A FEW WORDS from Fish Eaters:

“Though most Protestants — and far too many Catholics — see this time of year as a part of the ‘Christmas Season,’ it isn’t; the Christmas season does not begin until the first Mass at Christmas Eve, and doesn’t end liturgically until the Octave of the Epiphany on January 14. It goes on in the spiritual sense until Candlemas on February 2, when all celebrations of Christ’s Childhood give way to Septuagesima and Lent.

“The mood of this season is one of somber spiritual preparation that increases in joy with each day, and the gaudy ‘Christmas’ commercialism that surrounds it in the Western world should be overcome as much as possible. The singing of Christmas carols (which comes earlier and earlier each year), the talk of ‘Christmas’ as a present reality, the decorated trees and the parties — these things are ‘out of season’ for Catholics; we should strive to keep the Seasons of Advent holy and penitential, always remembering, as they say, that ‘He is the reason for the Season.'”

We prepare for His second coming too, now more than ever since we are living in the Great Apostasy and are bereft of faithful churches:

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves; Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And he spoke to them in a similitude. See the fig tree, and all the trees: When they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh; So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Luke: xxvi)

Do you ever wonder why Christmas decorations look so tawdry after Christmas? It’s because they speak of missed opportunities. The dazzle was all. If you don’t have the spirit of Christmas within, what difference does it make how many sprigs of fake holly you own or how enchanted your children are on Christmas morning?

There are moments of euphoria in the hectic “holiday season.” But there are moments of euphoria in a dose of heroin too. That euphoria has a price: anxiety, stress, financial insolvency and distraction from the essence of Christmas.

Thomas Droleskey explains why we must separate ourselves from pre-Christmas excess:

The principal of a fully traditional Catholic school some years ago now explained some basic Catholic teachings about Advent in a letter sent home parents to explain why the school would not be participating in a tree lighting ceremony in a nearby park:

This letter is to inform you that the students will not be participating in the annual tree-lighting ceremony.

The ceremony, scheduled for December 1st, is to be secular in tone, featuring such songs as “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Frosty the Snowman,” so as to be politically correct by modern standards. We, as faithful Catholics, do not condone the premature celebration of the feast of Christmas itself, nor do we approve of the purely secular “holiday” celebrations which the world in general promotes as a “Christ-less” alternative to Christmas. Therefore, we cannot participate in the planned festivities on Stepney Green.

The mind of Our Holy Mother the Church must be our rule of action. The Church would have us observe Advent. Although, to be sure, Advent is not another Lent, as regards fasting and other penitential practices, nevertheless it is a reverent hush, so to speak, during which we recollect ourselves and joyfully anticipate the glorious feast of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s Nativity. When Christmas arrives, we shall celebrate it all the better for having piously observed Advent.

We must not allow ourselves to get swept up by the spirit of these worldly times. The spirit of the Catholic Church is not one of yielding to human respect and emotionalism, or of compromising with the world. “Peace on Earth; good will to men” is not synonymous with “Peace on Earth to men of good will.”

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