Christmas.

[Selene]

Christmas means "Christ's Mass." To this day, the anniversary of our Lord's birth is named after the Catholic Masses offered during it despite the fact that no one really knows for certain when He was incarnated as man.

Christmas symbols these days are also apt to lose their religious significance. For example, Christmas trees are either treated as secular adornments for office buildings or equated with the pagan yule customs of pre-Christian Germany. Both assessments are incorrect. The Christmas tree has a medieval Christian origin, being a combination of two phenomena: a pyramid of candles representing Christ's ancestors called a Weinachtspyramide in German and the Paradise tree.

In western Germany, many smaller candles were set upon a wooden pyramid and lit. Beside the candles, other objects such as glass balls, tinsels, and the "star of Bethlehem" were placed on its top.

In the eastern churches, December 24th is the Feast of Adam and Eve. During this celebration, religious plays called mystery plays" became popular. In the Middle Ages, mystery plays staged on December 24th included a Paradise tree, a tree representing both the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as well as the Tree of Life. The Paradise tree was decorated with apples to represent the forbidden fruit and sweets represent the Tree of Life. However, because of the abuses that crept into these mystery plays (such as immoral behavior), the Catholic Church forbade these plays during the 15th century. Nevertheless, the people had grown so accustomed to the Paradise tree that they began putting up their own paradise trees in their homes. The apples were later substituted for other round objects (such as shiny red balls) while a Star of Bethlehem and lights from theWeinachtspyramide were added, but the symbolism remained the same. Thus, our modern Christmas tree is actually the medieval Paradise tree, a reminder of the reason why God became man in the first place and a foretaste of the sweet Tree from which our Lord's birth would once again enable us to taste.

Another secular custom that bears to be mentioned is the Christmas lights. The custom of putting lights in the windows was begun by Catholics in Ireland in 1171 when Great Britian invaded Ireland. Persecution against the Irish Catholics existed and later increased during Elizabeth I and under Oliver Cromwell. During those times of persecution, the Mass was outlawed by the British and had to be held in secret. Faithful Irish believers, however, would place a candle in the window on Christmas Eve as a sign to any priest who happened by that this home was a safe haven in which Mass could be offered. When interrogated by the British about the meaning of this practice, the Irish replied that the lights were an invitation for Joseph and Mary to stay the night. Unthreatened by this supposed superstition, the British left them alone.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND PEACE AND GOOD WILL TO EVERYONE!

 

[rockytopva]

I believe that it all came together with the Fathers light and energy as E = mc2 so mass (m) = energy (E/c2)... There are different varieties coming down from the Father of Lights (James 1:7). Also the Holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father of Lights (John 15:26), so when you get the Holy Spirit you ought to be full of faith, hope, charity, light, joy, warmth, etc. Of all the varieties of E/c2 God cherishes the spiritual the most. The old Methodist would not let you claim sanctification if you had not the true light and warmth inside of you.

Three children of The Good (God the Father)

1. Mass = Cooled E/c2
2. Spirituality = Faith, hope, charity, light, joy, warmth, etc.
3. Intellect = A child of The Good in different form than mass and spirituality

As satan has the wrong form of E/c2 therefore he has no creative power inside of him. He therefore relies on varieties of spiritual light which is normally in the form of lies and arrogance. I have read from converted satanists that the presence of satan is very cold. So everything that proceedeth from satan has spiritually cold ends.

In which... There are also internet posters who also lack the true Spirituality from God the Father and therefore cannot produce spiritual warmth. So it is no wonder that warm and loving holidays such a Christmas, are attacked. Saint Nicholas was also a good man and a saint. Nobody I know worships him. But his example of the Spiritual E/c2 still lives today.

But... I also believe that this is the Laodicean church age in which the love has went from hot --> lukewarm --> cold. In which, without the true spiritual E/c2 the Lord calls us "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"


And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. - Rev 3:14,15,16,17,18,19,20

[sup]19[/sup]As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
[sup]20[/sup]Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

[veteran]

There is a way to estimate the time John the Baptist in his mother's womb lept when Elizabeth met Mary who had already conceived. It was around the end of the present type calendar system's year in December. It is estimated by the priestly course that Elizabeth's husband had served, for those courses were at specific times of the year.

 

[aspen]

Great thread, Selene - Merry Christ Mass!

 

[Andrey son of Lion]

In our Churh (the Russian orthodox Christian Church) we use the Julian calendar. In times of earthly life of Jesus Christ March was 1[sup]st[/sup] month. And now some months have ancient denotation of numbers. Now September, October, November and December we know as 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th month. But in old times Romans call these month according to Latin numbers 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th.
And in these numbers there is one wisdom.
Our Church marks the day 25[sup]th[/sup] March, when angel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary and from that day she was pregnant without man seed from Holy Spirit. Since that day the pregnancy of the Virgin Mary lasts 9 months to the Christmas day, the birthday of Christ – 25[sup]th[/sup] December. If we write ancient numbers of March and December, we have – I and X. But also we can see these numbers as Greek letters – the initials in Greek language of the Name Jesus Christ.