Christmas is Catholic not pagan.

Christmas is Catholic not pagan.

The disinformation that the birth of Christ or Christmas was, or was substituted for a pagan festival is incorrect. Christmas is the celebration of our Lord Christ’s birth, it always has been. Cultures all around the world have celebrations at certain times of the year, start of the year, start of spring, summer, autumn or end of the growing season and the end of the year. These are not necessarily religious occasions, so it is easy for people to get confused or be misled and the confusion is understandable.

The two pagan festivals which are used to attack Christmas are Saturnalia, the feast dedicated to the Roman ‘god’ Saturn which was actually celebrated on the 17th of December and was later increased to last a whole week, ending on the 23rd of December. The festival has had several different dates and lengths as well as meanings. We know that many early Catholic figures, discussed the interaction between this festival and the feast of our Lords birth, as did notable pagans. Each side were advising their own not to part take in the other and the pagans were usually demanding that the Catholics should be stopped from having the right to celebrate or even the choice of worship at all. Note, they were not complaining about the Catholics co-opting their festival but about them having a festival so close to theirs. Saturnalia is basically an end of harvest festival, that was first Hellenised, then Romanised and then partially re-Hellenised. Cultural end of year festivals are mainly, happy advents with gift giving and parties, but religiously Saturnalia and Advent are not the same thing. Any similarities in the celebration of these advents are coincidental, as culturally most festivals and holiday’s all around the world at all ages share many human aspects to them.

Sol Invictus is the second roman festival that is confused with Advent. Sol Invictus in the roman version was established centuries after our Lord’s birth and crucifixion, by the Roman Emperor Aurelian, to combat early Catholics from celebrating their Faith. He also wanted to start a new religion (not to the exclusion of other roman gods) based around ideas that he thought made a good roman.

Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord Christ, it would not matter even if it did fall on another religious date or even co-opted/shared another festivals cultural trimmings. The main reason individuals or groups etc use this disinformation is to attack and cheapen our celebration of Christ and thus de-Christ Christmas, is to attempt to drive Christ from the public sphere. It is also intended to make Christ look like he could be a myth like the pagan ‘gods’. No one is denying pagan festivals existed or their cultural impact on the world, Catholics simply state that we have always celebrated our Lord Christs birth on the 25th.  We admit that in some details, trimmings, Christmas has been partially culturalized, even from an early date, this does not change what we believe religiously. Christmas is a Catholic holy time and should be treated as one.  

I thought I would do a small side piece on the Christmas tree, the Christmas tree is inspired from the story of Saint Boniface cutting down a tree. The idea came from central Europe in the medieval times, the evergreen style of trees were used for their ease of upkeep, prettiness and accessibility and their three part branches symbolising the Holy Trinity. The other staples were added over time, like lights, ornaments, angel etc. The Christmas tree is not a true Catholic or any other denominational symbol of Christ, it is a cultural idea that has become so popular it has been accommodated by all. There is nothing wrong with having a pretty tree in your living room at Advent/Christmas. However, do not put any importance on it, the tree has been used in recent times to again de-Christ Christmas. Sadly the desire to be popular has led the Catholic church to put some significance to the tree. Some say that the Christmas tree is pagan, this is not true. Tree, animal and nature worship is common but for a whole host of different reasons. The Christmas tree is not pagan but cultural.  

Advent and Christmas bringing yourself closer to Christ

Advent and Christmas bringing yourself closer to Christ

The period of Advent often known as the mini Lent.

While the secular world uses the run up to Christmas Day as a time of excess and at times grotesque over indulgence, we in the Catholic faith should be using this time to prepare ourselves for our Lords Joyous arrival.

In the early church this was a strict time of fasting, culminating in the era of St Gregory, in which all meat, fish, milk, cheese, oil and wine where abstained from throughout the whole Period of Advent allowing themselves just fish on Saturday and Sunday. As the years of went on and we arrived at Middle Ages things had changed and now fasting was observed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Nowadays of course no specific requirements are set before the faithful.

However, with the state the church is in and the world spiralling into sin, now is the time to take up the words of our Lord and pray and fast!

Perhaps not going as far as our early church fathers, as it is best to walk before you run, the benefits of fasting especially for men are numerous and help to sharpen the mind and the spirit.

After all, just one month of fasting 3 days a week is no major hardship especially considering Christmastide is so long and not far away.

Just in case your new to fasting, a Catholic Fast at its minimum involves eating 1 main meal which should be simple and not larger than usual, as well as 2 small meals half the size of your main meal or less, of course, you can go further if you are young and healthy. I myself like to go slightly further on Fridays making the 2 small meals as little as a single boiled egg or piece of fruit, but the main thing is that your eating less, not snacking and maybe feeling those hunger pangs.

Of Course along with this, an increase in prayer is essential, the St Andrews prayer should be said 15 times a day and you can find a link to a website that will take you through it, but it is a beautiful prayer and if you say it 5 times before each meal you won’t forget.

Hail and Blessed be the hour and the moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin in a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At the hour vouchsafe, I beseech thee, to hear my prayers and grant my desires, (then mention your intentions, once if fine) through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Amen

Along with this reading the Gospel of St Luke is a must, as it has the most detailed accounts of our Lords Birth of the four Gospels.

There also many great Christmas devotions such as Advent candles and calendars, but the main thing is to get closer to God and be ready for his only begotten son our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also have many great Feast days coming up which can celebrated in the right way during the period of penance, such as the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Christopher who is even more fascinating than the Modern Father Christmas.

God keep you

https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-andrew-christmas-novena

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, commemorates the Catholic belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Jesus Christ appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter. However, in some areas it is moved to the following Sunday.

The feast day has been observed since the 4th century at least, with St Augustine sayings that it is of Apostolic origin, and it was observed long before his time.

St George Slayer of Dragons

St George Slayer of Dragons

The Legend of St George and the dragon is a well-known myth and popular part of many cultures including England. He was born in the late 2nd Century in Cappadocia and died on 23rd of April 303 AD in Nicomedia. His Feast day is April 23rd, this is widely celebrated, especially in the East. He is the patron Saint of many countries, cities and walks of life. He is the patron Saint of England, Georgia, Milan, Soldiers and Scouts to name just a few.

