What do you mean "USED to be ....". This morning's Mass IS the Circumcision and the Octave, and Fr. preached on both.
The Pope spoke of this on Jan 1. He talked of the liturgical reform of his venerably predecessor Paul VI and pointed out that the themes of the feasts of the Circumcision and of the Name of Jesus continue to resound in the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, relocated to Jan 1 by Paul VI.
For the vast majority of Catholics, Chris. Of course, you know this. Quite rightly, however, you point out that nothing has changed for those who are privileged to assist at the Mass in its extraordinary form.
Mr. Mullins, I'm glad to hear that. I eagerly await the continued "reform of the reform" for those deprieved of such benefits.
Your meditation is excellent, but your facts are wrong. Circumcision was (and still is for Jewish boys) eight days after birth: the Presentation/Purification is 40 days after birth, and of course no longer takes place since the destruction of the Second Temple.
Circumcision - 'bris' in Yiddish, 'bris milah' in Hebrew - is a family affair: the mohel (the man trained to circumcise) comes to the house, and there's a big party - I remember several of my cousins' bris. It was never something which would have happened at the Temple, I think.
Well one thing to consider is that Mary was not considered the 'mother' until her Son was circumcised, because that was what the Jewish custom was.
From the above mentioned papal sermon. I see that he finds echoes of circumcision and Name of Jesus only in the Gospel of the day, but he seems enthusiastic about the feast of Mary, Mother of God:
Il nostro pensiero si volge ora naturalmente alla Madonna, che oggi invochiamo come Madre di Dio. Fu il Papa Paolo VI a trasferire al primo gennaio la festa della Divina Maternità di Maria, che un tempo cadeva l’11 di ottobre. Prima infatti della riforma liturgica seguita al Concilio Vaticano II, nel primo giorno dell’anno si celebrava la memoria della circoncisione di Gesù nell’ottavo giorno dopo la sua nascita - come segno della sottomissione alla legge, il suo inserimento ufficiale nel popolo eletto - e la domenica seguente si celebrava la festa del nome di Gesù. Di queste ricorrenze scorgiamo qualche traccia nella pagina evangelica che è stata poco fa proclamata, in cui san Luca riferisce che otto giorni dopo la nascita il Bambino venne circonciso e gli fu posto il nome di Gesù, "come era stato chiamato dall’angelo prima di essere concepito nel grembo della madre" (Lc 2,21). Quella odierna pertanto, oltre che essere una quanto mai significativa festa mariana, conserva pure un contenuto fortemente cristologico, perché, potremmo dire, prima della Madre, riguarda proprio il Figlio, Gesù vero Dio e vero Uomo.
Sue Sims,
I stand corrected. Thanks for your welcome sororial correction of an oversight. One lives and learns.
Mr. Mullins,
The 2nd of January, the feastday of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen in the new calendar, marks the Most Holy Name of Jesus in the traditional calendar. Thus the allusions to the Name of Jesus alongside the Circumcision of Jesus in the papal sermon make sense from the historical proximity of the commemoration of these events historically. Thanks for the references.
They should have cut his COCK right off.
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