The Days after Christmas


The Days after Christmas
Christmas is over again. We went to Holy Mass on Christmas Day (or its Vigil), received the Christchild in Holy Communion, maybe listened/viewed one of the Holy Christmas Masses on television, Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peters in Rome, or the Papal Nunctio, Absp. Sambi who celebrated the Christmas Liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Actually, I watched both since I did not go to Midnight Mass locally (our Choir sang at the 4 PM Vigil Mass). I'm already doing my very best to keep the beauty of the Christmas Liturgy and homilies in mind all during the days after Christmas. And this is easy to do as long as we associate this inner beauty when receiving Our Lord in the Precious Body and Blood at every Mass throughout the year. In almost everyone's past there is some event, some special recollection where one felt especially close to Jesus. Maybe it was when we received Holy Communion for the first time, although that is a little long ago, and I must admit I recall the party surrounding the event more than the event itself given this was about 62-3 years ago for me. Memory becomes sort of fuzzy after a while on matters that occurred so long ago. There were other memorable occasions having to do with God and His Presence in my life. I recall about 15 years ago, that I went to a Charismatic Leadership Conference - one of these large events with 500+ people present, and we were praying, singing, meditating while looking at a stage with Holy Mass going on in the distance, and at some point, the entire stage was for me lit up in pure white-gold light. Everything was outside of that, except the Lord. Those moments of grace happen to many, I would think. The moment went away rather quickly but I remember it very often. Well, that's how I would want to recall Christmas Liturgies - where we see only the Christ child and for a few moments at least, we are totally concentrating on Him and His love. These special occasions do not happen everyday so it is up to our minds and memory to make them present throughout our lives when we need His help most. There is only one way: prayer and continually attempting to avoid occasions of sin. That too, is a lifetime process. This particular Christmas I spent with friends, friends who invited me to dinner and also invited others (the families of two of my choir's members), so we had lots of good conversation and fun, and, here I can only speak for myself, I had way too much to eat as always seem to be the case when I go visiting! It was all very good! Also, since home-cooked meals do not happen to me too often, these invitations are always memorable! The days after Christmas in past years, have left me with many happy memories. When I was still a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes, my parents always put on a Christmas production of gifts hidden in all the nooks and crannies of this old house we lived in, whose location we found through carefully written poems and other stories, also hidden. My Dad must have slaved for days in the planning of this event, like a 'choreography summa cum laude,' which resulted in a happy and boisterous running around to get one's presents with lots of laughter and joy. Those years were 2-3 years after the end of the Second World War where this was just the right prescription! Laughter was in short supply in those days, so Dad made up for what we were lacking. Dad did really well, but let's always remember that God is the finest choreographer of all! Christmas away from home began early in my life. None of these years were outstanding but for three years when I was in military service around the Holy Days of Christmas, specifically in Germany. Those were still years of less crass commercialism than there is now. On Sundays I usually have just two meals, a small breakfast at home early in the morning, and lunch or early dinner around 3 P.M. (at a local restaurant), and some snacks at home at mid-evening. For the most part of Sundays, either I will write something for you, my visitors on this website, as I am doing right now, or I will watch TV if there is something good on. I'm not terribly into football but I enjoy a good baseball game now and then. Often, they will also put me to sleep in my recliner especially during endless and otherwise dull commercials. We seem to have too many, these days! The Liturgical days after Christmas, are interesting. First, of course, we have on December 26th, the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. He was a Deacon and while preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ he was condemned to die. He was stoned to death in the year (approx.) 33 A.D. The first Sunday after Christmas is usually Holy Family Sunday, and on December 28th we celebrate the Holy Innocents. After that the next major event is New Year's Day, on which we celebrate Mary, the Mother of God. That is almost always a Holiday of Obligation. January 1, 2010 is a day we all go to Holy Mass. What a great way to begin the new year. Not everyone sees Christmas as the Birth of Our Lord, for some people this day off from work, generically referred to as "the Holidays", is just that. A day off from work. It should be so much more. It should be a day of Thanksgiving for God sending his Son, Jesus, to earth to join us in our struggles for life, and to begin a road that led to His death and resurrection, in order that our sins may be forgiven. For some people that is a concept too difficult to understand, that one man should lay down his life for another. But that is what He did, and because of his love for us, we will never be forgotten. Let us then not forget Him either. He wants to give so much. Let us be grateful and accept His great gift of Life! May the Lord give you Peace! Fred Schaeffer, SFO December 27, 2009

Christmas is over again. We went to Holy Mass on Christmas Day (or its Vigil), received the Christchild in Holy Communion, maybe listened/viewed one of the Holy Christmas Masses on television, Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peters in Rome, or the Papal Nunctio, Absp. Sambi who celebrated the Christmas Liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Actually, I watched both since I did not go to Midnight Mass locally (our Choir sang at the 4 PM Vigil Mass).

