Catholics believe in indulgences because ultimately we know we’re all sinners and need God’s mercy. When a person commits a sin, there are two kinds of punishments that they have to deal with as a result of that sin. The first is called “eternal punishment” which means the sinner can’t enter heaven because of a grave sin that is not repented from. Through Christ’s sacrifice we don’t have to suffer eternal punishment if we repent. The second kind of punishment is called “temporal punishment” and every sin we commit carries a temporal punishment with it.

Temporal punishment is not God getting back at us for disobeying Him. We bring it on ourselves. It’s like if you shatter your friend’s iPhone screen and they don’t have insurance. They’ll probably forgive you (in God’s case He always forgives us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation) but you still have to pay for your friend to replace their phone.

Purgatory is one of the ways we make reparation for our sins and pay back our temporal punishment so that we can get to heaven. The exciting part is that we can get a head start on fulfilling our temporal punishment through indulgences.

“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (CCC 1471)

There are both “plenary” and “partial” indulgences. Plenary means you’re released from all of the temporal punishment you need to fulfill, and partial means you’re released from some, or a part of it. There are certain feasts during the year on which you can obtain an indulgence by doing the acts of devotion, penance, and charity required. The Church is trying to inspire us to do good works, while using its treasury of the graces from Christ and saints to help us get to heaven. (CCC 1478)

You can gain an indulgence for yourself, or for someone who’s already passed away and may still be in Purgatory.

I recently heard someone ranting about how commercialized Easter has become and how there is “no trace of Christ” left in His holiday. I understood the person’s concerns and agreed, in part, with their assertions. The more I got to thinking about it, though, I felt like their thoughts, while valid, were a little bit short–sighted.

Christ is everywhere. His death and resurrection are everywhere. We just need to know where to look and how to uncover them.

If your focus is on Christ and your heart set on His love, you can take almost anything the world dishes out and point it back to the message of the cross, THE message of love and freedom.

Take, for instance, the staples of a secular Easter celebration:

• Bunny rabbits hopping around
• Boiling, Painting and hiding eggs
• The Easter baskets with fake grass
• Chocolate bunnies and candy

You get the idea…

Now, we know these are counterfeit interpretations of the true meaning of Easter. It’s not like any of these have anything to do, really, with the Christ rising from the dead, right?

Looking a little harder

What if we open our minds up a little bit more to make some less obvious associations between the items above the Gospel message?

You don’t have to read statistics to know what the sexual culture is on most college (and high school) campuses across our country. Young adults are mating like rabbits, hopping from broken “relationship” to broken “relationship”, from bed to bed, in search of a forever love that only the risen Christ can give. Your body is designed by God. It is a gift from God. Live chastity – that’s an Easter message.

Many people have become hardened like boiled eggs because when they find themselves in hot water situations they form a shell around their heart rather than letting God crack them. Your heart was created by God. It is a gift from God. Only He can fill it – that’s an Easter message.

Many people paint themselves a “different color” than that who they truly are or are called to be. Virtual realities like “Facebook” have become a cult phenomenon where people can create the persona they most want to be or that they most want others to see, afraid to show their true selves, a slave to culture and public opinion. Christ died because of public opinion. He rose because of Divine design. It doesn’t matter what the world says or thinks, only what God thinks. You are unique, created by God. Only God’s opinions matters – that’s an Easter message.

Many people hide themselves (like eggs). They want to “stand out” in culture but not to “stick out”. They hide those beautifully unique parts of themselves that others might not accept. Others hide the messy areas of their lives, their sins, in fear that God won’t forgive, accept or love them. Christ came for sinners, not for the righteous (Mt 9:13). Christ came to expose everything in His light. He is bigger than your sin and is setting you apart (holy = to set apart). Only God loves you perfectly – that’s an Easter message.

