Some people say the Third Century Church shouldn't have put the celebration of Christ's Birth (Christ's Mass--or Christmas) in December when the Pagan festivals of the Winter Solstice took place. But I disagree.
What better time to celebrate the arrival of the Light of the World, than in the darkest time of the year? The return of longer days and shorter nights, gradual though it is, reassures us that God has not given up on this messed-up world and left us to eternal darkness.
The Jewish Festival of Lights--Hanukkah--is also observed this time of year. I think this is no coincidence, for it's a celebration of a miracle God gave to his suffering people, to remind them he was still with them. When Jesus was on earth, he even went to this festival in Jerusalem. It's recorded in at least one of the Gospels.
I know that Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival, was a drunken, rowdy time--based on the idea, "Eat, drink, and be merry--for tomorrow you may die." That's true. Even in our modern world, we still see the image of the God Saturn, as the Old Year, the Grim Reaper with his long handled scythe. But Christmas is here to remind us that there is still hope at the other end of the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
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