Adventists, and others, dislike the way the Catholic Church has set aside various days of the year for celebrating Jesus Christ. They label such things as “pagan” even if they aren’t pagan at all. (The word “pagan” is a synonym for “Catholic” amongst many of this crowd, irrespective of actual religious origins of any practice or teaching.)
One argument they use is that nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to celebrate Jesus’ life.
This reminds me of the anointing of Jesus by Mary with expensive ointment.
John 12:1-8 (KJV) – Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Nowhere in the Bible did it tell Mary to do this. Jesus never instructed her to do this. Yet she did it as a gift to him, from her heart.
Christians are not bound to any of the Israelite holy days, which prefigured Christ. We are free to, from our heart, give to Jesus what he hasn’t asked for. By setting days for commemorating Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, his baptism, his ascension into heaven, and other aspects of his life, Christians long ago gave worship to God, and we still have those celebrations today.
Nothing in the Bible says we may not do so. May God bless you as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Midnight Mass