Many people are putting all their eggs in one basket, praying for fame or fortune and promising, once they have it, to then use it to point back to God. God doesn’t work that way. The cross teaches us that to become great you must become weak, to be the most’ you must become the least’. Not the other way around. Stardom is not a tool to evangelize people; holiness is the tool. Famous people who do lead others to God are to be commended, yes, but fame is not the goal. Sanctity is the goal. If it’s about the fame, your life will be as fleeting and useless as that fake grass in the basket holding all the eggs. You were created to put your faith (eggs) in God’s basket. Trust the Lord (Prov. 3:5–6). Only God’s plan for you will make you happy – that’s an Easter message.

Many people want to be seen as attractive, pleasing and alluring. They want to be the center of attention, the goal of others’ pursuits and the most sought after of all. They are a lot like those chocolate bunnies that people love so much. Of course, we all know that too much of those makes you sick, gives you acne, clog your arteries, can induce a sugar coma and ruin your diet and appetite. Not to mention, most of them are hollow. Christ did not come for us to be more attractive on the outside, for God cares more about our “insides” (1 Sam 16:7). It ain’t about the wrapper or the sugar, it’s about the substance. You are not a hollow shell if Christ is at the center of your life. Only God’s life will fill you (and others) up – that’s an Easter message.

So, maybe Christ is more present in secularized notions of Easter than I thought upon first glance. In fact, when I take a deeper look I not only see Christ more clearly in those situations but I see how desperately this culture is in need of Him, and how urgently we, who seek to know and love Christ, need to become more like Him everyday.

The answer is not in eliminating the secular images from the spiritual meanings. The answer is in showing the need for the spiritual within the secular, to shed light on all that culture deems “Easter” by loving them into a greater understanding of what Easter is really about – death to this world and life in the next.

St. Paul had to deal with a lot of “high minded”, philosophical types in his day. Most were very prideful, long on academics but short on humility. Some people back then claimed that Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead (as we celebrate this weekend). Rather than mince words, Paul gave it to them straight (in the verse up above). Many people will tell you that “based on human logic” the Resurrection makes no sense. The first thing we need to remember is that “human logic” is not omnipotence. God makes it very clear that “(His) ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts.” (Is. 55:8-9)

What is illogical is to think that “man” is the center of the universe. The truth is that Christianity is far more logical than many people give it credit for, certainly more “logical” than atheism or agnosticism. The second thing we should remind people is that any conversation about God is going to necessitate a degree of faith. If people are not willing to humbly admit that they don’t have all the answers than the conversation will go nowhere. God’s truth and human pride do not co-exist in the same space; that is the nature of sin. Humility and grace go hand-in-hand, as do pride and sin.

So, let’s remember that any conversation about the existence of God or the truth about Christ’s resurrection necessitate a humble admission that “it is possible that God exists” and that “we are not God.” When it comes to Easter Sunday, however, and the glorious truth about the Resurrection, to say that there is no logical truth to this belief, is not only ignorant, it is absurd.

Here are fifteen very quick facts that point to the truth of the Resurrection. These are not exhaustive or highly detailed; they are quick points that further strengthen what humble-hearted believers take on faith:

1. There was an empty Tomb

The founders of other “faiths” are buried in tombs or had their ashes sprinkled over foreign lands. Not Jesus. Modern “scholars” and directors can claim what they want on their cable specials…the truth is that the tomb was empty.

2. The Tomb had a Roman seal

Clay was affixed to a rope (stretched across a rock) and to the tomb, itself. The Roman seal was pressed into the clay. Break the seal, you break the law; break the law – you die.

3. The Tomb had a Roman guard stationed there

The “guard” was at least four men, possibly more, of highly trained soldiers. These soldiers were experts in torture and in combat, not easily frightened off by a band of fishermen and tax collectors. Had they fallen asleep or left their post they would have violated the law, resulting in their own execution.

4. The Tomb had a stone in front of it

Most scholars put the weight of the stone at about 2 tons (4000 pounds), probably at least seven or eight feet high. This was definitely a “team lift” or “team roll,” not movable by just one or two men.

5. There were post-resurrection appearances, to hundreds

Over a span of six weeks, He appeared to a variety of groups of various sizes in different locations. He appeared to over 500 at one point – a huge number to be an outright “fabrication”. Not to mention, the people whom He appeared to didn’t just “see” Him, but ate with Him, walked with Him, touched Him. Jesus even made breakfast (Jn 21:9) at one point.