It is often remarked by some that St George was a Turk, the Turks however would not even form into a confederacy for another 700 hundred years or so and it would be closer to 1000 years before they arrived in Anatolia. St George as far as we know, is from Cappadocia a Greek City at the time.  There are some sources that say his mother was from what is modern day Palestine but of Armenian descent, note, at this time the Palestinians where not Arabic in any sense and the Arabs would not invade for several hundred years. Well, that is that out of the way, I love my Turkish and Palestine Saints the same as I love my English and Italian Saints it should make zero difference to a Catholic, but alas for the sake of probity and historical accuracy I wanted to state this information.

St George has been venerated in the Christian faith since his death in the 3rd century. He was the son of a senior official in Diocletian's court. St George was a soldier and rose through the ranks to become a senior officer in the household guard of the Emperor, I deliberately do not use Roman ranks because at the time of the Tetrarchy the rank structure of the army was a little confusing, but we can be sure he was at the rank of Tribune or Prefect, equivalent to a modern day Major or Lt Colonel.

Tradition states he had been a noted soldier and had an excellent reputation, that is why during one of the Christian persecutions orchestrated by Diocletian or perhaps more so by his junior emperor Galerius, St George was presented as were all citizens, with the option to sacrifice to the Roman Gods or face death and St George took the latter option and remained loyal to Christ, we know he must have been a popular man and one of influence because the Emperor offered him several chances to change his mind.

This is where some theorise the legend of the Dragon comes in. In one story a beautiful young prostitute was sent to him to persuade him to lay with her and so prove he was not truly loyal to God, it turns out she was so convinced by St George she converted and instead accepted death and a martyrs crown herself! Here we see the symbology of George the valiant Knight saving the girls soul against the devil, by whom she had been previously ensnared.  Through his courage, steadfastness and using the lance of truth he slays the dragon, often the depiction of the devil in theology, freeing the princess from her trap, as in the legend a young maid is captured but freed.

While St George has been venerated as a Saint throughout the church as a whole, it was mainly in the east until the middle ages and the arrival of the crusaders in the Holy Land. It is often believed he along with other knightly Saints fought alongside the crusaders to free the Holy Land. From here we know the many legends of the dragon, permeated medieval culture in the west and during the renaissance, this is where we get a lot of the tales of George and the dragon, the people of the renaissance never being ones to allow the truth to get in the way of romantic chivalric stories or tales.

Whatever else we know about him, we know he chose death over offering sacrifice to the demons mascaraing as Roman Gods, he chose to stay by the Cross of Jesus Christ so we can always look to his example and follow it.

St George Pray for us

Passion Sunday

Passion Sunday

Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord.

Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday as it is called in Tradition, features the longest Gospel reading of the year, while as children we might have found it drawn out as they are prone to do, the people of Israel had been waiting for a long time for the Messiah to arrive as we are waiting now for the Lord Jesus Christ to return. Today we celebrate the arrival of the Messiah, the King of Kings has arrived after hundreds of years. The last great prophet arose in Jerusalem, 400 years ago to be exact.

The Lord Jesus Christ will in just a few days be Crucified and save humanity from its destruction claiming the victory over evil, we are now entering the Holy Week, a time in which many increase prayers, fasting and good works. Passion Sunday bares many distinct features, we of course receive palm Leaf’s which are to be kept throughout the year as reminders of Christs arrival, his crowing of Glory as King of Kings and his crucifixion and Resurrection, they also bear witness to our faith, that we are the people who greeted Jesus in the right manor, not the people who denied him at the palace of Pontus Pilate.

As a note, most Scholars agree that the crowds that greeted Jesus when he arrived in Jerusalem riding upon a Colt (Donkey) never before rode on (another Jewish sign of Kingship) where in fact not the crowds that called for his punishment at the palace of Pontus Pilate, in the gospel it mentions that these crowds had followed Jesus to Jerusalem so where not residents of that city for the most part.

The Palms represent the palms, coats and greenery that was laid down before Jesus as he entered the great city of Jerusalem. Dr Brad Pitre points out this could in-fact represent not just acknowledgment by the crowd that the King had arrived but also on a more prophetical level the fact that the lord is new Adam as many Jews believed at the time that the Garden of Eden had an olive Garden in it, this use of olive branches and other greenery represented the arrival of the new Adam to right the wrongs of the father of our race. Also, it should be noted the Lord after the last super spent the night praying to do his Fathers will in the Garden of Olives, making the right choice obeying his Fathers will and not taking the poisoned fruit of being spared the cross, but instead chose to Die to save humanity from our sins in act of love never to be surpassed.

At the beginning of the mass the faithful will either process with the priests or got to another building or room and then process with the priests marking the procession of Jesus into Jerusalem but also in a figurative way marking his entry into Jerusalem and up to heaven which commentates his journey into the city to the cross and then to Heaven to take up his Seat at the right hand of the Father, also this is a reversal of our decline being banished from the Garden of Eden into the world.

What we must know is that palms being picked by the crowds and now held by us represent the belief that prophecy in Psalm 118 that says the Messiah will arrive in the name of the Lord “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord” both mentioned in Psalm 118:26 and Mark 11:19 also they are recreating the arrival of Davidic Kings such as in 2 kings 9:13.

Here we are declaring to the world the Messiah has come, so the little Palms we keep on our desk at the office, in the living room or by our home altar have a very rich history and theological significance.

I recommend enjoying this Sunday and preparing for a holy week in which we should all take part as much as we are able and is prudent in the liturgical life of the church by attending mass, adoration and public prayers as much as possible and where we are not able to do extra works of charity which could be something as small as praying for someone specifically or helping a neighbor. An increase in prayers Is also a good idea, maybe reading one of the approved mystics of the church such as Blessed Anne Emmerich’s account of the passion and without a doubt reading the Bible accounts of the Passion is fundamental.

For a deeper understanding of the great spiritual meaning behind our faith I highly recommend the works of Dr Brad Pitre, many of his videos can be found at Catholic Productions on YouTube, his books are well worth a read and available at most book shops. If you are looking for some nice music to listen to check out Adoration of the Cross and this Palm Sunday chant Duxerunt Pullum Ad Jesus.

Catholic or pagan what is Easter.

Catholic or pagan what is Easter.

Easter is in fact Catholic not pagan, it is the replacement for Passover, the Jewish holiday. Easter is about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That has always been the point of Easter. So where is the confusion coming from.

One misunderstanding, or lie, is that the etymology of the word Easter in English comes from a name of a pagan ‘god’. Catholics were celebrating Easter long before we spoke English. It is actually, from languages (Latin, Greek etc.,) that were commonly spoken by the church and has its roots from the word meaning Passover.

