With the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day fast approaching, many may begin or have begun their Christmas holiday traditions. Some of these traditions may be or include baking Christmas cookies (yummy!), visiting Santa Clause for a picture, family/friends sing-alongs at someone’s house, and/or driving around to see the Christmas lights on the houses in the local housing development(s). I thought for my first blog I would share two of my favorite Christmas traditions, which put the focus on the Birth of Jesus and not on the commercial reason for the season.
When my grandparents were still alive, my family had the tradition of going to the children’s Mass at Annunciation Church in Bellmawr, before returning to the house for dinner and the exchanging of early Christmas gifts. The Mass each year was packed with young families, many fulfilling their “Christmas obligation.” The tradition within the Mass was the pastor’s invitation, at the beginning of his homily, for the children to sit and learn about the birth of Jesus with him and the couple dressed as the Holy Family with baby Jesus. Each year the thing that struck me was not the instruction, but the man dressed as Santa Claus who walked up the nave of the church presenting a gift to baby Jesus. The focus became the gift of Jesus’ birth and not the commercial aspect of giving many gifts. The gift of Jesus’ life to have the opportunity to have these traditions was the reason for the season.
As this tradition faded with the passing of my grandparents, I sought to begin my own tradition. Every year after I entered seminary, I have had the tradition of traveling into the city of Philadelphia to visit several commercial sites. Many will consider me old school, but I visit the same places each year: Macy’s to see the figurines bringing the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” to life and watch the Christmas light show, LOVE park to see the many small merchants selling Christmas items, a visit to the Comcast Building to watch the Holiday Spectacular, a visit to a former place of employment at the Mellon Bank Building and to make a surprise visit to see my mom, and sometimes a visit to the Reading Terminal for something to eat (if I did not go out to lunch with my mom).
This tradition first began with the nostalgia of the atmosphere, seeing the commercial depiction of the city decorated for the Christmas season. Seeing the snowflake lights on the light poles, the colorful window displays, the smell of hot chocolate and fresh baked pretzels wafting through the air from the street venders…the sights and sounds of the city certainly added to the excitement and expectation for the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Just writing about this makes me excited to do this after the semester in seminary has come to a conclusion. Yet before I visit any of these sites, I make the first highlight visit of my traditional journey through the city is a visit to Saint John the Evangelist Church on 13th Street in Philadelphia. I make my way there as soon as I disembark the PATCO train at the 12th-13th Street stop.
I excitedly enter the crypt church for Mass (if I have not gone to Mass in one of the parishes in our diocese), spending time with Jesus in prayer in Adoration, and then go to Confession. I usually pray a Rosary and/or the Liturgy of the Hours and meditate on the reason for His birth as a child. Before leaving, I invite Jesus to join me on my journey through the city visiting my “hot spots.” When I leave St. John’s, I feel refreshed and enlivened to make my journey with Jesus and not on my own.
The Church has many traditions for her faithful: Novenas, Litanies, Adoration, and Holy Hours. The richness of the Church’s traditions has Jesus Christ at their beginning and at their center. They help us grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus Christ. So, what is at the center of your Christmas traditions? I encourage anyone contemplating a vocation to the priesthood or religious life to make the opportunity to meditate on the tradition of the Catholic Church’s celebration the Incarnation. Ask that this wonderful event be at the center of your traditions during the Advent and Christmas seasons.
Latest posts by Father Anthony Infanti (see all)
- Celibacy: Gift of Joy - March 13, 2018
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- Meditation on the Rite of Ordination to the Diaconate - March 16, 2017