6. The martyrdom of witnesses offers proof

Would people leave their businesses, careers, homes and families, go to the ends of the earth, die horribly gruesome and painful deaths and forsake their previous “religious beliefs about salvation” all to protect a ‘lie’? Not one of them, while being beheaded, fed to lions, boiled in oil, crucified upside down or burned alive ‘changed their story’. Instead, they sang hymns of trust and praise, knowing that the Lord who defeated death would raise them up, too.

7. There is still a Church

If the resurrection were a lie it would have died off centuries ago. The Christian Church is the largest institution of any kind in the history of humanity. This Church began with the apostles following Pentecost, the year Christ rose. It has conquered empires, withstood attacks (inside and out) and grown in spite of the sinfulness of its members, because it was founded by Christ, Himself, and is guided and protected by the Holy Spirit. The Church, like Christ, is both human and divine.

8. Jesus prophesied that it was going to happen

Jesus told people that it was going to happen. It didn’t “take Him by surprise.” And He didn’t just say “I’m going to be killed” (which others might have seen coming) but also that “I’m going to rise on the third day.” Those details aren’t ironic, coincidental or fortune-telling – they’re called prophecy and true prophecy comes from God, Himself.

9. It was prophesied in the Old Testament

It was foretold centuries before Christ, Himself, was born or lived it out. Hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah, what He would say, do, live like and how He would die – they were offered centuries apart by people God selected (most of whom never met one another, by the way). Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Hosea and Micah (just to name a few) all pointed to Christ’s death and resurrection hundreds of years before they occurred.

10. The day of worship changed

Following the resurrection, tens of thousands of Jews (almost overnight) abandoned the centuries old tradition of celebrating the Sabbath on the last day of the week and began worshipping on the first day of the week the day on which the Lord, the Christ, beat death sealing the new and final covenant with God.

11. The practices of sacrifice changed

Jews were always taught (and taught their children – Deut. 6) that they needed to offer an animal sacrifice once a year, to atone for their sins. After the resurrection, the Jewish converts of the time, throngs of them, stopped offering animal sacrifices to God.

12. It is unique among other world religions

No other religious leader of any consequence every actually claimed to be God, except Jesus. No other religious leader ever did the things Christ did. No other religious leader ever backed up their “religious voice” with resurrection. Confucius died. Lao-tse died. Buddha died. Mohammed died. Joseph Smith died. Christ rose from the dead.

13. The message is self-authenticating

This proof goes back to the original point, namely, that a humble heart is enlightened and illuminated by far more than logic or reason. A true believer doesn’t need all the facts to believe in the resurrection, because the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us, intimately and powerfully. St. Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 4. Blind and hardened hearts will never see God, not until they acknowledge that they are not Him.

14. The miraculous ending fits a miraculous life

You want logic? Christ healed the blind, the deaf and the dumb. He fed the masses, cured the lepers and forgave the sinners. He made the lame walk and brought others back to life. He multiplied food, walked on water and calmed storms with His mere voice. The miracle of Good Friday is that He didn’t call on a miracle. He died. The miracle of Easter Sunday is that He rose from the dead – a miraculous “end” to a miraculous life. What else should we expect?

15. (and the only answer we really need)…Jesus is still the answer

The world cannot offer any cure for suffering. The world can ignore it, berate it, debate it, bomb it and medicate it…but there is no cure or point to suffering separated from Jesus Christ. In Christ, our suffering has a point and it has worth. Apart from Christ, suffering is pointless and fruitless. There is no fountain of youth. There is no miracle drug. There is no cure for death except Jesus Christ.

What is illogical is to think that the God of life would not want us to live eternally. The only reason to think the resurrection is illogical is if you believe this life is your only one. This blog is not intended to begin debates or tear people apart. This is a very quick reminder to all of us Christians who might get too “logical” from time to time (myself included) that the resurrection is not illogical. That being said, all of us who do tend to be too logical might want to take a deep breath in contemplative prayer this weekend and really lean back in to the beautiful truth and reality of the crucifixion and resurrection.