Another reason there is confusion, are, the bunnies, eggs and chocolate. This is confusing cultural celebrations with religious ones. We tend to forget that for most of history Catholics did not celebrate the rising of our Lord by eating chocolate or by letting a bloke in a bunny costume hide some eggs around our gardens.

Like most attempts to attack Catholics this is done either by accident, because of a lack of care or knowledge or deliberately out of malice, to de Christ or de Catholicise, Easter and to make people draw a wrong conclusion about Christ being our Saviour. There is nothing sinful about bunnies, eggs and chocolate, as long as you remember what Easter is about and you are careful not to put any importance on these cultural customs.

Lent the season to be repentant.

Lent the season to be repentant.

Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. During Lent we are called to repent; this might seem a sad time after the joys of Christmas but not so.  This is a time when we can reawaken our Sensus Fidelium and bring ourselves closer to God which of course is Joyful. In 2024 Lent begins on Wednesday, 14th of February and ends Thursday, 28th of March.

The last Sunday before Lent we will be celebrating through dispensation the feast of St Valentine great saint of the Roman church martyred on 14th February 269 AD.

It bears us well to think on St Valentine and the fact that he was willing to be tortured and killed for the faith, for in fact conducting secret marriages during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II, so through discipline, austerity of mind and body, through a vigorous prayer life may our Lent bring us renewed purpose and bring us closer to God.

With Ash Wednesday we adorn ourselves with ashes on our heads and chasten our bodies with fasting as well as abstaining from meat. During Lent traditionally abstinence from meat was practised on Wednesday and Friday throughout all of Lent as well as fasting in the Catholic way one meal and two small meals without any snacks of any kind during the day. While Alcohol was not prohibited it was generally accepted that it was not in keeping with the season to be drinking for merriment.

Generally, while fasting, also soft drinks such as Cola or fruit Juices should not be consumed as they are calorific enough to break the fast, some say diet drinks are ok as they contain no calories, milk is ok as well as is tea and coffee, this of course is down to each individual to decide what is best.

Common sense must come into practice, if you are a 6 foot male who works on a building site or exercises 2 hours a day, your main meal and 2 snacks will be bigger than a 5 foot 4 female who works in an office, as an individual be sensible, as we know it is a sin to take wages and not do a good return in work, also if you are a nurse, fireman or soldier for example, you need to be alert and do your duty, so again take this into account. During Lent, Sundays are still feast days, so you may eat and drink normally, but of course this is not an excuse to go overboard, always remembering moderation is the key to enjoying Gods gifts.

During Lent confession should be made, as well as receiving Holy Communion as a requirement of being a Catholic, this was instituted by the Fourth Lateran council 1215 and upheld by all Bishops conferences as late as 1989 in the United States as an example.

One final note is that all requirements and recommendations for Lent are subject to age, health, medical and work exemptions.

Only those aged 18 to 59 are required by the Church to fast, those who are ill or caring for the sick can be exempted, also those who have jobs that fasting would affect them negatively or endanger them or others would also be exempted, good examples of this would be a soldier on tour or a nurse on a 12 hour plus shift in an Emergency ward.

The main days of note are as follows during Lent.

Ash Wednesday -  We receive the Ash that reminds us of our mortality and that we must do penance.

Passion Sunday - Marks the start of Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent, the custom is to veil   statues, paintings, icons etc, with the exception of the Stations of the cross.       

Palm Sunday -    Remembers Our Lord Jesus Christ entering Jerusalem and being greeted with Palms, also the start of Holy Week.

Spy Wednesday -  Reminds of the treason of Judas Iscariot.

Maundy Thursday - This is the day when our Lord commanded the Apostles to institute the Holy Eucharistic, Maundy comes from the Latin word Command.

Good Friday   -   The Commemoration of the Crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour, Fasting and abstinence from meat is obligatory.

Holy Saturday  -  Sometimes known as Black Saturday, a time of reflection and waiting, this is the last day of a penitential nature of Lent, Easter Vigil takes place.

Easter Sunday -  The greatest Feast of the Catholic liturgical year, Jesus Christ King of kings is risen!

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is one of two days of mandatory fasting during Lent along with Good Friday, they are also days of abstinence that means no meat is to be consumed on these days, a tradition that dates back to Jewish tradition and is an outward sign of the solemness of the season. Ash Wednesday is not actually a day of holy obligation i.e. mandatory to attend, unlike Good Friday, Christmas Day and every Sunday of the year for example. However, Ash Wednesday is one of the best attended days of the year for the Catholic Church, this year it falls on Wednesday the 14th of February.

I personally love Ash Wednesday and its link to the Jewish roots of our faith and the traditions of 2000 years of church history, along with the majesty of the day it all combines to make it, not by accident, the perfect way to start the Lenten season. Where we are all called upon to repent of our sins and sacrifice, doing our best to make amends for our grievous offences against God.  We are following in the footsteps of David, Daniel, Job, Esther and the other great old testament figures of our faith, who would cover themselves in sackcloth and ashes in penance for their sins.

Also, this has been carried on throughout the ages, whether it be a Roman emperor like Theodosius, barred from entering the church due to his excommunication, proceeding to donning penitent robes and covering himself in ashes outside the Cathedral in Milan as a sign of repentance or like King Henry who did the same after being excommunicated, walking through the snow in sackcloth, barefoot to bow at the feet of the Pope.  History is littered with examples from peasants to Kings showing repentance in this way.

During the mass the penitent receives the ashes (made from the palms of last year’s Palm Sunday) with the words Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris." ("Remember, man, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.”) which is taken from Genesis 3.19.

The custom is attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great, this is supposed to remind us of our mortality, which during Lent we must keep fixed in our minds as we do not know when the day of judgement will arrive?

Of course, there are many references to this practice throughout the Bible, the book of Job 42.6 “Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” in here we see a direct example of doing penance for one’s sins. In Esther, we see that when she was confronted with the slaughter of her people, she dons rags and covers her hair in ashes and dung, she fasts, she prays desperately with fervour for the salvation of others.

During this time of strife and turmoil in the world and the church, we are offered an even better example by the great prophet Daniel, who although a righteous man beloved by God, does penance for his people, Daniel 9.3 “Then I Daniel turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by Prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes”.

 This shows us that all must come together in prayer, fasting and penance for one another.

During Ash Wednesday it is a good idea for those who can, to fast well, that might mean fasting a little more than the minimum requirement of 1 meal and 2 small snacks, maybe just one small meal, or even bread and water if it is safe to do so, this one will show penance to God but will also make fasting during lent a little easier as you will have started Lent strongly.

