How to Keep a Good Christmas
How to Keep a Good Christmas
How the Celebration of Christmas
developed Liturgically
The celebration of the Nativity has always been a precious jewel of the Church. It used to be celebrated as a part of Theophany since it was one of the theophanies or manifestations of God the incarnation, the Baptism of the Lord with the Father speaking and the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove, the appearance to Moses on Mt. Sinai and many others in the Old Testament. The feast of Nativity was given its own special and separate day in the 4th Century. “By moving the feast to December 25, the Church had a view to counteract the insidious error of Arius concerning the Nature of Christ, and also to counteract the pagan cult on that day and preserve the faithful from participating in it.”[1]
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 according to the new calendar and the old calendar. The only difference is that the old calendar Dec. 25 happens thirteen days after the new calendar Dec. 25th. So from the standpoint of the new calendar/civil/ Gregorian calendar, Dec. 25th of the Old/Julain calendar happens Jan. 7th….Just in case you wanted to know!
The Kontakion of the Nativity
The texts for the Nativity services are rich with beauty and meaning. One of the most precious hymns is the one composed through the inspiration of the Mother of God to St. Romanus the Melodist.
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One, and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One! Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him! The wise men journey with the star! Since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little child!
How the Text was composed
… St. Roman, was born in Emesa in the latter part of the fifth century. Whether or not his Jewish parents converted to Christianity is uncertain; Roman himself was baptized as a young boy and developed a great love for the house of God. When he came of age he served as a verger, lighting the lamps and preparing the censer. After moving to Beirut, he was ordained to the diaconate and assigned to the Church of the Resurrection. He had a rather mediocre voice, but his pure and simple heart was filled with love for God, and to assist at the church services gave him the greatest joy.
During the reign of Emperor Anastasius (491-518), the young deacon moved to Constantinople. He led an ascetic life of prayer and fasting, but in his humility he thought of himself as being rather worldly. He had a special love for the Mother of God, and would go at night to pray in the Blachernae Church, which housed the precious omophorion of the Holy Virgin. The saintly Patriarch Euthemius loved Roman for his many virtues, and paid him the same wage as those singers and readers who were more educated and more talented. The latter resented this and derided Roman for his evident lack of musical and theological training. Roman himself was painfully aware of these defects; he longed for a melodious voice worthy of leading the faithful in praising God.
It was the day before the Feast of Our Lord's Nativity, and Saint Roman was assigned to lead the singing that evening at the All-Night Vigil. He was responsible not only for the singing but also for the text of the hymns. After everyone had left, he remained in the Blachernae Church and tearfully entreated the Mother of God to help him. Exhausted, he fell asleep with his sorrow. In answer to his prayer, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream. She handed him a scroll and said to him gently, "Here, eat this." Roman did so and awoke, overcome with joy and the lingering presence of the heavenly visitor.
When it came time that night for him to sing, Saint Roman received the patriarch's blessing and, vested in a special garment reserved for the principal singer, he stepped onto the ambo. He began to sing: "Today the Virgin gives birth to Him Who is above all being . . ." The emperor, the patriarch, the clergy-the entire congregation listened in wonder at the profound theology and the clear, sonorous voice which issued forth. They all joined in the refrain, "A new-born Babe, the pre-eternal God." Later, Saint Roman told the patriarch about his vision, and the singers who had made fun of him prostrated themselves in repentance and humbly asked the Saint's forgiveness. [2]
Christmas is about Presents and Presences
Some are disheartened that the celebration of Christmas has degenerated into a stress or obsession about presents. We are running around buying presents, giving presents and receiving presents but we are forgetting about the Present that God gave all humanity: that He became man so that we could become as God..
God is with, understand all ye nations because God is with us!
This is the proclamation of Great Compline. When we are alive then our breath is in our body, whether we are aware of it or not. When we are alive also God is with us whether we are aware of Him or not. Let us become aware that God is with us and be grateful for the gift of His life. God is with us in the Divinie Liturgy and in all the sacraments.
Christmas is about the Lord, His birth and more to the point the most amazing and world changing event of all time…the birth in the flesh of God, the incarnation into the flesh of God, God becoming man. This idea will pass away unless our living makes it central through practice. For us Christmas is about presents, presents we have to give and presents we will receive. Even though we know that Christmas is rather a mystery of the incarnation of the Lord, God becoming man and working for our salvation we are helpless against the tide of necessities and demands. Unless we could see and walk another way…. If Christmas is about presents, then it is about
- The presents that the wise men gave Christ
- The present that we should give Him
A homonym of the word presents is presence
- The Presence of God with us
- Our presence with the poor, the sick, the outcast
Let us dare to approach that way and walk it even just as a new beginning…
Christmas is a celebration about our Friendship with God.
Friendship with the world is what Herod was about. As soon as the
child was born all the forces of darkness gathered against Him, rulers,
principalities, the insidious greed of men and fallen spirits. [3]
Herod, Metr. Philaret of Moscow says represents Friendship with the World. Let us avoid that.
We should appreciate the good things of the world but also perceive in them what Solomon called vanities of vanities. They are passing away and perishable and like toys given to children to entertain for a time or better yet to teach a lesson, they will vanish and if we cherish them too much we will be left not with the joy we once had but with vanity in our hearts and a vexed spirit that is disappointed in our losses. The “satiety of the senses will become a source of eternal hunger.”[4] The care for the world or friendship with the world throws us into worries over many things. This is what happened to Herod who is the example par excellance of the effects of friendship with the world. “The vague rumor of the birth of an unknown infant, brought into the capital by strangers, shakes the king on his throne, on the stability of which he relied the less, the ,more he prized its splendour: “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled.” [5] St. John 11:47 We flounder and sputter in troubles when we also embrace the vanities of the world too much. Martha, Martha you are worried an troubed about many things…but Mary has chosen the better part.
Just as the Lord presented the image of the wheat and the tares growing together so He allows the vanities and perishable things to coexist and commingle with the “newly-designed” things of the world to come that are made by His hidden hand.[6]
By His birth and incarnation we were invited to be friends of God once again. This is why the heavenly host rejoiced and declared Pease on earth.
When we modify our zeal for Christ to fit into the world and really seek the things of the world under the banner of Christmas we end up loosing the spiritual and real content of the Feast. The conclusion of Solomon’s view of vanity of vanities is opposing the seduction of the world with the fear of God, care to please Him. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.[7] All will be gained if we hold to this as the center of our purpose for Christmas.