It is fairly well known that the word “Christmas” is derived from the Middle English “Christ’s Mass.” While our name for this holiday still resonates with most people today, this name, along with many of its modern traditions are derived from England and English speaking countries. But even though the name is fairly modern, the purpose of the celebration, giving recognition to the birth of Jesus, or the Nativity, goes back to the early 4th century. In pagan Rome, it was not unusual to celebrate the birthdays of their gods. The early Christians, therefore, in an ironic twist, took this opportunity to celebrate the day when our God was born into this world as a man. To this day the celebration of the birth of Our Lord remains a major feast day, but the Church has begun to abandon the old Middle English name for the holiday in favor of a more accurate translation of the old Latin name for the feast: Dies Natalis , the Nativity of the Lord. The Word for the Nat...
Comments on our weekly readings for Sunday Mass and other topics of interest for those who are going through the initiation process or want to learn more about the Catholic Faith