It is also important to pray fervently during Lent, for Ash Wednesday maybe pray all of the mysteries of the Rosary even if you are not in the habit of praying the full rosary daily, praying all the mysteries in one day will make you realise how little time one rosary really is.

Scripture should be read, Joel and Matthew will be the reading for the day so maybe try reading one or both of the readings so that you benefit from the scripture so much more, or even just read them before mass, so when they are read during mass you may contemplate on them more deeply.

There are many good guides to accompany you doing Lent.  Last year I read Lent and Easter with St Benedict by Judith Sutera, which contained Scripture, quotes from St Benedict as well as reflections.  It was nice and very helpful that I could start each day with a pre planned set of reflections, adding a little routine and flow to my Lent.  This year I will use Let Freedom Ring by Fr Altman, Fr Heilman and Fr Peckman.

Finally, the Lord God loves charity, maybe donate some money to a charity or church organisation, feed a homeless person or even just spend some time with a lonely person or give help to your neighbour. Doing all of this will help arm you with a sense of the season and hopefully help you have a spiritually fruitful Lent.

AC

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, commemorates the Catholic belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Jesus Christ appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter. However, in some areas it is moved to the following Sunday.

The feast day has been observed since the 4th century at least, with St Augustine sayings that it is of Apostolic origin, and it was observed long before his time.

St George Slayer of Dragons

St George Slayer of Dragons

The Legend of St George and the dragon is a well-known myth and popular part of many cultures including England. He was born in the late 2nd Century in Cappadocia and died on 23rd of April 303 AD in Nicomedia. His Feast day is April 23rd, this is widely celebrated, especially in the East. He is the patron Saint of many countries, cities and walks of life. He is the patron Saint of England, Georgia, Milan, Soldiers and Scouts to name just a few.

It is often remarked by some that St George was a Turk, the Turks however would not even form into a confederacy for another 700 hundred years or so and it would be closer to 1000 years before they arrived in Anatolia. St George as far as we know, is from Cappadocia a Greek City at the time.  There are some sources that say his mother was from what is modern day Palestine but of Armenian descent, note, at this time the Palestinians where not Arabic in any sense and the Arabs would not invade for several hundred years. Well, that is that out of the way, I love my Turkish and Palestine Saints the same as I love my English and Italian Saints it should make zero difference to a Catholic, but alas for the sake of probity and historical accuracy I wanted to state this information.

St George has been venerated in the Christian faith since his death in the 3rd century. He was the son of a senior official in Diocletian's court. St George was a soldier and rose through the ranks to become a senior officer in the household guard of the Emperor, I deliberately do not use Roman ranks because at the time of the Tetrarchy the rank structure of the army was a little confusing, but we can be sure he was at the rank of Tribune or Prefect, equivalent to a modern day Major or Lt Colonel.

Tradition states he had been a noted soldier and had an excellent reputation, that is why during one of the Christian persecutions orchestrated by Diocletian or perhaps more so by his junior emperor Galerius, St George was presented as were all citizens, with the option to sacrifice to the Roman Gods or face death and St George took the latter option and remained loyal to Christ, we know he must have been a popular man and one of influence because the Emperor offered him several chances to change his mind.

This is where some theorise the legend of the Dragon comes in. In one story a beautiful young prostitute was sent to him to persuade him to lay with her and so prove he was not truly loyal to God, it turns out she was so convinced by St George she converted and instead accepted death and a martyrs crown herself! Here we see the symbology of George the valiant Knight saving the girls soul against the devil, by whom she had been previously ensnared.  Through his courage, steadfastness and using the lance of truth he slays the dragon, often the depiction of the devil in theology, freeing the princess from her trap, as in the legend a young maid is captured but freed.

While St George has been venerated as a Saint throughout the church as a whole, it was mainly in the east until the middle ages and the arrival of the crusaders in the Holy Land. It is often believed he along with other knightly Saints fought alongside the crusaders to free the Holy Land. From here we know the many legends of the dragon, permeated medieval culture in the west and during the renaissance, this is where we get a lot of the tales of George and the dragon, the people of the renaissance never being ones to allow the truth to get in the way of romantic chivalric stories or tales.

Whatever else we know about him, we know he chose death over offering sacrifice to the demons mascaraing as Roman Gods, he chose to stay by the Cross of Jesus Christ so we can always look to his example and follow it.

St George Pray for us

Passion Sunday

Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord.

Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday as it is called in Tradition, features the longest Gospel reading of the year, while as children we might have found it drawn out as they are prone to do, the people of Israel had been waiting for a long time for the Messiah to arrive as we are waiting now for the Lord Jesus Christ to return. Today we celebrate the arrival of the Messiah, the King of Kings has arrived after hundreds of years. The last great prophet arose in Jerusalem, 400 years ago to be exact.

The Lord Jesus Christ will in just a few days be Crucified and save humanity from its destruction claiming the victory over evil, we are now entering the Holy Week, a time in which many increase prayers, fasting and good works. Passion Sunday bares many distinct features, we of course receive palm Leaf’s which are to be kept throughout the year as reminders of Christs arrival, his crowing of Glory as King of Kings and his crucifixion and Resurrection, they also bear witness to our faith, that we are the people who greeted Jesus in the right manor, not the people who denied him at the palace of Pontus Pilate.

As a note, most Scholars agree that the crowds that greeted Jesus when he arrived in Jerusalem riding upon a Colt (Donkey) never before rode on (another Jewish sign of Kingship) where in fact not the crowds that called for his punishment at the palace of Pontus Pilate, in the gospel it mentions that these crowds had followed Jesus to Jerusalem so where not residents of that city for the most part.

The Palms represent the palms, coats and greenery that was laid down before Jesus as he entered the great city of Jerusalem. Dr Brad Pitre points out this could in-fact represent not just acknowledgment by the crowd that the King had arrived but also on a more prophetical level the fact that the lord is new Adam as many Jews believed at the time that the Garden of Eden had an olive Garden in it, this use of olive branches and other greenery represented the arrival of the new Adam to right the wrongs of the father of our race. Also, it should be noted the Lord after the last super spent the night praying to do his Fathers will in the Garden of Olives, making the right choice obeying his Fathers will and not taking the poisoned fruit of being spared the cross, but instead chose to Die to save humanity from our sins in act of love never to be surpassed.

