Today is the Feast of St. John the Baptist, and the one-year anniversary of our Little Friend's baptism. Incredible how the time has flown...our Miracle Baby continues to flourish. Thanks be to God!
6-24-08Johannestag (and Johannesnacht, the eve of the Feast day) is a great traditional German Catholic celebration, with parties and bonfires (Johannesfeuer) the night before, and fabulous Bavarian music festivals to celebrate on the Feast day itself. It is, not coincidentally, a midsummer celebration, as it falls a few days after the summer solstice, the shortest night of the year. The Church fathers wisely chose this symbolic time of year for St. John's feast to celebrate the victory of light over darkness - Christ's victory over sin and our spiritual rebirth in the Sacrament of Baptism. So pop some sacred Bach onto your iPod, say your prayers, and enjoy the day!
On the menu tonight: bratwurst, saurkraut, beer, and some sort of glycemically correct dessert!
5 comments:
For the record, yes, I know I have years of orthodontia ahead...and fyi, those horrible little fangs are as sharp as they are gapped!
Cute kid!
Not to disagree with your linking the birth of John & the Summer Solstice, but the Church Daddies actually calculated it this way. When Gabe shocked Momma Mary with the news that she was to be a Mommy, the angel said "And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived 13 a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."
So the math is like this:
Jesus is born 12/25 (Christmas)
9 months before is 3/25 (Annunciation)
Liz is 6 months knocked up so 3 months to go on 3/25 gets us to 6/25.
Isn't the "New Math" so much fun? Wait 'til the Boy has to study it!
Nice pictures:
And celebrating "the victory of light over darkness." I think next year I'm planning a big party! Thanks for the idea.
You almost have me with the math, AA, but it's the 24th!!! (Not that it makes much more sense, but still...)
Ah! But the Church Daddies did the calculations they didn't have leap years (or maybe the shift from a Julian calendar to the Gregorian did it!) ;-P (LOL)
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