ROME. I missed the Ascension again this year, not from any slovenliness or laxity on my part, but because I was in Rome: the center of the Catholic world.
Why, you ask? Because in the Borgo district where I stay, the Ascension has been moved to the following Sunday (as in the rest of Italy), while three hundred yards up the Borgo Pio, in Vatican City, the Ascension is celebrated on Thursday, where it belongs.
Thus, on Thursday, May 14, I attended Mass for Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter at the Church of S. Maria in Traspontina, and three days later, at the North American College (whose magnificent Sunday liturgies I attend whenever possible), we celebrated the Seventh Sunday of Easter–for the College is on extraterritorial Vatican property and follows the Vatican’s liturgical calendar. So, no Ascension 2026 Mass for George.
This is, frankly, absurd.
It is biblically absurd, for the texts do not affirm that the Lord ascended into heaven “on the forty-third day,” but on the fortieth day. That is a calendrical notation rich with biblical and spiritual meaning, as the forty days between Easter and the Ascension parallel the forty days of the Lord’s fast in the desert before his public ministry, the experience that sets the temporal rhythm of the forty days of Lent, which then sets the stage for Easter.
It is pastorally counterproductive, because Christians live, or ought to live, as if they were in a different time zone: the time zone declared by the Lord at the beginning of the Lord’s public ministry, when he proclaimed that the kingdom of God is at hand, now. It is the time zone presaged in the Resurrection, which made the early Christians of Jewish origin do the previously unthinkable–shift their holy day, their sabbath, to Sunday. It is the time zone of the time-beyond-time that is affirmed in the Ascension, when the glorified human nature of Christ enters the eternal life of the thrice-holy God, the Trinity.
For the Church to accommodate its liturgical calendar to the conventions of the secular world is to weaken our distinctive sense of Catholic identity. Catholics are called to be a culture-reforming counterculture. To be that, we ought to experience the patterns of mundane, worldly time differently than the world we are seeking to convert. We have to live, concretely and specifically, in a different time-zone, if we are to be living examples to others that this world is the antechamber to the really real world, which is life in the presence of the God who created time and then entered time to redeem it.
It is one of the mysteries of the pontificate of Benedict XVI that he didn’t address this absurdity. Joseph Ratzinger was a lifelong scholar of the liturgy who knew that the “spirit of the liturgy” (as he styled a book) takes us out of mundane time into the time-beyond-time, precisely so that we can be cooperators with grace in redeeming the time.
So why didn’t he fix this Ascension Thursday/Sunday mess by mandating the annual celebration of the Ascension where it belongs: on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter, ten days before Pentecost? (As for the alleged difficulties that some would have in meeting the obligation to attend Mass on the Ascension if it occurred during the week, it has always been clear that, should the Sunday or holy day obligation of participation in the Eucharist pose an exceptional burden, the obligation is lifted.) Perhaps Benedict’s second successor could do something about this. I hope so.
There are too few ways in which Catholics visibly manifest their countercultural difference today. Making clear that we live in a different time-zone by fixing the Ascension where it belongs–thereby helping equip the saints for their culture-reforming mission–is a no-brainer. Let it be done, soon.
Then we can consider moving the solemnities of the Epiphany and Corpus Christi back where they belong, too.
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I believe that the bishops are embarrassed by the fact that when a holy day (of obligation) falls on a weekday so few Catholics attend mass. They do not also wish to point out that there are spiritual penalties involved for not attending.
I think that many parishes do not accommodate workers by having mass at a time when they can attend. In the country parish of my youth there was always a 6:00 AM mass on Sundays and holy days.
Mass times are not convenient for those who work. In the past, we had two Sat evening masses to accommodate farm and others who worked shifts.
This is certainly a problem, but we also have a priest shortage.
One solution (at least for metro areas) would be for priests to coordinate with each other, get coverage for Mass times that would work for different shifts, and publish those times in each area parish a few weeks ahead of time. I don’t know how much flexibility priests have in their schedules, but providing Mass on a Holy Days of Obligation seems like it would probably be worth some hassle in terms of the good of souls.
Amen!
Rural area in a diocese with a severe shortage but yes the coordination can help. We have visiting priests on work visas but the accents are an issue.
I agree that Holy Days and feasts should not be moved in the Church’s calendar. I have zero desire to appear counter cultural but do think moving dates for convenience defies logic.
I feel the same way – including the actual birth of Jesus. If that was restored it would also affect many other dates – like the Circumcision that was once considered a Holy Day and Epiphany.
Absolutely agree with this!
