Christmas Light

      Many people realize that Jesus most likely was not born on December 25. It is more likely he was born in spring when their are new lambs and shepherds in the fields at night. It is too cold in the winter for the shepherds to keep the flocks in the field; they put them in pens or corrals instead. The church chose December 25 to celebrate Jesus' birth, but the date was not arbitrary. Some believe that the date December 25 was chosen because of some elaborate connection between creation, conception, and crucifixion, as seen in the "Catholic Answer". The first time we have recorded that Christmas was celebrated on December 25 was 336 AD during the reign of Emperor Constantine. A short time later Pope Julius 1 declared December 25 to be the official date. There are many different theories about the date chosen, of which none are earth shatteringly important. The one that makes the most since to me is that the Emperor Constantine had just declared the official religion of the Roman Empire was Christian with the Edict of Milan. The church was hard at work trying to convert the pagan citizens of Rome. When you are asking someone to change their lives, you have to walk a fine line about demanding too much, so you don't want to take away all their festivals and parties. One of the biggest festivals in Rome was the winter solstice or the mid-winter festival. The winter solstice is the date that has the longest night and the shortest day. In other words, it is when the darkness is the strongest and the light is the weakest. The church chose a few days after the solstice to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To me this seems most appropriate, for what the birth of Jesus heralded was a faith in God who pushes back the darkness. Jesus was the light of God born into the world. From that date the light gets stronger and the darkness gets weaker. Just as the days get longer and the nights get shorter. The Christmas light is Jesus, the incarnation of God. Jesus' ministry was all about pushing back the darkness, pushing back evil, in the world and in humanity. Jesus also acquainted us with God's great guiding light to help the lost find their way. So for me December 25 is the perfect date to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Merry Christmas. www.fcccarrollton.org