At the beginning of the mass the faithful will either process with the priests or got to another building or room and then process with the priests marking the procession of Jesus into Jerusalem but also in a figurative way marking his entry into Jerusalem and up to heaven which commentates his journey into the city to the cross and then to Heaven to take up his Seat at the right hand of the Father, also this is a reversal of our decline being banished from the Garden of Eden into the world.

What we must know is that palms being picked by the crowds and now held by us represent the belief that prophecy in Psalm 118 that says the Messiah will arrive in the name of the Lord “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord” both mentioned in Psalm 118:26 and Mark 11:19 also they are recreating the arrival of Davidic Kings such as in 2 kings 9:13.

Here we are declaring to the world the Messiah has come, so the little Palms we keep on our desk at the office, in the living room or by our home alter have a very rich history and theological significnce.

I recommend enjoying this Sunday and preparing for a holy week in which we should all take part as much as we are able and is prudent in the liturgical life of the church by attending mass, adoration and public prayers as much as possible and where we are not able to do extra works of charity which could be something as small as praying for someone specifically or helping a neighbour. An increase in prayers Is also a good idea, maybe reading one of the approved mystics of the church such as Blessed Anne Emmerich’s account of the passion and without a doubt reading the Bible accounts of the Passion is fundamental.

For a deeper understanding of the great spiritual meaning behind our faith I highly recommend the works of Dr Brad Pitre, many of his videos can be found at Catholic Productions on YouTube, his books are well worth a read and available at most book shops. If you are looking for some nice music to listen to check out Adoration of the Cross and this Palm Sunday chant Duxerunt Pullum Ad Jesus.

Catholic or pagan what is Easter.

Catholic or pagan what is Easter.

Easter is in fact Catholic not pagan, it is the replacement for Passover, the Jewish holiday. Easter is about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That has always been the point of Easter. So where is the confusion coming from.

One misunderstanding, or lie, is that the etymology of the word Easter in English comes from a name of a pagan ‘god’. Catholics were celebrating Easter long before we spoke English. It is actually, from languages (Latin, Greek etc.,) that were commonly spoken by the church and has its roots from the word meaning Passover.

Another reason there is confusion, are, the bunnies, eggs and chocolate. This is confusing cultural celebrations with religious ones. We tend to forget that for most of history Catholics did not celebrate the rising of our Lord by eating chocolate or by letting a bloke in a bunny costume hide some eggs around our gardens.

Like most attempts to attack Catholics this is done either by accident, because of a lack of care or knowledge or deliberately out of malice, to de Christ or de Catholicise, Easter and to make people draw a wrong conclusion about Christ being our Saviour. There is nothing sinful about bunnies, eggs and chocolate, as long as you remember what Easter is about and you are careful not to put any importance on these cultural customs.

Easter weekend

Easter weekend

Maundy Thursday

As we approach Holy week and we prepare for the end of lent and the most important few days in the entire church calendar we thought it might be worth giving a brief and very simple overview, whilst most Catholics will be familiar it might help, interested non Catholics, New Converts and Laps Catholic hungry to return.

The first major liturgical activity of the week tends to be Maundy Thursday, here we commemorate our Lord Jesus Christ command to “love one another as I have Loved you” hence the name Maundy which is a derivative of Command in Latin.

During this Mass we contemplate the last supper and also Jesus Betrayal in the Garden by Judas Iscariot.

Good Friday

Today is the day we are all required to abstain from meat and fast, today Our Saviour the Messiah our Lord and Saviour is put to death on the Cross in what seems like defeat but in fact will obtain freedom from bondage for mankind and allow a path to heaven, through the sacrifice of Gods only begotten son we are saved.

Jesus dies on the cross

Today there is no Mass the churches relics, icons and statues are all covered from Passion Sunday, this represents his seemingly going away from us. Today in church the Gospel Passion narrative is read, adoration of the cross occurs, and communion is taken in the new rite, however some Traditional orders do not distribute communion as pre 1955 this was the standard.

Easter Saturday

Mass today is much later than normal, it should be after sundown, it tends to be around 9.30pm this mass is known as the Easter Vigil. Easter Vigil is the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will be mediating on the body of Jesus being placed in the tomb today. It is also a day of abstinence from meat and fasting.

Easter Sunday

Today is the culmination of the liturgical year and the day we celebrate the Resuscitation of Jesus Christ, here is the Conquering of death by God. It is a very joyous day which celebrated throughout the world, parades, celebratory meals as a family.

Lent the season to be repentant.

Lent the season to be repentant.

Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. During Lent we are called to repent; this might seem a sad time after the joys of Christmas but not so.  This is a time when we can reawaken our Sensus Fidelium and bring ourselves closer to God which of course is Joyful. In 2023 Lent begins on Wednesday, 22nd of February and ends Thursday, 6th of April.

The last Sunday before Lent we will be celebrating through dispensation the feast of St Valentine great saint of the Roman church martyred on 14th February 269 AD.

It bears us well to think on St Valentine and the fact that he was willing to be tortured and killed for the faith, for in fact conducting secret marriages during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II, so through discipline, austerity of mind and body, through a vigorous prayer life may our Lent bring us renewed purpose and bring us closer to God.

With Ash Wednesday we adorn ourselves with ashes on our heads and chasten our bodies with fasting as well as abstaining from meat. During Lent traditionally abstinence from meat was practised on Wednesday and Friday throughout all of Lent as well as fasting in the Catholic way one meal and two small meals without any snacks of any kind during the day. While Alcohol was not prohibited it was generally accepted that it was not in keeping with the season to be drinking for merriment.

Generally, while fasting, also soft drinks such as Cola or fruit Juices should not be consumed as they are calorific enough to break the fast, some say diet drinks are ok as they contain no calories, milk is ok as well as is tea and coffee, this of course is down to each individual to decide what is best.

Common sense must come into practice, if you are a 6 foot male who works on a building site or exercises 2 hours a day, your main meal and 2 snacks will be bigger than a 5 foot 4 female who works in an office, as an individual be sensible, as we know it is a sin to take wages and not do a good return in work, also if you are a nurse, fireman or soldier for example, you need to be alert and do your duty, so again take this into account. During Lent, Sundays are still feast days, so you may eat and drink normally, but of course this is not an excuse to go overboard, always remembering moderation is the key to enjoying Gods gifts.

During Lent confession should be made, as well as receiving Holy Communion as a requirement of being a Catholic, this was instituted by the Fourth Lateran council 1215 and upheld by all Bishops conferences as late as 1989 in the United States as an example.

One final note is that all requirements and recommendations for Lent are subject to age, health, medical and work exemptions.