What the Church has inflicted on itself is INSANE.
It is a sign of disbelief in having a culture.
The “Ascension Sunday” absurdity is the least lethal symptom of Roman Catholicism twisting itself into a pretzel in the service of post-conciliar mendacity. Maintaining the game of pretending Sunday is Thursday serves a signal for the conscious that the mid-century council requires another look. After all, have we not metamorphosized into a post-Christian politically correct garden club for the alphabet soup?
What else can we pretend?
The actual birth date of Jesus. The Church has been moving dates for their convenience for centuries. It is hard to be Catholic any more. I was disappointed about Ascension Thursday also – such an important day just went by like any other day.
The Solemnity of the Ascension is apart. It stands in relation to Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday and that fact requires it to be on a Thursday. As for Christmas, Easter — they are a different issue entirely and the present placement is historically reasonable. New evidence for both is reassuring. Sunday obligation allowed on Saturday evening relates to monastic observance of the First Vespers of Sunday which is sung as early as 4PM — liturgically Sunday begins then. Yes, civil calendars are and long have been different from the liturgical. Once New Year’s Day was on March 25th! Guess why.
If I’m not mistaken the French Revolution eradicated Sunday and replaced it with “Decadi” – every ten days you had a day off. Look for this coming from the likes of Mamdani & Co.
But for now, Thursday remains Thursday.
As for the rest of the fiddling with the liturgical calendar–pre-conciliar/post-conciliar…we can live with it. Oddly enough, some of it actually makes a little sense.
One of the most inane moves by woke bishops is moving Holy Days to Sundays. It effectively denigrates the theological underpinnings and importance of the Holy Days. It won’t be long before Christmas is conveniently moved to Sundays but….but…but….wait. That won’t happen because Christmas is the one day out of the entire year when all pagans go to church.
Remember how all the confessionals were destroyed because calling something sinful fell out of favor with the bishops?
And we wonder why there’s an SSPX? We all know thecm reasons, now, don’t we?
Previously, our catholic school was closed on a holy day. Our cousins used to come out and attend our one room schoolhouse on those days. Eventually, after the schools were consolidated, we all were at the Catholic school. Some of the classes had 50 kids.
There aren’t too many of us left who attended one room schools. Thank you for sharing that knowall.
🙂
The Dominicans did a good job and knew how to manage the rowdy. I hope they are getting a reward now for working developing the next generation for $25 a month and board, which sometimes ran out – I believe I’ve mentioned several of the farm wives made it their personal projects to make sure the nuns were supplied with fresh milk, eggs, fresh vegetables and meats as needed.
My uncle remarked about the one room, “You heard the same class recitations over and over until you left the 8th grade; by that time you either got it or didn’t.” My dad was pd $5 a month during the depression to build the fire early in the morning before school started, usually with coal (the schoolhouse was on the corner of the farm). The county still has an annual reunion for all the one rooms that were closed in the mid 60s due to the promised educational and financial benefits of consolidation. I think now it’s (cost per pupil) around $10k a year and you see the results.
Agreed, wholeheartedly! I had the same experience, traveling between NC (Ascension on Sunday) and PA (on Thursday). It also makes the Liturgy if Hours very confusing.
To my understanding, our Metropolitan asked each PA Diocese to survey the priests regarding the Ascension and the overwhelming consensus was we wanted to keep it on Thursday.
Dear George Weigel.
The excellence of your knowledge & facility with language often gives important insights into the reality of Catholic faith as it relates to the world.
As always, though, we must be alert that in our admiration for your bold broad strokes of the pen, we don’t swallow less prominant conceptual errors, such as:
“Catholics are called to be a culture-reforming counterculture.”
To many that will speak of movements such as Marxism or National Socialism or Neo-Liberalism or New-Ageism or Shiite Islam or the proselytizing program of International Freemasonry. All of them aiming to reform human culture by their counter-cultural dictates, aspiring to own it all. Catholic Christianity is distinctly different to that combative Darwinian type.
The Apostolic truth is that Catholics, like all true followers of King Jesus Christ, are primarily called to hear His voice and lovingly follow where He leads. In other words, the life we have in this world belongs entirely to our King, who is with us always, humble & lowly of heart.
Where individual Catholics and/or Catholics collectively live by this Holy-Spirit-assisted Apostolic instruction, we are culturally different to the world’s must win, must dominate, must own all, must subvert, culture-conquering spirit.
At our best we witness to & offer non-Christians the perfect holiness and goodness of Christ’s ALTERNATIVE to the world’s acquisitive ways. And, from Christ’s own words, we do not anticipate that Catholic Christianity, even though witnessed to all cultures, will suit the majority of people.
