On December 1, I attended a concert at the Harris Theatre here in Chicago with two other priests, both of them younger than I. The concert consisted of the Bach cantatas surrounding the Feast of Christmas. The opening anthem of the cantatas is very familiar and would probably be recognized by most people. However, the cantatas follow the progression of the Christmas Season and mark all of the various holy days that we celebrate at this time of year. The cantata that Bach composed for January 1 was entitled “On the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus.” One of the younger priests commented to me that he thought this was strange. I immediately felt my age!
January 1 has been known as the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God ever since the revision of the liturgical calendar after the Second Vatican Council. In fact, this was simply a return to the most ancient title for this date. When I remarked to the priest that January 1 used to be the Feast of the Circumcision when I was a boy, his face registered great surprise. Was he really so young that he didn’t remember this? Was I really that old? Of course, the answer to the question is “Yes.”
January 1 is also regarded as the World Day of Prayer for Peace. On December 31, Pope Francis held a prayer service at St. Peter’s for that very intention. We all know that our world is in need of this great gift. Part of this day should be spent in prayer asking God to teach us to live as brothers and sisters and to forget our age-old grudges.
As is our custom in the friary where I live, we went out for a holiday breakfast together. The local IHOP is less than two blocks away, but the driver commented on the fact that there was absolutely no traffic on the street. Cicero Avenue is a busy thoroughfare ordinarily. This morning it was quite the opposite. During breakfast our conversation led us to consider what we would all be doing tomorrow when the working world would rev up its motor again. It’s hard to believe that the holidays sped by so quickly. However, before the telephone and the doorbell here at the friary begin to ring again, let me pause and wish you God’s choicest blessings in this New Year. May we draw ever closer to God as we long to see His face.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator