"X-Mas" & Rose Vestments

Sometimes there is a great reaction to how some people write Christmas, often we see it written as x-mas instead of Christmas.

The word Christmas comes from Christ’s Mass, the Mass that we celebrate each and every week. The term Christmas is really not that old, within the Church it is known as the feast of the Nativity of Christ, or the birth of Christ. When we see it written as x-mas some people think that we are crossing out or “X”ing out Christ. But it is actually a shorthand for the first letter of Christ in Greek (χριστός Christos.) Within the Church you will see an overlapping XP (I have this symbol on my green chasuble and it is also on the purple one that the parish has) the XP is the chi (X) Rho (P) those are the first letters for Christ these are often flanked by the A (alpha) and Ω (omega) first and last characters of the Greek alphabet to represent Christ being the beginning and the end.

So, in short, X-Mas was just using the X as shorthand for Christ and is not really trying to get rid of Christ in Christmas. Remember, the best way to keep Christ in Christmas it to keep the Mass in Christmas since it is in the holy sacrifice of the Mass in which Christ comes Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, then allows us to receive Him in this way.

The second topic of this article is because this weekend we will also be lighting the pink candle as well as we will be using the rose or pink vestments. One of the things that this means is that Advent is over half way over and the coming of Christ in Christmas is getting closer! We only will wear the rose vestments for two weekends a year; Gaudete Sunday for the third Sunday in advent and Laetare Sunday in the fourth Sunday during Lent.

It is an option for Priest’s to wear the rose color vestments and we are not requirement to wear it, but it is nice to have something visual to see the difference.

The words Laetare and Gaudete mean the same thing they mean rejoice! This is because we are rejoicing that Christ is near. The word Laetare comes from an option introit or introduction to the Mass that is either said or sung which goes “Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. (Psalm) I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall go into the house of the Lord…” You have heard me say this many times, but we are called to be joy-filled or joyful Christians in the world, no matter what is happening.

As we continue to prepare ourselves for that wonderful coming of Christ again in the Christmas season, let us always remember to rejoice for the Lord is coming

Blessings,
Father Ken Halbur