“…how can some among you say there is no resurrection? If Christ has not been raised, them empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith…if Christ has not been raised than your faith is in vain; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-18)

Brothers and Sisters, because of what happened in that Upper Room, on that Cross and in that Tomb 2000 years ago, we know God the Father intimately, we walk with Christ daily, and we are guided by the Holy Spirit eternally.

That’s the truth, and what a beautiful truth it is. (John 8:32)

Joanna and I became friends in college, when I was a junior and she was a freshman. Her family had converted to Catholicism when she was a teenager and she struggled to embrace their new beliefs. I was a theology major who loved my Catholic faith and a good discussion. Joanna would often knock on my door, offer me a pudding snack, and spend hours grilling me about the Church.

Not Just a Symbol

Joanna’s biggest issue with the Catholic Church was the Eucharist. Having been raised Episcopalian, she had celebrated the Lord’s Supper as a “symbol” since her childhood. The bread and wine they had shared at her church on Sunday had been just that – bread and wine.

In the Eucharist, Christ left the Catholic Church not a symbol of Himself but His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We believe the promise of Christ, that, “I am the bread of life . . . I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51).

When Christ said this, many of his followers left, saying this idea of eating his flesh was too hard to accept (John 6:66). Had Christ intended for the Eucharist to be a symbol, he would have clarified. Yet he allowed them to leave. 2000 years later, we continue to live the words of Christ, believing what He taught and the Council of Trent clarified: “that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood” (CCC #1376). We call this transubstantiation: the substance changes while the appearance remains the same.

Everything My Heart Wanted

This was the explanation I constantly offered Joanna, yet she couldn’t wrap her mind around this idea of the Eucharist. It was “too out there . . . something we had convinced ourselves of.” Holy Thursday, I returned from classes to find her at my door. I felt defeated, that after a year Joanna still struggled to understand. Exasperated, I invited her to come to Mass with me that evening. Well, not so much invited as said, “We’re going to Mass. If God wants you to believe this, it’s His turn to show you. I’m done!”

I really was done. My explanations of the Church, Christ, and the Eucharist had failed to make Joanna believe. However, what I had forgotten was that belief didn’t come from me, but from the Holy Spirit. For Joanna, that moment happened at Mass that night. She explained, “The incarnation, the cross, the Eucharist . . . everything my heart wanted all in one place. I had known for a while but it came down to a choice. The choice to say yes, I do believe.” I thought it was my explanations that would change Joanna’s heart, but that moment of belief came from grace. Not me.

Go, Ask, Recieve

This week, we do things differently from our non-Catholic friends. We celebrate the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday. We remember Christ’s death on Good Friday. Catechumens will be initiated and we will remember our baptisms at the Easter Vigil. If you wonder why, find explanations. If you struggle to believe, realize that while explanations can offer clarity it is grace that aids belief. By going to Mass that night, Joanna put herself in a place to receive graces before she fully understood. Don’t be afraid to go to Mass. Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, even if you don’t fully understand or believe.

I was grumpy, annoyed, discouraged, and despairing. All I wanted to do was go be a hermit somewhere so no one could argue with me about what I believe about faith and morals. With things like the HHS Mandate, abortion, and the definition of marriage being such hot topics today, you’re bound to be questioned drilled as a Catholic on what the Church teaches.

These feelings were dragging me down after having a heated moral debate via Facebook comments. I walked into the kitchen where my roommate Sarah was. I sighed dramatically and said,

“No one get’s it. No one gets why we believe what we believe. Why do I feel like a minority when there are millions of others who claim to be Catholic? What’s the point of even trying to defend ourselves?”

Sarah said, “Because what if one person changes their mind?”

Ugh . . . there’s the kicker. There’s not really anything to say to that, so I walked away thinking, “She’s so right. I’d do it for one person if I’m passionate enough about my faith.”

