing Season!
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About the Author
I’m just a guy born to poor parents (mother Catholic, father agnostic) that both died before their time and the second of 5 children. I’m the last practicing Catholic of my family. I was lucky enough to be schooled by the Sisters of Providence (K-8) and to be able to work my way through a Catholic High School. This, I found, was a detriment to qualify for an IL State Grant for college, as the grant is given on the basis of need. People in “need” don’t go to private high schools, I found out! (...regardless of the fact that I had to work two part time jobs to pay for school and my father had a brain tumor and my mother became an alcoholic as a result of his tumor). I managed to work my way through a junior college (night school) to get an associates degree in electronic technology. The two year degree only took 8 years to procure. My personality is somewhat dominant though patient. I love playing Santa Claus at Christmas and I love Comic Books, audio books (sci-fi), Drawing (comic book style), and Drones! …and though I’m rarely inspired by the homilies, I do love going to Mass! I don’t believe in either Creationism or Evolution but in Intelligent design (God’s really, really, smart)! I believe in a multi-dimensional universe that was designed and created by God as a self managing environment (think God of Laws vs. Free Will)! …and I’m rabidly Pro Life! …and I’m Pro Constitution! I view it as a non-living document in a traditional manner (words have meaning)!
I’m self employed as a Satellite Broadcast Transmitter Technician. By the Grace of God, I am one of (if not) the best transmitter technician(s) on the planet! I have spent over 30 years assisting Mother Angelica and EWTN with their broadcast transmissions on a volunteer basis (for the most part) in addition to my regular work. I love to teach and have spent several years as a catechist at my parish until they decided that teaching “Christianity” was more important than teaching “Catholicism.” I tend to be very conservative in both Religion and Politics. I rarely mince words! I enjoy when Jehovahs’ Witnesses or Mormons come knocking at my door! When we’re done, they have enjoyed it less than I and it thrills me to plant a seed of doubt in their minds (and souls), primarily in the basis of their belief system! While they are trying to convert me to protestantism, I am trying to convert them to Catholicism using their own bible and religious documents!!! Not many folks keep at least half a dozen bibles on their phone including a complete and current Catechism of the Catholic Church! I’m almost never what they are expecting! My wife calls me a “zealot!” …an
