The Pope Talks About the Meaning of Christmas
The Pope says that to understand the deep meaning of Christianity, one must understand the depth of Christmas.
This was the topic at the Pope's weekly general audience one day before Christmas Eve. Benedict XVI says this celebration has given a new dimension to the Christian faith because God has showed a new way of living and loving.
Hippolytus of Rome was the first to state clearly that Jesus was born December 25th. It was in the year 204. But it wasn't until the Middle Ages that St. Francis of Assisi began the tradition to celebrate Christmas. Up until that point, the only recognized celebration was Easter.
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One Response to “The Pope Talks About the Meaning of Christmas”
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It is true that early Christians did not celebrate the birthday of Jesus. As a matter of fact, early Christians didn't celebrate anyone's birthday, considering such celebrations of pagan origin. (This was the Jewish position regarding birthday celebrations as well.)
The first recorded celebration of a December 25th commemoration of Jesus' birth was in the year 336 at Rome. However, let's be clear, Dec 25th was an honorary or symbolic day. The church at Rome did not believe Jesus was actually born on December 25th. The earliest "best guess" regarding the date of Jesus' birth appeared circa 200. That date was May 20th, based on the information they had at the time. Since then, an April 4th or 6th day has been mentioned.
Francis Assisi popularized what we would call the Nativity Scene. He did not indulge in Christmas celebrations of the kind with which we are familiar. Francis, after donning the robes of poverty, did everything he could to humble himself. Christmas presents would have been very far from his list of wants or needs. The same would have been true of the Poor Clare Sisters that Francis took under his substantial wing.