Jesus Was Mocked

I bet you experience this too if you’re brave enough to stand up for what we believe as Catholics. I realized this past weekend as I listened to the Gospel on Palm Sunday was that this mocking is nothing new. Jesus dealt with it too during His ministry and even while He was hanging on the cross.

He was laughed at for the things He said. They called Him a liar. They even spit on Him while He was hanging on the cross. What I’ve experienced in my life is that people like to laugh at my beliefs when they don’t conform to what they’re comfortable with. I haven’t been spit on but I’ve been verbally slapped for sure.

The Easy Way Out

Jesus never promised this life was going to be easy. Remember the line – “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness”? (Matthew 5:10) We can make it easy for ourselves if we just “go with the flow” and don’t take the time to learn the truth and stand up for it. The Church’s teachings on faith and morals are protected and guided by the Holy Spirit (CCC 888 – 892). If we don’t take the time to learn what those teachings are, its an easy way out of these debates.

St. Augustine said, “If you were the only person on earth, Christ would have still suffered and died for you.” I dare you to let that sink in. He would have gone through all that pain, humiliation, and suffering just for you . . . or just for me.

If He did that, then I can put up with being ridiculed for my beliefs. I will keep speaking truth even if it means my whole life only one person changes their mind.

Stand With Me

You have to stand up for what you believe in. Actually, let me rephrase – we have to stand up together for what we believe in. And if you’re not sure what to believe, educate yourself. Use the Catechism and Church documents to find out what the Church teaches and why. You will find only reasonable, logical moral arguments that make sense for the good of all people.

I saw this quote from JPII the other day and it fits perfectly with how I was feeling!

“I plead with you – never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” – Pope John Paul II

I’m praying for you.

My image of God the Father, enthroned in heaven in flowing white robes and Birkenstock sandals, was overshadowed by my certainty that he didn’t want me to have any fun. Not only was God all about rules, he’d drop anybody that strayed off his path. Parochial school should have taught me how to live but instead I learned how not to die and burn. The result was that I treated Moses’ Commandments with the same reverence I reserved for one of Letterman’s “Top Ten” lists.

So, my moral life was an exercise in hell avoidance. I feigned contrition with a half-hearted sincerity in hope that, should I die tonight, God would go easy on me. I knew how to say I was sorry for breaking the rules. I promised to stop doing the things I had just confessed even though I had no intention of doing so. I even knew my Act of Contrition. I apologized to God without knowing why my sins were sins. (As to that, years later as a married man I learned something about true contrition, namely, if you’re going to apologize, you had better know what you are apologizing for or else you’ll find yourself in even more trouble.)

I’m Sorry

For several years I saw confession as apologizing to a priest who “stood in” for God. If anyone had corrected this impression in religious education class, I missed it because I never listened. Later I learned that it isn’t merely a priest to whom I am confessing but truly, it is Christ. During reconciliation, the priest sits in persona Cristi capitas — in the person of Christ the Head. He offers not his mercy but that of Christ.

Later, also, I would come to understand the difference between apology and repentance and between the private and public nature of sin. In repentance you don’t merely turn away from something, you turn toward something else (see Acts 26:20). And my sin, no matter how private it is, has a ripple effect on those around me.

Everyone in my life suffers to some degree from my selfishness and sin; no sin is ever completely private since we are all bound together in one mystical body. The world looks down upon it as weakness, but as I matured, I came to see the beauty involved in humbling yourself and going before another, staring into the eyes of mercy, and admitting failure.

For years, my faulty understanding stymied my approach to Christ, keeping me from the greatest gift that God had to offer: total forgiveness. I totally failed to connect the dots given me in Catholic school and at countless Sunday Masses. It was only when sin and misery reached such a blinding level that I earnestly began to seek not fame or fortune but the peace that only Jesus can give that my approach to Christ began to change. I learned that St. Augustine was right when he said that we are all restless until we rest in the Lord.

