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Martyrdom and Celebration: The Beautiful Tension of the Christmas Octave, by R. Jared Staudt – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

Martyrdom and Celebration: The Beautiful Tension of the Christmas Octave, by R. Jared Staudt

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Detail from "The Stoning of St Stephen" (1603-04) by Annibale Carracci. (Image: WikiArt)

By R. Jared Staudt, Catholic World Report, Dec. 26, 2024

R. Jared Staudt PhD, serves as Director of Content for Exodus 90 and as an instructor for the lay division of St. John Vianney Seminary. He is author of Words Made Flesh: The Sacramental Mission of Catholic Education (CUA Press, 2024), How the Eucharist Can Save Civilization (TAN) ….

For those still attuned to the liturgy, we find a more sobering reality, which continues to challenge our discreet categories.

We keep things in discreet categories in our culture. Religion too often remains within the church’s walls, kept apart from the forces that drive society. That’s a large reason why we have secularized the festivity of Christmas. We view faith as private and even divisive, so we gather at the end of December for a winter celebration defined by Santa, snowmen, and the new year. The quaint manger scene can remain because it’s harmless, largely drowned out by bright lights, reindeer, and pop music.

The Christmas Octave, part of the twelve days leading up to the Epiphany, has largely disappeared, with trees already taken down and the music that had taken over during Advent off the air. …

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