Birth Date of Jesus by Paul Turner

    The opening of the third millennium harmonized with the traditional date for the first Christmas. Without a doubt, the birth of Jesus is the most important event to celebrate in a new millennium. But there is plenty of doubt about when that birth took place.

    There is no clear historical record of the date and year of Jesus’ birth. Although two of the Gospels record incidents pertaining to the event, neither assigns a date.

    Two main theories surround the choice of Dec. 25 to commemorate the nativity. The first theory looks to a third-century Roman pagan celebration coinciding with the winter solstice. ("Solstice" – the sun stands still – the earth is tilted on its axis and this tilt is what causes the changes of seasons – the shortest day of the year is December 22 and then the days in the northern hemisphere start to get longer.) As the days began to lengthen each year, Dec. 25 became a festival for the rebirth of the unconquered sun. Christians, who believed Christ was the real unconquered source of light, put his birth date on the same day.

    The second theory looks to the passion of Jesus. According to early conjectures, the actual day of Christ’s passion fell on March 25 in the year Jesus died. Some Christians believed that Jesus died on the anniversary of his conception. For this reason, March 25 became also the celebration of the Annunciation. Looking forward nine months, the birth of Jesus was placed on Dec. 25.

    The traditional year of Jesus’ birth was fixed in the mid-sixth century by Dionysius Exiguus, (Dennis the short) a monk and scholar who set the calendar according to the system we now know as A.D. (anno domini, "in the year of the Lord"). However, Matthew and Luke both say Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, who died around 4 B.C. Since Herod killed all the baby boys in Bethlehem up to 6 years of age, Jesus was probably born "before Christ," somewhere between 6 and 4 B.C. He was probably born in the Spring of the year – for then was the time when shepherds watched over their flocks by night in the fields. Spring time is lambing season.

    Although the actual birth date of Jesus cannot be known, he was born, and the millennium commemorates this birth by recognizing that all of time hinges on the life of Jesus.

Copyright © 2003 Resource Publications, Inc., 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505, Paul Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, Mo.

    Christmas is the only day on our church calendar that calls for Midnight Mass. Easter has its Vigil. But the pivotal celebration at Christmas is the Mass at Midnight.

    Actually, we have four Masses for Christmas, each with its own prayers and Scriptures: the Vigil Mass on the evening of December 24, Mass at Midnight and Mass at Dawn for those times of day, and Mass during the Day for December 25. We may mix and match the Scriptures if we wish. There’s no fixed time when these Masses must be celebrated not even the one at midnight. The titles are a simple convenience to identify the four. A parish might celebrate "Midnight Mass" at ten in the morning or eight at night. Parish staffs chuckle at callers who ask, "What time is Midnight Mass?" But the question isn’t as stupid as it sounds. If we attend any Mass Christmas Day, it’s possible we’ll hear the Scriptures of Midnight Mass. That’s a plus, because the Gospel of Midnight Mass alone relates Luke’s immortal story of the birth of Jesus. It’s the good news people want to hear when they come to Mass on Christmas.

    The Midnight Mass tradition reaches far back in our history. It originated probably in Rome before the Middle Ages.

    One reason for Mass at midnight is that we used to fast all day before communion, and since Christmas was such a grand day, we wanted to cut to the celebration as soon as possible.

    How do we teach our children the real meaning of Christmas? How do we make sure that Jesus is in the heart of all that we say and do throughout the Christmas Season? Many times we feel like Jesus has gotten lost in the chaos of the holiday season. We need to ask the Lord to show us what we can do to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Maybe we don’t need to do anything differently, we need to look in the middle of the celebration and we will find Him.

    We don’t need to orchestrate moments to commercialize Christmas, instead, Jesus is asking us to come to the party and bring the kids. In doing so, we can run into Him at school, in our living room, even at the mall. Jesus is in the lights, the carols and the cards. He is there when we decorate the evergreen tree and even when we eat turkey and dressing!

    We need to find a way to enjoy the hustle and bustle of Christmas and then set free to join our children in the celebration - guilt free. It is amazing how we can find Jesus in our present day symbols and traditions. We each encounter the true meaning of Christmas in such unlikely places as a candy cane, fruitcake, and the partridge in a pear tree. We can all discover the significance of Santa Claus, tree ornaments and even the colors of Christmas.

    The Christmas tree points to heaven. The boughs are like Jesus’ open arms and the green color represents everlasting life because a pine tree is always green throughout the year. The lights on the tree remind us that God is our light and that we need to share His light through each of us. The candy cane has many beautiful meanings. The red color represents the blood of Christ and the white represents the purity of Jesus. The hard candy reminds us that Jesus is our Rock of salvation. The candy cane reminds us of a shepherds staff and that Jesus is our Great Shepherd and that He will take good care of us. When we turn the candy cane upside down, it is a beautiful J - for Jesus. Giving gifts reminds us how Jesus gave Himself for all of us. So we should want to give every chance that we have and to give God’s love to others. Santa Claus was a great example of someone who reaches out and gives to others. Santa Claus shows the giving heart of God, who is the Father of Christmas.

    Instead of getting lost in the hectic schedule of the holiday season, we need to join the celebration and carry His life into everything we do. What a great lesson for all of our children!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

God Bless You.