SurMOUNTable Goals

In order to change a skewed understanding of the sacrament, it helps to realize Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to complete it (Matthew 5:17). He came to show us how to “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

I was not unique in my confusion. Many people today dismiss the moral code set forth in the Ten Commandments because they assume that religion as all about rules, conformity and some sort of guilt-ridden mind control. The doctrines of Christ, safeguarded by the Catholic Church, are dismissed as contrary to human freedom. In this context, obedience is seen as a form of weakness. By extension, Jesus Christ is viewed as the weakest man to walk the planet.

The question Catholic teens ask me most frequently in regard to sexuality is, “How far is too far?” What’s behind that question? What young people are really asking, once we look beneath the euphemistic wordplay is, “What exactly is everything I can do sexually—without going to hell?” They want to clearly delineate the line so they can approach it and tap dance on it, and then justify their behavior.

Can we mature in our understanding of the Law so that we mature in our approach to Christ and our readiness to receive God’s mercy? Well, let’s take a minute to look at it more closely:

The Law (Commandments)

Thou shalt not…

• Have other gods before me
• Take the Lord’s name in vain
• The Sabbath day holy
• Dishonor thy father and mother
• Kill
• Commit adultery
• Steal
• Bear false witness
• Covet thy neighbor’s wife (lust)
• Covet thy neighbor’s material goods

The Life in Christ (fulfillment)

Thou shalt…

• Be single-hearted toward me
• Be reverent in speech and conduct
• Keep priorities
• Be respectful and obedient
• Defend life, womb to tomb
• Be faithful to vocation, future spouse
• Be trustworthy
• Be honest in word and deed
• Have only pure admiration
• Be grateful for what you possess

Do you get it? Living a faith-filled life is not so much about what we shouldn’t do as about what we are called to do as we move forward in God’s love. You can use this parallel above as the beginning of your examination of conscience the next time you prepare for the sacrament of reconciliation. In particular, ask yourself how you measure up to the list on the right as you prepare your soul for the sacramental mercy of Christ.

An Excerpt from Blessed are the Bored in Spirit: A Young Catholic’s Search for Meaning

“The differences in the characters of man and woman have their roots in creation. Man is made by God; woman is made by God from man.

As God is present at the creation of the world, so man is present, though in ecstasy, at the creation of the woman. The immediacy and the mediacy of the origin of the two sexes are mirrored forth in their differences.

Man, coming directly from God, has initiative, power and origin. Woman, coming from God through the ecstasy of man, has intuition, response, acceptance, submission, and cooperation.

Man lives more in the external world, because made from the earth and closest to it; it is his mission to rule over it and subject it. Woman lives more in the internal world, because she was created from an inner, human life.

Man is more interested in the outer world; woman in the inner world. Man talks about things; woman more about persons. Man fashions products of the earth; woman fashions life, having come from life, both Divine and human. Man, more related to the earth, makes sacrifices for things that are in the future and are abstract; woman, more related to the human, is more inclined to make sacrifices for persons and for that which is immediate.

Because more objective, man is inclined to give reasons for what he loves and for what he does; woman, being more subjective and having issued form the human, is more inclined to love just for love’s sake. Man’s reasons for loving are because of the qualities and attributes of the beloved. Man builds, invents, conquers; woman tends, devotes, interiorizes.

The man gives; the woman is a gift.”

An excerpt from Three to Get Married, by Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Editor’s Note: Can you see the truth through the Religion vs. Jesus debate? We’re praying for you as you talk about this issue and the viral video with your friends. We loved how well Peter Kreeft articulates this question about “church” in his book Before I Go: Letters to Our Children about what Really Matters. Here is the truth, boiled down to the basics without any fancy distractions.

“What’s the Big Deal about Church?

Why is she so important?

Because she is how we know Jesus. She tells us (by her teaching), shows us (by her saints) and feeds us (by her sacraments).

Why is Jesus so important?

Because He is how we know God. He told us, showed us, and fed us.

Why is God so important?

Because He is how we know love. He IS love.

Why is love so important?

Because it’s how we know happiness.

Without love, our happiness is not true happiness.
Without God, our love is not true love.
Without Jesus, our God is not the true God.
Without the Church, our Jesus is not the true Jesus.”

