Denver Catholic

4 DECEMBER 22, 2018-JANUARY 25, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC More Than You Realize there is no time more fitting to say thank you BY DENVER CATHOLIC STAFF A h, Christmastime. The perfect occasion to come together with family and celebrate the birth of our savior with lots of prayer, fellow- ship, food and conversation. That last one comes with a caveat, however: As long as the conversation isn't about politics or religion, you're safe. While we tend to agree about the politics bit, we take issue with keeping our faith to ourselves, especially on such a central celebration as Christ- mas. What better time to explain to your skeptical Uncle Tom how there's a lot more to the Christmas holiday than presents and egg nog? We all have questions about Christ- mas. Where did it come from? What's the history? Why is it when it is? So, we did some research to come up with answers — or, better yet, more questions — in response to some of the things your Uncle Tom thinks he already knows about Christmas. Don't be afraid of these conversa- tions! Sometimes they happen because you'll encounter someone who just wants to argue (the most likely scenario when around family). But we need to be bold and see these conversations as an opportunity to share our heart with someone else. Every single one of these conversations is a chance to engage someone in a meaningful con- versation: about life, faith, Christmas, God, and even each other. So don't be afraid — keep the con- versation going with your friends and family this Christmas season to help them see that the joy of this time of year truly is more than you realize. WHAT DOES "CHRISTMAS" EVEN MEAN?– The wordž "Christmas"ž is derived from the Middle English wordž Cris- temasse, which comesž from the Old EnglishžCristesžMaesse,žažphrase which means "Christ's Mass" and wasž fi rst recorded in 1038. Over time, it became easier for people to just say "Christ- mas."žAnd contrary to popular opinion, the even shorter version, Xmas, doesn't take "Christ" out of Christmasž —ž the "X" isž actually thež fi rst letter of the Greek word for Christ (chi). Take that!ž ISN'T CHRISTMAS JUST A–STOLEN–IDEA FROM THE ANCIENT PAGAN CELEBRATION OF SOL INVICTUS OR NEW WINTER SOLSTICE?– Not quite.ž In fact, the earliest ref- erence to Christmas being celebrated on Decemberž25žwas byžHippolytusžof Rome in hisžCommentary on the Book of Danielžin 204 A.D., which predates any mention of a celebration honoring the pagan god Sol Invictus. It's also worth noting that December 25ž falls at the time when the ancient world celebrated the winter solstice, which historically has been important for agricultural rea- sons and therefore an opportune time forždi¯ erentžcelebrations and ritualsžby many di¯ erent peoples and cultures of the era.ž So, di¯ erent celebrations around that time were common — no one stole or appropriated anything! – SO, WHY IS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATED ON DECEMBER 25TH?–– Way back in the 5th century, Pope Leo I established the Feast of the Nativity to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation. Now, this didn't "create" the Feast Day — we know that many Christians had been celebrating Christmas for centuries before this, too. Rather, just like the dogmas or teach- ings of the Church on the Eucharist or the Communion of Saints, for exam- ple, this was not the invention of a new teaching but the formal articulation of something that was believed from the beginning — in some cases even pre- dating the Bible! So, why did he settle on this date? Itž actually goesž back to a celebration from even earlier in history:ž Anno Mundi, the traditional celebration of the Creation of the World. While the date of this celebration was di¯ erent across many ancient calendars, March 25žemerged as the date of its celebration because of its proximity to the spring equinox. Early Christians also adopted March 25thžas the date of the Annunci- ation, the day when an angel announced to Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus, the savior of the world. How are these dates connected? Because both dates celebrate events when God entered the world: fi rst through the act of Creation and again through the Incarnation. So, nine months after the celebrati on of this glorious concep- tion, we celebrate Jesus Christ's birth on Dec. 25.žAnd, once again, that date also aligns with the winter solstice, which marks the time when the days began to grow longer. How fi tting that the birth of Christ, the Light coming into the world, coincides with this day of more light. WAIT, SO WAS JESUS EVEN BORN ON DECEMBER 25, 0 A.D.?– There's no way to empirically prove the exact yearž Jesus was really born.žHowever, there are several curi- ous facts surrounding the day of Dec. 25 that make a strong case that this day was indeed Jesus' birthday. The fi rst is the Star of Bethlehem, which mod- ern-day astronomers have theorized PHOTO BY WALTER-CHAVEZ | UNSPLASH Christmas is More Than You Realize

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