The Parable of the First Christmas (Part 1)
“Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God is with us’.” (Matthew 1:23)
The Three Christmas Masses
During Christmas, the Holy Catholic Church celebrates Three Masses for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It goes back at least to the 6th Century when the Church started celebrating three masses to emphasize the different parts of the Nativity – the Angel’s Mass, the Shepherd’s Mass and the King’s Mass.
The Gift of Gold, Myrrh and Frankincense
Christmas is all about the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
A season of traditional gift giving in many parts of the christian world. This custom is a symbolic reminder of the Three Kings who gave their gifts of offering to the newly born Messiah. Many christians always see a manger scene of the Three Kings paying tribute to the Holy Infant. They have in their hands special gifts that bears spiritual meaning.
The ‘Parol’ of Our Lives: Christ
Christmas is celebrated early by devout Catholic countries. Christmas music and decorations start to pop up as early as September in every homes and cities. One of these décor that is extremely common in a country like the Philippines is the display of the christmas parol.
The parol from the Spanish word farol or lantern, is a traditional christmas décor from the Spansh colonial period in the Philippines. The most common shape now is a star to represent the star of Bethlehem. Thou different materials are used today with flickering lights on display, simple bamboo and japanese paper were originally used before to produce parols. In the Philippines these were carried in a procession called Panunuluyan (Lodging). A tradition of the reenactment of Joseph and Mary searching for a place to stay in Bethlehem.
Who is Santa Claus?
Every Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we start decorating our house with Christmas lights and Christmas trees, playing Christmas songs and buying gifts for our loved ones. In European and Western countries including America, there is another popular tradition during Christmas, and that is placing a sock near the chimneys. Why do they place a sock near the chimney? Because the kids are hoping that they will get special gifts from Santa Claus. But who is Santa Claus? Is he real? Does he go into the chimney and place a gift on every sock? How can he fit in the chimney if he is fat? The last question is just a joke. Anyway, this popular character was based from a real-life person, a saint. His name is Saint Nicholas of Myra.
The Advent and the Wreath
The Advent is the time of preparation which last for four weeks before Christmas. The Advent came from the Latin word “Adventus”, which means “For arrival” which refers to the arrival of our Lord. It is unknown when the exact year the Advent started but it was celebrated in 480 A.D.
The Liturgical Colors Used at the Holy Mass
During the Holy Mass, you will notice that the priest’s and the sacred vessels’ color changes during an important feast like the Holy Week and Christmas. The Catholic church has liturgical colors that has been used during the Holy Mass. These are not just colors; they also have meanings and symbolisms. It is very important for the Church to use these colors on important feasts, which serves as a reminder for the faithful about the current season.
The Three Sacred Languages
When you attend the Traditional Latin Mass and owned a Missal Book as guide, you will notice that Latin is not the only language used in the Holy Mass. These languages are called the Three Sacred Languages or simply Sacred Languages. What are these sacred languages and why are they important to the Catholic Church including the Holy Mass? Let’s start by introducing these three languages.
The Priest Vestments During The Holy Mass
During the Holy Mass, the Priest wear different clothes than their usual clothes when they not celebrating the Holy Mass. These vestments must be worn by the Priest when they celebrated a mass event its in inside and outside of the church, and in another place. What we don’t know is that these vestments have its only symbol and also has its own prayer while they wearing these vestments. The vestments also have its own cross which the priest kissed before they wear it.
The Holy Bible
The Holy Bible is one of the most important books written by holy men inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is also written in many languages for more people to read and understand. Despite God’s wonderful plan to proclaim His Gospel, the bible faced challenges as the church confronts oppositions. The Holy Catholic church fought to preserve the sacred gospel. However, the bible we read depends on what version we read may have not been the same as it was originally written.
Praying for the Dead
When we have our loved ones departed from this world, we Catholics pray for them or offer a mass for them so that their souls will be with our Lord. This praying for the dead is a tradition in the Catholic Church and is not accepted by other Christian denomination like the Protestants. In this article, we will answer the frequently asked questions about our tradition of praying for the dead.
What is Halloween?
October 31 and November 1, are the days where many people in the world celebrate Halloween by wearing costumes like Frankenstein, vampire, a ghost and wearing a devil horn headband or watch horror movies. But the main question is, what is Halloween and is it really for a horror celebration? As a Catholic and member of Christian Community, we must know these important details about the Halloween.