Wed., Dec. 10, 2013
Deacon Robert Banet
Cousin Charlie is at it again.
What is it this time?
People where he works say that Catholics invented December 25 as a way to offset a pagan feast.
What feast was that?
The feast of the Unconquered Sun. It was a commemoration of the time when the days were getting longer, when the sun began to come back stronger and stronger.
Oh, that was back in the early days.
Yes, and I don’t think it would be a such a bad thing, the Church trying to overcome pagan ways.
Me either.
But I don’t think history supports that.
Go on.
Well, there was a venerable Jewish tradition at the time of Christ that went like this: a prophet always died on the day he was conceived.
What!
Yes, that was the belief. Now remember Jesus was a prophet. And the day that He died was Passover.
So?
So Passover that year fell on March 25.
So? what does that have to do with the Christmas date?
Remember that the old belief was that the prophet died on the day he was conceived.
Oh, I begin to get it. Jesus died on March 25. That means He was conceived on March 25.
Now you got it. Go on.
So if He was conceived on March 25, he was born nine months later.
Right! On December 25. So that’s why everybody celebrates the birthday of Jesus on that date.
That’s an amazing story. I’ll have to tell that to Charlie.