I'm already doing my very best to keep the beauty of the Christmas Liturgy and homilies in mind all during the days after Christmas. And this is easy to do as long as we associate this inner beauty when receiving Our Lord in the Precious Body and Blood at every Mass throughout the year. In almost everyone's past there is some event, some special recollection where one felt especially close to Jesus. Maybe it was when we received Holy Communion for the first time, although that is a little long ago, and I must admit I recall the party surrounding the event more than the event itself given this was about 62-3 years ago for me. Memory becomes sort of fuzzy after a while on matters that occurred so long ago.

There were other memorable occasions having to do with God and His Presence in my life. I recall about 15 years ago, that I went to a Charismatic Leadership Conference - one of these large events with 500+ people present, and we were praying, singing, meditating while looking at a stage with Holy Mass going on in the distance, and at some point, the entire stage was for me lit up in pure white-gold light. Everything was outside of that, except the Lord. Those moments of grace happen to many, I would think. The moment went away rather quickly but I remember it very often. Well, that's how I would want to recall Christmas Liturgies - where we see only the Christ child and for a few moments at least, we are totally concentrating on Him and His love. These special occasions do not happen everyday so it is up to our minds and memory to make them present throughout our lives when we need His help most. There is only one way: prayer and continually attempting to avoid occasions of sin. That too, is a lifetime process.

This particular Christmas I spent with friends, friends who invited me to dinner and also invited others (the families of two of my choir's members), so we had lots of good conversation and fun, and, here I can only speak for myself, I had way too much to eat as always seem to be the case when I go visiting! It was all very good! Also, since home-cooked meals do not happen to me too often, these invitations are always memorable!

The days after Christmas in past years, have left me with many happy memories. When I was still a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes, my parents always put on a Christmas production of gifts hidden in all the nooks and crannies of this old house we lived in, whose location we found through carefully written poems and other stories, also hidden. My Dad must have slaved for days in the planning of this event, like a 'choreography summa cum laude,' which resulted in a happy and boisterous running around to get one's presents with lots of laughter and joy. Those years were 2-3 years after the end of the Second World War where this was just the right prescription! Laughter was in short supply in those days, so Dad made up for what we were lacking. Dad did really well, but let's always remember that God is the finest choreographer of all!

Christmas away from home began early in my life. None of these years were outstanding but for three years when I was in military service around the Holy Days of Christmas, specifically in Germany. Those were still years of less crass commercialism than there is now.

On Sundays I usually have just two meals, a small breakfast at home early in the morning, and lunch or early dinner around 3 P.M. (at a local restaurant), and some snacks at home at mid-evening. For the most part of Sundays, either I will write something for you, my visitors on this website, as I am doing right now, or I will watch TV if there is something good on. I'm not terribly into football but I enjoy a good baseball game now and then. Often, they will also put me to sleep in my recliner especially during endless and otherwise dull commercials. We seem to have too many, these days!

The Liturgical days after Christmas, are interesting. First, of course, we have on December 26th, the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. He was a Deacon and while preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ he was condemned to die. He was stoned to death in the year (approx.) 33 A.D.

The first Sunday after Christmas is usually Holy Family Sunday, and on December 28th we celebrate the Holy Innocents. After that the next major event is New Year's Day, on which we celebrate Mary, the Mother of God. That is almost always a Holiday of Obligation. January 1, 2010 is a day we all go to Holy Mass. What a great way to begin the new year.

Not everyone sees Christmas as the Birth of Our Lord, for some people this day off from work, generically referred to as "the Holidays", is just that. A day off from work. It should be so much more. It should be a day of Thanksgiving for God sending his Son, Jesus, to earth to join us in our struggles for life, and to begin a road that led to His death and resurrection, in order that our sins may be forgiven. For some people that is a concept too difficult to understand, that one man should lay down his life for another. But that is what He did, and because of his love for us, we will never be forgotten. Let us then not forget Him either. He wants to give so much. Let us be grateful and accept His great gift of Life!

May the Lord give you Peace!

Fred Schaeffer, SFO
December 27, 2009