Only those aged 18 to 59 are required by the Church to fast, those who are ill or caring for the sick can be exempted, also those who have jobs that fasting would affect them negatively or endanger them or others would also be exempted, good examples of this would be a soldier on tour or a nurse on a 12 hour plus shift in an Emergency ward.

The main days of note are as follows during Lent.

Ash Wednesday -  We receive the Ash that reminds us of our mortality and that we must do penance.

Passion Sunday - Marks the start of Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent, the custom is to veil   statues, paintings, icons etc, with the exception of the Stations of the cross.       

Palm Sunday -    Remembers Our Lord Jesus Christ entering Jerusalem and being greeted with Palms, also the start of Holy Week.

Spy Wednesday -  Reminds of the treason of Judas Iscariot.

Maundy Thursday - This is the day when our Lord commanded the Apostles to institute the Holy Eucharistic, Maundy comes from the Latin word Command.

Good Friday   -   The Commemoration of the Crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour, Fasting and abstinence from meat is obligatory.

Holy Saturday  -  Sometimes known as Black Saturday, a time of reflection and waiting, this is the last day of a penitential nature of Lent, Easter Vigil takes place.

Easter Sunday -  The greatest Feast of the Catholic liturgical year, Jesus Christ King of kings is risen!

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is one of two days of mandatory fasting during Lent along with Good Friday, they are also days of abstinence that means no meat is to be consumed on these days, a tradition that dates back to Jewish tradition and is an outward sign of the solemness of the season. Ash Wednesday is not actually a day of holy obligation i.e. mandatory to attend, unlike Good Friday, Christmas Day and every Sunday of the year for example. However, Ash Wednesday is one of the best attended days of the year for the Catholic Church, this year it falls on Wednesday the 22nd of February.

I personally love Ash Wednesday and its link to the Jewish roots of our faith and the traditions of 2000 years of church history, along with the majesty of the day it all combines to make it, not by accident, the perfect way to start the Lenten season. Where we are all called upon to repent of our sins and sacrifice, doing our best to make amends for our grievous offences against God.  We are following in the footsteps of David, Daniel, Job, Esther and the other great old testament figures of our faith, who would cover themselves in sackcloth and ashes in penance for their sins.

Also, this has been carried on throughout the ages, whether it be a Roman emperor like Theodosius, barred from entering the church due to his excommunication, proceeding to donning penitent robes and covering himself in ashes outside the Cathedral in Milan as a sign of repentance or like King Henry who did the same after being excommunicated, walking through the snow in sackcloth, barefoot to bow at the feet of the Pope.  History is littered with examples from peasants to Kings showing repentance in this way.

During the mass the penitent receives the ashes (made from the palms of last year’s Palm Sunday) with the words Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris." ("Remember, man, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.”) which is taken from Genesis 3.19.

The custom is attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great, this is supposed to remind us of our mortality, which during Lent we must keep fixed in our minds as we do not know when the day of judgement will arrive?

Of course, there are many references to this practice throughout the Bible, the book of Job 42.6 “Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” in here we see a direct example of doing penance for one’s sins. In Esther, we see that when she was confronted with the slaughter of her people, she dons rags and covers her hair in ashes and dung, she fasts, she prays desperately with fervour for the salvation of others.

During this time of strife and turmoil in the world and the church, we are offered an even better example by the great prophet Daniel, who although a righteous man beloved by God, does penance for his people, Daniel 9.3 “Then I Daniel turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by Prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes”.

 This shows us that all must come together in prayer, fasting and penance for one another.

During Ash Wednesday it is a good idea for those who can, to fast well, that might mean fasting a little more than the minimum requirement of 1 meal and 2 small snacks, maybe just one small meal, or even bread and water if it is safe to do so, this one will show penance to God but will also make fasting during lent a little easier as you will have started Lent strongly.

It is also important to pray fervently during Lent, for Ash Wednesday maybe pray all of the mysteries of the Rosary even if you are not in the habit of praying the full rosary daily, praying all the mysteries in one day will make you realise how little time one rosary really is.

Scripture should be read, Joel and Matthew will be the reading for the day so maybe try reading one or both of the readings so that you benefit from the scripture so much more, or even just read them before mass, so when they are read during mass you may contemplate on them more deeply.

There are many good guides to accompany you doing Lent.  Last year I read Lent and Easter with St Benedict by Judith Sutera, which contained Scripture, quotes from St Benedict as well as reflections.  It was nice and very helpful that I could start each day with a pre planned set of reflections, adding a little routine and flow to my Lent.  This year I will use Let Freedom Ring by Fr Altman, Fr Heilman and Fr Peckman.

Finally, the Lord God loves charity, maybe donate some money to a charity or church organisation, feed a homeless person or even just spend some time with a lonely person or give help to your neighbour. Doing all of this will help arm you with a sense of the season and hopefully help you have a spiritually fruitful Lent.

AC

Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the main penitent period of the year begins, Lent, this moveable feast, in 2023 will be on February 21st, people throughout history have indulged for the last time prior to Ash Wednesday a day of fasting.

The origins of the name Shrove come from the term Shrive which means to absolve, this is in reference to going to confession during Shrovetide, the week leading up to Lent, which culminates in Shrove Tuesday. This is well documented with its first concrete mention occurring around 1000AD from Ælfric of Eynsham's "Ecclesiastical Institutes" it details the period of Shrovetide being one of confession and preparation for Lent. One tradition that emerged during the period, which we should fully embrace is the ringing of church bells on Shove Tuesday, this was always done to remind those who had not done so to attend confession before Ash Wednesday. While I recommend obtaining absolution of our sins through the sacrament of confession during the days before Shrove Tuesday, the bells ringing will be a cogent reminder to us all, of Lent approaching. Known by many names such as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras in French, the overall theme is the same, the using up or enjoying of all things, we should be abstaining from during the 40 days or so of Lent, however in places like New Orleans this had led to significantly non Catholic behaviour and like all major Catholic feasts the secular realm encroaches and besmirches the tradition.

A similar problem emerges in such festivals as Carnival in Italy, a day of excess and partying in which people would dress up in masks which originated in Venice.  The church in a reaction to the excess attempted to reclaim the festival in 1748, Pope Benedict XIV instituted the Forty hours of Carnival, a period of prayers and Eucharistic Adoration this had a plenary indulgence attached, for anyone who embraced the penitential nature of this period and confessed their sins.