- Peter Kreeft, Before I Go: Letters to Our Children about what Really Matters

I’ll never forget when I learned Jesus wasn’t really born on December 25th. It shocked me. I felt cheated – like somehow my adolescent life had just lost some of its innocence. Thank God, I thought, Santa was still real – that would have really shattered my holiday season.

As you may already know, Christians didn’t always celebrate Jesus’ Birthday in December. For about the first 300 years after the Resurrection, the early Church celebrated Jesus’ birth as part of the feast of the Epiphany (which we now celebrate a week or two later – usually on or around January 6th). The word ‘epiphany’ means the manifestation, or publicly making known of something. The feast of the Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of the Baby Jesus as Messiah and King when the Magi worshipped Him (Mt. 2:1-12). There is an amazing history to the evolution of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany – far too great to go into here. But let’s dig a little deeper.

So Many False gods, So Little Time

Scholars debate on specifics of why the Church began honoring Christmas on December 25th. Some believe it was to counteract the five-day harvest festival of Saturnalia, which honored the false Roman god Saturn (the god of agriculture) just a few days before the winter solstice. This is actually tied more into the season of Advent, however, than Christmas specifically.

Most smarty-pants scholars agree that the reason the date of December 25 was ascribed and chosen (in the 4th century) as the day to celebrate Christ’s birth was to counteract the pagan Roman feast of the Sol Invictus: the “Birthday of the Sun,” celebrated by Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire on the same day. It was believed to have been started by a group of people who worshipped Mithra, a Persian false god who developed quite a following during the days of early Christianity (330-336 A.D.). It was in that time that the Church was busy defending its truth against heresies like “Docetism,” which denied the human nature of Jesus.

Early Christians had great respect for symbolism and absolutely would have used it to counteract things like pagan worship festivals. You can understand why they’d want people to turn their attention from the light of false “sun gods” and to the Son, “the Light of the World” (John 8:12).

How’s The Weather?

We don’t have to get all “astronomical” or “meteorological” here, but beginning with the fall equinox, nights become longer and days shorter – as you probably notice where you live. The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year. After the solstice, the days begin to get longer – the darkness will slowly be overcome by the light. By extension, since many placed December 24th as the solstice, December 25th was viewed as the “birth” of the sun.

You see where this is going, right?

So When Was Jesus Born Exactly?

There were even great efforts over the centuries to prove that Jesus was indeed born on December 25th. They stemmed from the belief that Zechariah was in the Holy of Holies (Luke 1:5-13) on the Day of Atonement, which usually falls right around September 22nd-25th… the fall equinox. That would mean that his son, John the Baptist, would have been born around June 24th (summer solstice), based on the truths gleaned from that same passage. Since we know that Elizabeth was six months pregnant (Luke 1:36) when Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, that would mean that Jesus was conceived around March 25 (spring equinox) and born about 9 months later very close to winter solstice – right around December 25th.

Sounds cool, huh? Sounds like it could work? While it’s unlikely based on historical evidence, we should always remember the next line out of the angel’s mouth after the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy: “All things are possible with God (Luke 1:3).”

Our God does not suffer from a lack of creativity. Look at the flamingo, the platypus, the volcano, or the rainbow. How beautifully ironic would it be if in God’s plan Christ actually was born on December 25th, and everyone “scholar” who knows better were actually wrong. We can never forget what God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 (look it up, memorize it and live by it).

For more reading, on the original Christmas story (no matter what time of year it happened) check out Luke 1:5-2:52 and Matthew 1:18-2:23. Also, try the Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC #525-526.

Why does the Catholic Church – in the middle of Advent, while preparing for Christmas – throw in yet another holy day?

Why pause to honor Mary while we’re prepping to party with Jesus? What is the Immaculate Conception . . . and why is it a big deal?

God was hoping you would ask.

The Immaculate Conception

First, we need to be clear here. The Immaculate Conception is not about the conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb. It’s about the conception of Mary in her mother’s womb years before. While Mary was conceived in the normal, human way through her parents (Joachim and Anne), the Immaculate Conception speaks to the fact that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. Immaculate means “without stain.”