In short: winning is the work of King Jesus Christ; our Catholic work is to be good and faithful witnesses. This distinction must never be erased.
In forming Catholic evangelists, that distiction is crucial.
Only in that way can hearts be truly won to love and serve GOD; never by tryng to subvert or dominate their culture.
Surely, we have learned something from our past blunders . . ?
The article and comments were all beautifully said and thought provoking. I became Catholic 4 years ago. I love my Catholic brothers and sisters. It’s obvious who we follow because He owns the majority of our hearts in our thoughts and in our words. I learn so much from y’all. Thank you and God bless. Peace and grace be upon you.
I totally agree!
If you had gone to the Traditional Latin Mass in Rome, which is available among other places at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, founded by Saint Philip Neri to care for poor pilgrims nearing death (because in his day, no one took a flight to Rome on an airplane or stayed in a luxury hotel upon arrival!), you’d have to experienced a heavenly liturgy still valid and still licit, following the Catholic, biblical calendar that still believes and prays with words like “this day ascended” and means what it says. The TLM is the solution to all who hate that the new calendar rejects the Bible. Avoid the Novus Ordo and go to the TLM, especially on Thursdays. God bless you all.
The TLM not available in most places!
I love the TLM but sadly unlike in St. Philip Neri’s day, it can attract more of a boutique crowd. It certainly can vary, but if you want to sit in the pews with the great unwashed today that’s probably going to be at a NO Mass.
There are plenty of blue collar workers and non-college-educated folks found at the TLM. I certainly wouldn’t call them unwashed, but they’re hardly boutique. You just can’t tell by the way they dress at Mass if you expect them to be wearing blue jeans like many do on work days.
Thank you Amanda. I’ve attended the TLM ever since Pope Benedict made that possible. I don’t mean affluent by boutique but it’s just a special subset of people. Unlike the NO Mass where everyone shows up.
As far as I can tell, the main differences are that the people at the TLM are at the TLM, and that they tend to be more committed and less likely to fall into the typical heresies of the day. Other than that, it’s just people. I don’t understand calling it “boutique” for any of those reasons.
Everyone also shows up at the TLM, the special and the not so special too.
I do not know what is meant by a boutique crowd.
How long does a person go without a shower to be considered unwashed?
That’s the best way I can explain it Amanda. It’s a self selecting congregation and it looks different from the crowd at the 10 am NO Mass preceding it.
Boutique isn’t a bad thing necessarily but it suggests selection. And selecting the TLM isn’t negative either.
I personally wish we’d never changed the Mass and we wouldn’t have these divisions and the need to drive outside one’s parish to find a Latin Mass. But I wasn’t in charge back then.
🙂
The NO is also a self-selecting crowd. The overwhelming majority of Catholics don’t show up for it.
And again, dressing different doesn’t really indicate anything other than the willingness to spend approximately the same amount of money on nicer-looking clothes for something you think is important. It’s not an indicator of wealth, culture, class, or education.
You said it was sad that the TLM crowd is boutique. I agree that would be sad, as it would indicate that the TLM only appeals to a particular type of person. It doesn’t do that though – as evidenced both by the attendance before 1970, and the attendance now. It was made for honoring God and drawing human hearts – ALL human hearts.
I would like to make clear, mrscracker, that I don’t think you are trying to be insulting or negative or anything of the sort. But I do think you’re missing an important point.
I’ve noticed that people think it would be very hard to convince another person to do anything religious if they aren’t already doing religious things, because they think those people are just not the type to want to do it. Nothing could be further from the truth. “God made us for Himself, so our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” No one needs to be anything other than who God made them to be (or trying to move in that direction), to be religious. It’s not a personality trait or other characteristic. It’s our human nature.
The TLM is human, not particular.
I think it takes more time unless you’re fortunate enough to live near one. Those retired etc.. and from that era would be more likely to attend?
Sorry Amanda, these comment boxes are a difficult way to communicate.
When I see one of your posts, for some reason I recall the song that goes “…Amanda, light of my life.” I think Don Williams was one of the singers.
You have a lot of good and friendly Catholic insight, like Mrs. Crackersbarrel.
I miss Don Williams.
🙂
We always celebrate Christmas on December 25th, not the Sunday following Christmas. I’m not sure why the Ascension of Our Lord has to be any different. (It’s the 40th day after Easter, not 43rd).