Seen slightly differently around the world but in England known as pancake day, it is observed very differently in the modern church in many aspects.  While many people still have pancakes, they do not at all observe the reason for the pancakes. During Lent’s past the reason pancakes where chosen is because it allowed families to use up the last of their eggs, milk, butter, and meat products as during lent they would abstain from meat and animal products, of course now in the Roman calendar there are only two days of fasting, and a handful of meatless Fridays, so the day is practiced in an almost completely symbolic way.

While not even many traditional Catholics go on bread and water fasts during lent, one thing that we could do is to perhaps take, Shrove Tuesday slightly more seriously, in-fact maybe this year we could expand it to include Shrovetide, slowly getting rid of all the snacks and celebratory food stuffs from our homes, but also start to ponder on our Lent.  Getting our devotions, meditations and penance planned out, perhaps even just fasting Monday through Saturday by not eating snacks and keeping meals to a minimum size, or even fasting on 2 or 3 days a week.

Having done a meatless Lent I can tell you it is not fun, however it is not supposed to be, there are great spiritual benefits from fasting and abstinence that outweigh the minor discomfort.  We will be publishing a guide to minimum requirements for Lent shortly; we outline the new and old calendars requirements, plus a range of material that could be helpful to the period of Lent in your spiritual lives.

AC

The New Year for a Catholic

The new year for a Catholic

The new year is a good opportunity to renew your faith or to work on your faith. There are quite a few different programmes designed to help renew and or strengthen your faith.  Some are made just for men some for women and some for both.

The most popular 2 are Nineveh 90 for men and women and Exodus 90 for men.

https://www.nineveh90.com/                  https://exodus90.com/

If you like the idea of doing a programme like either of these two but would like a leaner or more of a beginner’s version, then maybe this programme would be helpful.

I would recommend adding several things to your daily life, for 90 days. But trying this out for 30 days too would be of great help, I think.

1: A small prayer when you first wake.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

2 A small prayer when you go to bed.

Heavenly Father, thank you that your word enlightens my eyes, purifies my soul, and preserves me for eternal life. As I reach the end of this day, I thank you for the many blessings you have bestowed on me. I ask for forgiveness for the sins I have committed today. I pray that, as I sleep you would restore my strength and empower me for a new day tomorrow. Lord, bless me and keep me, make your face shine upon me. Turn your face towards me and give me peace. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

3: An act of Contrition when you sin. (still go to confession of course)

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

4: Do your daily Rosary (if you do then great keep it up)

All Catholics should try their very hardest to do a daily Rosary.  https://novenaprayer.com/rosary-friday/ 

5: Do ten Novenas for yourself (issues with sins) or anyone you think needs help.

Each Novena lasts Nine days, it is a small prayer each day. https://novenaprayer.com/novena-prayers/ 

Choose any you want, feel free to look around for ones which speak to you the most. 

6: Avoid entertainment and social media, music, television, YouTube etc that does not teach you (any subject) or that is not positive or helps to build your faith.

This means try to concentrate on building your knowledge of the faith learn about the history of the Catholic Church its saints and teachings. Try to learn about new subjects that make you a more rounded person, that might give you new skills, like cooking, budgeting, drawing, editing etc. Expand your knowledge, there is so much to learn about the faith and everything in general. But really take the opportunity to learn about the faith.

I know this one is really hard but please do try, your favourite programme can wait. If you slip up once do not quit this part just keep trying. The key here is to learn and enrich yourself, with positive content.

Social media is a drug, it is as simple as that. Facebook and twitter are cancer, there is nothing they do, that a better system could not do without the additional devastating negative effects they have on people and society. Please stay away from them and all social media unless it is a real life emergency.  

7: Get a good night’s rest  

Try your best to sleep between 7 to 9 hours a night. This means no screens to distract yourself, stop watching or reading at least 30 minutes before bed if possible 45 minutes.

8: Read the Catechism

The Catechism of the church is one of the most important books ever written.

The Trent Catechism, the Baltimore Catechism, the Catechism of Saint Pius X are especially good.

One free source is  http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

Another is https://olrfamilycatechism.com/    This one is great and an easy one to use, with videos and quizzes.

If you have recently read the catechism as an adult. Then I would still recommend the website above as a refresher course.

9:  Do Physical Exercise

We are all different so please be sensible but honest with yourself. Do not try to remodel yourself. But exercise as to build a foundation that can be a launch pad to remodel if wanted to, learn to stretch your body properly and get the blood circulating. Get your heart beating, racing up and down as often and quickly as you can. If walking on the spot fast is all you can do, then do it. You do not need a gym membership or lots of equipment. Push ups, sit ups, squats etc are fine use any rules, make them hard or easy to start with, whatever you can manage. Doing 20 to 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week to start with then gentle increasing to 40 minutes to 1 hour a day will really help with your fitness.   

10: Fasting and Diet

Fast on Fridays of course you can eat fish but no other meats. Eat one full meal, your main meal this should be normal sized. (whatever your usual sized meals are) Then eat 2 half sized meals, with no snacking. This is to show recognition of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.

Do not drink alcohol and if you do not drink then give up something you eat/drink regularly and enjoy. For the full length of the programme.

Try your best to either maintain your weight or to lose weight if needed. But try to lose weight slowly and gradually. Try to change your eating habits to became healthier, chewing multiple times, eating at fixed times, five a day, balanced diet. etc    

Summing Up

If you make a mistake, forget, fail, skip, or cut short a part of it or you cut the length of the program, do not get down on yourself. Either keep going, try again or just try your very hardest during the time you are doing the programme. If you need to adopt parts of this programme than do so but try to make it a challenge for yourself.  

Books/Reading

The Bible

The Saints

Prayers

Magisterial Authority by FR Chad Ripperger

Love Unleashes Life: Abortion and the Art of Communicating Truth by Stephanie Gray Connors

Infiltration: The plot to destroy the church from within, by Dr Taylor Marshall

Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism written by Ion Mihai Pacepa and Ronald J Rychlak.

On Human Life (Humanae Vitae) by Pope Paul VI, Mary Eberstadt, Jennifer Fulwiler, James Hitchcock.

The Myth of Hitlers pope, How Pope Pius XII Rescued Jews from the Nazis by Rabbi David G. Dalin.

Why We're Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love by Trent Horn.

Can a Catholic Be a Socialist? By Trent Horn.

Founding of Christendom: 01 (History of Christendom) by Warren H. Carroll.

Hard Sayings, Trent Horn.

The Case for Patriarchy, Timothy J Gordon.

Daily Defense: 365 Days Plus, Jimmy Akin.

A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics, Patrick Madrid.

