Sunday, January 6, 2013

12 Days of Christmas



One aspect of my faith I've been enjoying since my conversion is the idea of the liturgical calendar and in particular feast days.  This time of year the difference is highlighted more than other times because Catholics are still celebrating Christmas.  In fact, when I attended Mass this morning we were still singing Christmas carols.  I noticed even the christian radio station has stopped playing them but we are still singing carols in church.  That's because Catholics celebrate Advent during the month of December.  When Christmas arrives it is a major holiday that is celebrated for days on end!

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, which is when the Church celebrates the visit of the wise men to Jesus as a young boy.  Our family has traditionally left our Christmas tree up until Epiphany for years now. I got the idea from a family friend, as a Protestant I had never heard of Epiphany.  I like how my Catholic church celebrates Christmas for days on end.  I like how the liturgical calendar gives a rhythm and flow to the year, a logical order to follow.  Many Protestants think the bible isn't preached in Catholic churches, but that isn't true.  There are multiple bible passages read during Mass, and in fact the entire bible is read every three years.  The same bible passages are read at every Catholic church, in every language, worldwide.  On any given day I can attend a Catholic Mass anywhere in the world and hear the same bible verses being read.  Catholics actually have a "bible reading plan".

The benefits of belonging to God's large Catholic family are endless.  I enjoy participating in and ordering my days around the liturgical feast and solemn days.  It is in doing so that I find a peaceful rhythm and flow to my spiritual life too.

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