Fr. Shenan J. Boquet: Marriage and the Family: God’s Remedy to the Culture of Death

“The Family Remains the Privileged Locus of a Culture of Life”

Christmas is, I think it is fair to say, one of the most beautiful of all the liturgical celebrations of the year.

Whether or not it is the greatest is sometimes a cause for debate. Many a theologian will argue that Easter trumps Christmas. The Resurrection, after all, is the source of all our hope. In rising from the dead, Christ overcame death, and restored mankind to union with God.

However, though both solemnities are steeped in rich theological meaning and connection, there is simply no denying the great beauty of Christmas. In part, this is because of the remarkable liturgical and cultural effluences that have grown up about Christmas: the midnight Mass, the gorgeous Christmas carols, the sacred art, the Christmas trees and decorations, the gifts and giving, the camaraderie, and the hundred other traditions that lend such weight and warmth to the feast.

And, in part, it is simply because of the intrinsic beauty of the iconography of Christmas: above all, the image of the Holy Family gathered in the stable at Bethlehem. …