Films/Videos

A Man for All Seasons (1966) Film

Becket (1964) Film

The Scarlet and the Black (1983) Film

Gunpowder is a 3-part mini-series (BBC/HBO)

Unplanned (2019) Abby Johnson Film

For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada, also known as Cristiada and as Outlaws (2012)

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Christmas is Catholic not pagan.

Christmas is Catholic not pagan.

The disinformation that the birth of Christ or Christmas was, or was substituted for a pagan festival is incorrect. Christmas is the celebration of our Lord Christ’s birth, it always has been. Cultures all around the world have celebrations at certain times of the year, start of the year, start of spring, summer, autumn or end of the growing season and the end of the year. These are not necessarily religious occasions, so it is easy for people to get confused or be misled and the confusion is understandable.

The two pagan festivals which are used to attack Christmas are Saturnalia, the feast dedicated to the Roman ‘god’ Saturn which was actually celebrated on the 17th of December and was later increased to last a whole week, ending on the 23rd of December. The festival has had several different dates and lengths as well as meanings. We know that many early Catholic figures, discussed the interaction between this festival and the feast of our Lords birth, as did notable pagans. Each side were advising their own not to part take in the other and the pagans were usually demanding that the Catholics should be stopped from having the right to celebrate or even the choice of worship at all. Note, they were not complaining about the Catholics co-opting their festival but about them having a festival so close to theirs. Saturnalia is basically an end of harvest festival, that was first Hellenised, then Romanised and then partially re-Hellenised. Cultural end of year festivals are mainly, happy advents with gift giving and parties, but religiously Saturnalia and Advent are not the same thing. Any similarities in the celebration of these advents are coincidental, as culturally most festivals and holiday’s all around the world at all ages share many human aspects to them.

Sol Invictus is the second roman festival that is confused with Advent. Sol Invictus in the roman version was established centuries after our Lord’s birth and crucifixion, by the Roman Emperor Aurelian, to combat early Catholics from celebrating their Faith. He also wanted to start a new religion (not to the exclusion of other roman gods) based around ideas that he thought made a good roman.

Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord Christ, it would not matter even if it did fall on another religious date or even co-opted/shared another festivals cultural trimmings. The main reason individuals or groups etc use this disinformation is to attack and cheapen our celebration of Christ and thus de-Christ Christmas, is to attempt to drive Christ from the public sphere. It is also intended to make Christ look like he could be a myth like the pagan ‘gods’. No one is denying pagan festivals existed or their cultural impact on the world, Catholics simply state that we have always celebrated our Lord Christs birth on the 25th.  We admit that in some details, trimmings, Christmas has been partially culturalized, even from an early date, this does not change what we believe religiously. Christmas is a Catholic holy time and should be treated as one.  

I thought I would do a small side piece on the Christmas tree, the Christmas tree is inspired from the story of Saint Boniface cutting down a tree. The idea came from central Europe in the medieval times, the evergreen style of trees were used for their ease of upkeep, prettiness and accessibility and their three part branches symbolising the Holy Trinity. The other staples were added over time, like lights, ornaments, angel etc. The Christmas tree is not a true Catholic or any other denominational symbol of Christ, it is a cultural idea that has become so popular it has been accommodated by all. There is nothing wrong with having a pretty tree in your living room at Advent/Christmas. However, do not put any importance on it, the tree has been used in recent times to again de-Christ Christmas. Sadly the desire to be popular has led the Catholic church to put some significance to the tree. Some say that the Christmas tree is pagan, this is not true. Tree, animal and nature worship is common but for a whole host of different reasons. The Christmas tree is not pagan but cultural.  

Advent and Christmas bringing yourself closer to Christ

Advent and Christmas bringing yourself closer to Christ

The period of Advent often known as the mini Lent.

While the secular world uses the run up to Christmas Day as a time of excess and at times grotesque over indulgence, we in the Catholic faith should be using this time to prepare ourselves for our Lords Joyous arrival.

In the early church this was a strict time of fasting, culminating in the era of St Gregory, in which all meat, fish, milk, cheese, oil and wine where abstained from throughout the whole Period of Advent allowing themselves just fish on Saturday and Sunday. As the years of went on and we arrived at Middle Ages things had changed and now fasting was observed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Nowadays of course no specific requirements are set before the faithful.

However, with the state the church is in and the world spiralling into sin, now is the time to take up the words of our Lord and pray and fast!

Perhaps not going as far as our early church fathers, as it is best to walk before you run, the benefits of fasting especially for men are numerous and help to sharpen the mind and the spirit.

After all, just one month of fasting 3 days a week is no major hardship especially considering Christmastide is so long and not far away.

Just in case your new to fasting, a Catholic Fast at its minimum involves eating 1 main meal which should be simple and not larger than usual, as well as 2 small meals half the size of your main meal or less, of course, you can go further if you are young and healthy. I myself like to go slightly further on Fridays making the 2 small meals as little as a single boiled egg or piece of fruit, but the main thing is that your eating less, not snacking and maybe feeling those hunger pangs.

Of Course along with this, an increase in prayer is essential, the St Andrews prayer should be said 15 times a day and you can find a link to a website that will take you through it, but it is a beautiful prayer and if you say it 5 times before each meal you won’t forget.

Hail and Blessed be the hour and the moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin in a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At the hour vouchsafe, I beseech thee, to hear my prayers and grant my desires, (then mention your intentions, once if fine) through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Amen

Along with this reading the Gospel of St Luke is a must, as it has the most detailed accounts of our Lords Birth of the four Gospels.

There also many great Christmas devotions such as Advent candles and calendars, but the main thing is to get closer to God and be ready for his only begotten son our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also have many great Feast days coming up which can celebrated in the right way during the period of penance, such as the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Christopher who is even more fascinating than the Modern Father Christmas.

God keep you

https://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-andrew-christmas-novena

All Saints Day

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is celebrated on the 1st of November. It is a day when the church and the laity pray for the souls of the dead and also pray for those who are in Purgatory. We pray for intercession of the Saints. All Saints' Day also sometimes known as All Hallows' Day is celebrated on the 1st of November.  It came from a Feast of All Holy Martyrs, which was on the 13th of May. Pope Gregory IV, in 837AD extended the festival to remember all the saints. When its name became the Feast of All Saints, and the date was moved to the 1st of November. All Souls Day follows All Saints Day and is on the 2nd of November or the 3rd if the 2nd is a Sunday. It is a day for people to pray for the dead, and for the souls of people who are in Purgatory.