- Dolce
Put the “Mass” Back into Christmas?
Posted by Fr. David in Fr. David's Blog
Friday, December 1. 2006Put the “Mass” Back into Christmas?
Worshippers arrive at the Vigil for Christmas at an Orthodox Church in Palo Alto.You’ve heard it before— virtually every year. It may have come from a priest or preacher, a pious believer, or even a billboard! “Put Christ back into Christmas!” And course, that’s precisely right. Christmas is, or ought to be, about the coming in the flesh of our Lord, God, Savior Jesus Christ! As the saying goes, “He’s the reason for the season.” We know this. We know that gifts and trees and Santa are not what December 25th is all about. Yet we do need reminding; our Lord has a lot of competition during the modern “holiday.”
But how do we do this — put Christ back into His birthday celebration? Is it enough to get tapped on the shoulder by a slogan— a reality check— only to turn immediately back to the hustle and bustle? We nod and agree, but real, concrete changes elude us.
That’s why we’ve got to put the “Mass” back into Christmas. The “mass,” of course, is the word that Western catholics use for their worship— in particular, their Eucharist, Holy Communion. In other words, we’ve got to put the worship back into this “Holy-Day” (holiday)! That is the only way to put Christ back into Christmas. Just like the Word had to become human flesh to communicate salvation to us, so our love of Christ must become, as it were, “enfleshed” in actual worship in order for us to truly encounter Jesus Christ.
Where does this happen but in God’s Holy Church, at the services for the Feast of the Nativity (the Orthodox name for Christmas)? True worship, the fullest experience of God through the sacraments, occurs in the gathering of the faithful, the People of God. Of course, there’s always the temptation to domesticate Christmas. People have actually said: “What a shame that the Church has scheduled services on Christmas; it’s supposed to be a family holiday!” Now, family is good (God made it). But family life, like anything else, can become an idol. Our life in Christ isn’t a mere extension of our various family traditions. When our Christianity is reduced to the status of a “hearth religion,” it becomes religious tokenism. It is our life in Christ— in His Body, the Holy Church — that sanctifies our family life, and not vice versa!
So when making your holiday plans for Christmas Eve and Day, make them truly Holy~Days — by scheduling that other stuff around our services of worship. And keep the Advent (or “Nativity”) Fast. Of course, you may be the odd man or woman out at the buffet of the company “Christmas” party. You’ll no doubt run headlong into the sacred cow of family traditions. You could get some irritated glances or even nasty words from those you love. If asked, explain that you’re trying to put the “Mass” back into Christmas. It’s a small price to pay: to worship, in utter gratitude, the One who emptied Himself of His glory and became flesh, for us and our salvation. Let us keep the Feast!
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