This year Advent is the longest it can be. On this Fourth Sunday of Advent we have an entire week more of Advent weekdays until Christmas which is next Sunday. Oh, what a relief!
But next year, Christmas Day is on Monday, which means that Advent is the shortest possible it can be as the 4th Sunday of Advent is Christmas Eve and poor priests will be overworked. No relief next year and I am exhausted already thinking about it!
Wouldn't it be nice if Christmas fell on Sunday each year? In fact, maybe Christmas, like other Catholic Holy Days of Obligation, should be transferred to the nearest Sunday, let's say, the last Sunday of December and The Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God to the following Sunday, the first Sunday in January. Then New Year's Day, would simply be a secular holiday of drunken debauchery as it should be.
Then, we poor, over worked priests wouldn't have to be so busy during the week when Christmas falls on any other day than a Sunday.
Next year we poor priests will have to celebrate all our Sunday Masses because the 4th Sunday of Advent is the last day of Advent and also Christmas Eve and Christmas falls on a Monday! Can you imagine how exhausted we will be?!
Thus I will have to have my normal two Masses on Sunday morning next year and then two Christmas Eve night and then one on Christmas Day! How bad is that!?
The only thing that we pastors might balk at when Christmas is transferred to the last Sunday of December is that we will lose the huge Christmas Eve and Day collection when it falls during a Sunday as we will next Sunday. This, of course, is a tragedy of immense proportions!
So on second thought, let's just keep Christmas on December 25 but make sure everyone goes on the 24th no matter what day of the week and then only each 7 years or so will our collections be diminished when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.
I'm glad I got that out of my system.
4 comments:
This year poor lay Canadians are having a rest too. With our only two Holy days of obligation in the whole year Christmas and Mary Mother of God falling on a Sunday we won't be so heavily obligated to attend Mass this octave. In fact this year all of us might even attend Mother of God which judging by Mass crowd I am not for sure is the norm at my parish. That we have two Holy days and that people don't always attend or perhaps also skip the Sunday Mass when Christmas is so close to Sunday seems to me good evidence the bishops' drive to get rid of obligations or move them to the Sunday is bad psychology, people have only learned the message they have been given, that these things are not so important and a burden. Thank you Fr. For all of your hard labour this year and next and enjoy this week of rest! ;-)
Surely this is a good year for priests! We only work one day week anyway, so having Christmass and Mary, Mother of God on SUNDAYS means we are OK this year! Next year I plan to take Monday 25th December off because I often try to take Monday as a day of recreation if possible.
"Wouldn't it be nice if Christmas fell on Sunday each year? In fact, maybe Christmas, like other Catholic Holy Days of Obligation, should be transferred to the nearest Sunday, let's say, the last Sunday of December and The Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God to the following Sunday, the first Sunday in January."
Wow, the worst idea that we'll heard in the new year 2017, a couple of weeks early!
Reminds me of the reputed USCCB staff suggestion that the bishops transfer the celebration of Holy Thursday to the following Sunday, in order to increase attendance at this important Mass.
Bee here:
Well, I sure know the hardest year of all for priests and sacristans is when Christmas is on a Monday, because the need to get the church ready for Christmas Eve Mass(es). I used to help out at church, and we had a children's/family Christmas Eve Mass at 5pm, followed by the regular Midnight Mass beginning at 11:30 with carols and Mass at midnight. So on the last Sunday of Advent, we'd rush around right after the last Mass got out at about noon, setting up the altars and pews decorations and other spots decorating, checking lights on trees, putting out the poinsettias, and so on. Whew! Very rushed to get the church ready in about 4 hours. (Course, as much as possible was done in the weeks beforehand, but it was really busy anyway.)
But with regards to the collection. I noted in my package of weekly envelopes I had not only the Sunday, Dec. 25th envelope, but a special Christmas Day envelope, and a special Christmas Flowers envelope. I didn't mind much, but then the other day I got a special mailing from the parish with yet another Christmas offering request envelope. I thought it was a bit much.
Well, I tend to have the amounts I am donating pretty planned out beforehand, so it won't change my donations, but it can feel a little like being shaken down when you get so many envelopes for the same day...
God bless,
Bee
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