Why would God preserve Mary from Original Sin?

The quick answer: Because God is God, and He can do anything He wants.

The better answer: The Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin in order to preserve her as the perfect vessel through which our Lord would become flesh to the world. This does not mean, however, that Mary was not in need of a Savior. Jesus redeemed Mary, too, but in a unique way.

You and I are conceived with the stain of original sin (unleashed in Eden by our ancestors Adam and Eve), and we need Baptism to wash away that stain and cleanse our souls.

The difference is that when Mary was conceived, God intervened and chose to prevent Mary’s soul from bearing that stain.

Now, this is where some Christians point to Romans 3:23, which clearly states:

“. . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus . . . ”

And as I mentioned earlier, Mary, herself, proclaims God as her “Savior” (Luke 1:47). The Catholic Church absolutely agrees with this fact and teaches (in Lumen Gentium, 53 – 56) exactly how Mary “was redeemed by the merits of her Son” (CCC 492).

One could say that Mary’s redemption was proactive – while Christ’s sacrifice removes our sin, it preserved Mary from it.

I know – this is deep stuff.

Picture it like this: you’re walking down a path in the forest and you fall into a deep, dark pit. That pit represents original sin. Someone reaches in to pull you out – they are now your “savior.” In Mary’s case, before she fell into the pit, God intervened and lifted her over it. He preserved her from the pain (and the stain). This was also a form of saving her – just in a different way.

Even the saints wrestled to get their heads around this truth. St. Augustine, for example, believed it and proclaimed it. St. Thomas Aquinas struggled with it . . . fearing that it implied that Mary didn’t need a Savior. Over time, however, his continued prayer and humility gave way to a deeper understanding of this truth and its Scriptural roots.

More than a Woman

Remember what the angel said when he greeted Mary in the Gospel of Luke, “Rejoice, O highly favored daughter!” (Luke 1:28). The better, more accurate translation reads, “Rejoice, you who are full of grace!” (from the Greek phrase kecharitomene).

Without getting too deep into Greek here, it’s important to note that the term indicates that Mary was “graced” already (not by the angel’s visit) and that she still was presently. The Greek speaks to her character and quality, not her “luck.” This was not an announcement that Mary had randomly won some divine lottery. She had been set apart – chosen and preserved – from the beginning of time.

This means that God prepared Mary to be clean (sinless) so that she could give birth to the Son of God. This doesn’t mean that she was never tempted. She was. But the Church says that she was filled with the love of the Holy Spirit and that there was no room for sin to take over. That’s a lot of love.

If you want to read more about this teaching, check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 721 – 726.

Did the Church just make this up?

Because this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception wasn’t officially defined until 1854, some think that means that the Catholic Church just made it up. What people have to remember, however, is that this doesn’t mean it wasn’t believed or taught prior to that. It was.

You see, the Church is pretty busy defending truth and offering a billion souls the Sacraments. She doesn’t usually stop to “officially define” an understood doctrine unless there is some controversy or need for clarification. Sometimes, too, though, the Church officially declares a long-understood truth because it helps the faithful to grow even more deeply in understanding and devotion (which is the case here). The Pope saw the need for Mary’s intercession even more greatly in the modernizing Church and he wanted to encourage deeper prayer and devotion to her intercession.

Ask yourself

“Wouldn’t God, in His infinite wisdom, want the body and womb that carried Christ to be a perfect and pure dwelling place?“

“Why wouldn’t God want to set apart the woman who would give birth to His only Son?”

“Wouldn’t the same God who rose a star in the sky as a heavenly birth announcement to earth (Matthew 2:2), who emptied Himself and took on flesh (Philippians 2:7) and who conquered death and rose from the dead (Acts 2:24, Romans 6:9) be willing to go above and beyond in this way, too?”

Wouldn’t God want Mary to be a stainless vessel and a model of perfect discipleship to carry and raise His only Son, Jesus?

Sounds like the perfect plan from our perfect God who is perfect Love (Matthew 5:48, 1 John 4:18)