Twelve Days of Christmas - December 27 - Feast of St. John the Evangelist

Feast of St. John the Evangelist, December 27

Today we honor St. John the Evangelist, December 27, and does he pack a lot in his resume.  It seems he is in quite good standing with God and Jesus, because he was the only Apostle not martyred.  He was too busy writing the story to get caught up in the action.  Perhaps that is what drew me to a life of writing.

Today is the third day in the octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist.  According to Catholic Culture, he was born in Bethsaida, he was called while mending his nets to follow Jesus. He became the beloved disciple of Jesus. He wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles and the Apocalypse. His passages on the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and the life of our souls, are among the finest of the New Testament. 

He is the evangelist of the divinity of Christ and His fraternal love. With James, his brother, and Simon Peter, he was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, he leans on the Master's breast. At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusts His Mother to his care. John's pure life kept him very close to Jesus and Mary in years to come. John was exiled to the island of Patmos under Emperor Domitian.    

The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25, the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus.  Of course there are probably not many of you who even know there is a "Twelve Days of Christmas" celebration, let alone that it dates from the Fifth Century, which happens to be sixteen centuries ago.   

Perhaps this seems more familiar for the modern person.

 

[Oops, FAKE NEWS]

 

 
Sometime in November, as things now stand, the "Christmas season" begins. The streets are hung with lights, the stores are decorated with red and green, and you can't turn on the radio without hearing songs about the spirit of the season and the glories of Santa Claus. The excitement builds to a climax on the morning of December 25, and then it stops, abruptly. Christmas is over, the New Year begins, and people go back to their normal lives.

December 26 is the 4th busiest shopping day of the year

LOS ANGELES, CA (FOX 11) - December 26 is the 4th busiest shopping day of the year, and certainly a lot of people come out to get deals and all the gifts they didn’t get under the Christmas tree.  

People also make those returns of gifts they either didn’t want or didn’t fit.  About 4% of gifts actually do go back.  If you’re going to make a return, make sure you have that original receipt or gift receipt to make your experience a lot faster and easier.  It’s also a good idea to know the store’s policy when it comes to returns.  Make sure the tags are on the items as well. Employees are making sure those shelves are stocked for those exchanges.

This is the best shopping season since 2011, so retailers are getting the spike they need. Online sales were up 18%, and even brick and mortar stores were seeing more foot traffic.  The economy is doing well according to analysts. Mastercard stated that it’s not just wealthy people coming out to spend their dollars; people living paycheck to paycheck are spending, too. The economy is booming and more people are willing to shell out some money.

Here's another sign that shoppers spent big this holiday season

Americans spent at a record pace this holiday shopping season, according to a report from MasterCard's SpendingPulse.

That's good news for retailers that need to finish strong after a difficult year.

Sales jumped nearly 5% between November 1 and Christmas Eve compared to the same time period last year, according to the MasterCard report. That number tracks in-store and online purchases no matter the payment method, and it excludes car sales.

It's the biggest percentage gain since 2011, when the economy was still coming back from the Great Recession.

Online purchases accounted for much of the increase: They spiked 18% this year. But brick-and-mortar stores posted sales gains, too.

In fact online sales still made up only 11% to 12% of overall purchases, even with the pace of growth this year, said Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of market insights for MasterCard.

"While online is important and it's growing, it is dwarfed by what occurs in the physical stores," she said. "The brick-and-mortar growth drove this holiday shopping season."

Back to the Past...

Compare that to the traditional Christian celebration of Christmas, which is exactly the opposite. The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for nearly a month Christians await the coming of Christ in a spirit of expectation, singing hymns of longing. Then, on December 25, Christmas Day itself ushers in 12 days of celebration, ending only on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany.

 

There are some serious ceremonies around the world.

So the first three of twelve days are dedicated to saints and feasts are held in their honor.   

The three traditional feasts (dating back to the late fifth century) that follow Christmas reflect different ways in which the mystery of the Incarnation works itself out in the body of Christ. 

December 26 is the feast of St. Stephen—a traditional day for giving leftovers to the poor (as described in the carol "Good King Wenceslas"). As one of the first deacons, Stephen was the forerunner of all those who show forth the love of Christ by their generosity to the needy. But more than this, he was the first martyr of the New Covenant, witnessing to Christ by the ultimate gift of his own life. 

St. John the Evangelist, commemorated on December 27, is traditionally the only one of the twelve disciples who did not die a martyr. Rather, John witnessed to the Incarnation through his words, turning Greek philosophy on its head with his affirmation, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14, KJV).

On December 28, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, the children murdered by Herod. These were not martyrs like Stephen, who died heroically in a vision of the glorified Christ. They were not inspired like John to speak the Word of life and understand the mysteries of God. They died unjustly before they had a chance to know or to will—but they died for Christ nonetheless. In them we see the long agony of those who suffer and die through human injustice, never knowing that they have been redeemed.

In the Middle Ages, these three feasts were each dedicated to a different part of the clergy. Stephen, fittingly, was the patron of deacons. The feast of John the Evangelist was dedicated to the priests, and the feast of the Holy Innocents was dedicated to young men training for the clergy and serving the altar. The sub-deacons (one of the "minor orders" that developed in the early church) objected that they had no feast of their own. So, it became their custom to celebrate the "Feast of Fools" around January 1, often in conjunction with the feast of Christ's circumcision on that day (which was also one of the earliest feasts of the Virgin Mary, and is today celebrated as such by Roman Catholics).

Boxing Day UK Style

By the way, in the UK the Feast of St. Stephen (December 26) is called Boxing Day, a rather odd sounding name for a sacred holiday that incorporates rather odd means of celebrating the feast of St. Stephen.  I would explain it all to you but I suspect most of you could care less about it, and if you are interested, why Goggle is certain to have the information just a fingertip away, just by using a send key, and triggering the swarming, penetrating electromagnetic waves feeding off your mind.

Here is how they celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, now called Boxing Day, in the former British Commonwealth.

[You cannot be serious]

Well leave it to the Brits to redefine sacred while demonstrating creative ways to subvert the true meaning of the birth of the Savior, the first step in the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of the coming Messiah.  Father Creator sends us His only begotten Son, Jesus, to fulfill the prophecy of the Bible, and we, well, we go for a swim in goofy outfits.    

Not what I expected to find on the Road to Kingdom Come.

The Feast of St. John the Evangelist

Today, December 27,  we honor John the Evangelist. 

Finally, on Epiphany (January 6), the celebration of Christmas comes to an end. "Twelfth Night" (as all lovers of Shakespeare know) is the ultimate celebration of Christmas madness (Shakespeare's play features one of his many "wise fools" who understand the real meaning of life better than those who think they are sane). 

Epiphany commemorates the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel—Christ's manifestation to the nations, as shown in three different events: the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the turning of water into wine. In the Western tradition, the Magi predominate. But in the Eastern churches, Jesus' baptism tends to still be the primary theme.

How are you honoring the traditions of religion over the magic of the Magi?  Before the end of the Twelve Days I will show you how magic aided in the role of Jesus and was essential to completing his mission.  I thank you for enduring with me and assure you your pathway to seeking truth will be greatly aided when you call on the Holy Spirit to enlighten you, to the path of Jesus, to the perfect love of the Father.