Show WHAT IS 18 CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS contrary to its name is now a popular festival rather rasher than a religious service it is of descent and title but of pagan origin mass is the catholic communion either for the living or the dead christ C means the anointed and refers specially to the worlds redeemer christmas then is christs mass and was established to commemorate his birth bat though the twenty fifth day of december has for nearly fourteen centuries beep bean settled upon in christendom as the anniversary of christs natal day it is not by any means established as the correct date of that momentous event when pagan rome was converted to the corrupted form of christianity which had bad taken the place of the pure religion of jesus many of the heathen customs feasts and ceremonies of 0 f the empire were grafted in to the new forms of faith falt hand and became identified with them the month of december was a season of 0 such revelries revel ries in commemoration me of the golden age of freedom I 1 and a ad in honor of the unconquered que ed sun and slaves and children especially were objects of favor receiving gifts from the wealthy and illuminations by means of wax tapers and ornamentation of trees with presents tor for the juveniles and as offerings to various detles deities were features of the season as well as libations and excesses all of which have been pretty faithfully laith fully copied by the so called christian imitators of the heathen As those pagan festivals in december had become part and parcel of the social life at rome it became the policy of the catholic priests to blend them as much as possible poa sible with tt abd tbd services of the growing creed but bat not until the begin beginning nin g of the sixth century was the day now BOW celebrated throughout christendom fully settled upon as the christian anniversary tue people whose traditions led them into festivities were thus drawn away from temir idolatry into the forms of the church and instead of a revolution of customs there was a fusion of the two elements with catholicism predominating under ecclesiastical influence christmas was a holy day it was specially observed in adoration of the holy child high mass was celebrated with all tiie the insignia and paraphernalia flowers candles pain paintings i ad adornments or a en ions robes robe 3 ho holy ay w water ate r gifts confessions abolt abortions solutions ab ions and 1 I ceremonies of mingled pagan and christian rites the poor were specially remembered in christian charity and the little children cheered with seasonable gifts but as time rolled on the feasting merrymaking and rev el elry ry of the day caused its caro to be more prominent than its devotion and it has come to be more of a holiday than a holy day the forms of ecclesiasticism are still kept up with pomp and and much display out but the masses of the people whether catholic or protestant spend the day in jollification rather than in wor saip sail and think far more of the lun ina and the feasting than of the event which it was designed to commemorate or the divine being whose birth birch it was intended to honor the actual date of the birth of jesus of nazareth is ah shrouded in the mists of antiquity and uncertainty every evera month in the year has been conten contended deil for or by some advocate of a special theory and each one with some degree of plausibility in the third century the 1 of april as shown by clement of alexandria was considered the day of the nativity while some ome claimed the of may greswell and alford the chronologists and biographers both fix upon the ath of april while other writers claim other days making the round of every month in 14 the year the late professor orson pratt was firm k in the opinion from astronomical and other arguments and data that the wondrous birth occurred on the ath of april and that the org organization niza tion of the church of jesus christ of lat ter day saints was divinely appointed on the anniversary of the important d day aniere there are good bood grounds for believing that the event occurred in the spring or summer time rather than in the winter it was taxing time as related by luke i when every one had to bolto goito his own city to everz be taxed aed and it is not probable that this was arranged for the winter then too the shepherds ids were out in the fields watching the flocks at night when toe the angelic choir hymned the announcement of the hel heavenly venly birth december is the rainy season in judea and it Is far more likely that the sheep were taken out to the new spring grass and their r ke keepers ep were able to spend the nights in vie open I 1 air in april than in december I 1 even in oriental palestine but as the date is not certain and the event ought to be kept in mind it Is better to unite on a wrong daythan dayt ban contend about the rigi right lit one em when honor is to be given to him whose spirit was sent forth to unite mankind and establish harmony and peace like many things in the creeds of modern christendom it to is open to dl dispute and the advocates of various dates date ha had better agree to differ the main thing to be kept in view Is is th the e event and the important dusults that come from it to mortals are of infinitely more value than times and seasons no being who ever walked the earth though born in a balace palace or descended from the most illustrious lust rious ancestry ever made the impression upon this taits world orld that has been stamped upon it by the life and influence of the babe ol of bethlehem born in a stable and cradled in ina a manger all the nobler impulses of humanity are thrilled into activity and the baser feelings of animal nature are conquered and controlled troll ed by the spirit and precepts of the son of mary he is the perfect pattern for all mankind he esthe is the crowning product and glory of the human race and ha be aiu be king of rings kings and lord of lords when this barths probation is over and evera every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to god and his christ then while we celebrate the day of his nativity let us remember him his bis works and his ways ays and strive to be like him in act in word and in spirit so that we may grow up in hid similitude and become fit to dwell in his presence thus while we shall lose no real pleasure and miss no true enjoyment for he was no advocate of long faced asceticism the day of feasting will be sanctified we shall keep it in its true intent and it will be both a holy damand a holiday a genuine peaceful fraternal charitable pleasurable and merry christmas |