Merry Christmas!

And Peace to all families, communities, and nations!
dpt | 12.24.07 - 12:33 pm | #

Merry Christmas to all! Celebrate, enjoy, and most of all - peace.
Dave G. | 12.24.07 - 1:02 pm | #

Merry Christmas!
Margaret | Homepage | 12.24.07 - 1:17 pm | #

Happy Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here in our multicultural metro area (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, you-name-it) I've been replying "My compliments of the season" to people who wish me "Happy Holidays" (because I find saying "Happy Holidays" so tiresomely generic, and not festive or joyful at all.)
Mario (Mael Muire) | 12.24.07 - 1:36 pm | #

Oops. I misspelled my own name. It's "Marion (Mael Muire)"

[Glasses. Where are they?]
Marion (Mael Muire) | 12.24.07 - 1:37 pm | #

Merry merry Christmas, every one!
John | Homepage | 12.24.07 - 3:17 pm | #

Merry Christmas, Mark!
Red Cardigan | Homepage | 12.24.07 - 3:52 pm | #

All the blesings of Christmas to you and you family Mark.

And all on this blog - may God bless us all.
Don(kiwi) | 12.24.07 - 4:04 pm | #

Merry Christmas, Mark and all readers of CAEI!
Dismas | 12.24.07 - 5:05 pm | #

*Cue Jimmy Stuart*

Marry Christmas. Marry Christmas.
JosephineM-0_6 | 12.24.07 - 6:33 pm | #

Merry Christmas, to one and all.
Dennis Mahon | 12.24.07 - 9:04 pm | #

Merry Christmas to you and yours

... but Feast of the Incarnation? Wouldn't that be the Anunciation back 9 months ago?
W. | Homepage | 12.25.07 - 1:05 am | #

Merry Christmas to you and all of yours !
Bob | 12.25.07 - 3:56 am | #

Merry Christmas Mark to you and your loved ones.

To follow up on W.'s statement, I also am interested about the Church's emphasis on Christmas ( with the 4 week Advent) and the minimization of Annunciation ( which was at one time called Festum Incarnationis). This feast is often hidden in the Lenten celebration and barely mentioned.

An impartial observer could judge (Based on emphasis in the Church calendar) that Catholics believe Jesus' life began on 12/25 rather than March 25. And then logically conclude that Catholics believe all life begins with vaginal birth and not conception.

I think that the defeat of abortion will only occur after the Church begins emphasizing the incarnation of Christ on March 25.

Gene E.
Gene E | 12.25.07 - 8:21 am | #

Merry Christmas, Mark. Thanks for all of your kind support throughout the year.
K T Cat | Homepage | 12.25.07 - 8:44 am | #

Merry Christmas
Adrienne | 12.25.07 - 1:07 pm | #

Merry Christmas everyone!

As far as the Annunciation goes, as amazing and world changing as the moment was, I never read about angels announcing it to shepherds at the time that unto the world a child was conceived.

God does things mysteriously, conception very much one of them. I mean, women don't have blue light pour out of their ears when they conceive. It seems somehow fitting that the very start of Christ coming into the world be shrouded in that mystery, known only to she who is full of grace, God, and the heavenly host.

Diminishing Christmas' amazing announcements of Christ entering the world separate from His mother for the first time will not change Christians' minds as those who are thinking correctly are already recognizing the start of life at conception. The problem is with those who don't believe any life, conceived, born, disabled, or old is worth any more than the convenience it can bring to society.
Jarnor23 | 12.25.07 - 2:51 pm | #

I'll come back with references later but the Annunciation used to be a bigger holy day than Christmas. This was during the so-called "Middle Ages" and was observed with great solemnity by many Christians, both east and west, and by many saints and fathers of the Church.

I am not saying we should not observe Christmas with the solemnity we do (or should), just that I was surprised to see it regarded as the "Feast of the Incarnation." Perhaps a bit too technical but I think of it as the manifestation of the Incarnation, when the Incarnation became a public event, of sorts, an opportunity for a public encounter with the fruits of the Incarnation.
W. | Homepage | 12.25.07 - 4:47 pm | #

I think, perhaps, it would be best described as the feast of Christ's appearance into the world, rather than His incarnation into it. It is when the majority of people could begin to see and interact with Christ, starting with the shepherds and Magi.

It's one of those things where you'd want to celebrate both/and rather than either/or to their fullest.
Jarnor23 | 12.25.07 - 4:53 pm | #

+J.M.J+

Buon Natale! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël!

In Jesu et Maria,
Rosemarie | Homepage | 12.25.07 - 8:03 pm | #

...oh, and Felix Dies Nativitatis!

(can't forget the Latin, right?)

In Jesu et Maria,
Rosemarie | Homepage | 12.25.07 - 8:07 pm | #

Joyeux Noel/Merry Christmas/Buon Natale to all, especially to you and your family, Mark! And a very Happy New year as well.
Patricia Gonzalez | 12.26.07 - 11:25 am | #

Blogging scarce? So what am I supposed to do during lunch? What about the rest of us who have no lives except for this blog, who'll be looking after us?

Merry Christmas, Grinch!
John J. Simmins | 12.26.07 - 2:56 pm | #

As they say back in the old country,

BUON NATALE!

(From an 'angel of Christmas' ... that's a lot of pressure to put on a kid.)
Angelo Natalie | Homepage | 12.26.07 - 5:49 pm | #