I was stunned when I first visited my in-laws (Mississippi, United Methodist Church) for Christmas and learned that they had their “Christmas Service” on the preceding Sunday (Advent 4 but they didn’t call it that). I said I can go to midnight mass and we can all go on Christmas together to the methodist church. They looked at me strangely and said, we don’t have services on Christmas Day. Maybe that is where we are heading?
We have Protestants come to mass on Christmas; I think it’s kinda always been that way with “them.”
LOVE THIS STORY…I HAD A WONDERFUL MASS ON THURSDAY!! AMEN
It’s not a holy day of obligation, but how about returning Epiphany to January 6, except every few years when it happens to fall on Sunday? You know, twelve days of Christmas and all that.
I agree, Ken. I don’t like all the messing about with our liturgical calendar. Or canceling saints. It’s confusing & a bit morale killing. Just leave holy things & holy days alone, please.
thank you
if anyone from the USCCB is listening here, be very cautious about watering down the “Catholic” brand. I realize you’re under high pressure to keep the priestly formation going and maintain finances and such in the black. Be careful of any politicians or groups that don’t adhere to the Gospel.
I too wish every RC parish could celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 6. My TLM (FSSP) parish celebrates Epiphany on Jan. 6 in a big way. If possible, three priests process with two assisting the main celebrant.
Blessing of holy water and chalk occurs prior to Mass, but there is a good lineup after Mass to get those, Throughout the week following, the priests will visit parishioners who have not yet had their houses blessed.
The symbolism of three priests recalls the three wise kings, following the ‘sign’ of the Messiah, a first manifestation of the divinity of Christ to whom all—including kings—justly pay homage.
Correct me if I’m wrong but – is it not a mortal sin to miss Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation? To me THIS should be the first fact mentioned in a discussion of this sort.
HUH?
“Three hundred yards up the Borgo Pio, in Vatican City, the Ascension is celebrated on Thursday, where it belongs.”
That’s no more than a couple of blocks walk.
BUT, on Thursday, May 14, (George) attended Mass for Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter at the Church of S. Maria in Traspontina”….”AND three days later, [to satisfy an affectation of his, George decided to go to Mass] at the North American College (whose magnificent Sunday liturgies [George] attends whenever possible), [AND] celebrated the Seventh Sunday of Easter ….So, no Ascension 2026 Mass for George.
This is, frankly, absurd.”
You’re right, George – Ascension SUNDAY is absurd!
But so is your choice not to attend either Ascension Thursday OR Ascension Sunday!
Restore the Holy Day of Obligation that was formerly known as The Circumcision of the Lord.
I was blessed with 4 boys & whenever the subject of circumcision came up I’d reply what was good enough for Jesus was good enough for my sons.
Spanking & circumcision are subjects that just seem to light up some people’s fires. If an article writer wants to ensure loads & loads of comments those are definitely issues to choose.
mrscracker: you’ve made me chuckle.
Thank you, Deacon Edward.
🙂
To many, including myself, the absurdity lies in the belief in the “ascension” at all. Frankly, delaying the celebrations until a weekend (as happens with Easter, every year) appears to be the most sensible element.
I personally don’t find the Ascension anymore difficult to believe in than the Resurrection.Or Pentecost, etc.
Really??? You believe the Ascension is “absurd”?? How do you call yourself a Catholic then? I agree with Mrscracker. Do you believe God created the entire world? Do you believe in the Resurrection? The Real Presence? Do you believe Jesus directed the huge catch of fish into Peter’s net or calmed the seas in a terrible storm? Returned Lazarus from the dead? If Jesus is God, and God can do ANYTHING, why is the Ascension the particular issue you have? Or DO you have an issue with all of it?? Faith is not the same as science.
Alex: Do you also have a problem with the Real Presence? How about the Incarnation? Do you have trouble with the belief that God became man i.e. took on a human nature?
Dear Alex: “To many, including myself, the absurdity lies in the belief in the “ascension” at all.” Needs a long response.
Cosmological science has become aware of unseen eternal realities that are not derived from [but powerfully influence & sustain] space-time/energy matter (e.g. the unseen realities of maths & physics support all of our materiality from the big bang until now & beyond the end of s-t/e-m).
That fits well with the revelation of Hebrews 11:3b – “The things that we see have been brought into being by things that were not made to be seen.”
In John 17 the beloved Apostle reports Jesus’ revelation that He was glorified with The Father ‘before ever the world was’; and, that He was loved by The Father ‘before the foundation of the world’.
In addressing Pontius Pilot, the LORD Jesus says: “I have come into the world to give evidence to the truth.” John 18:37c
Again & again The New Testament refers to the sustaining divine realm that was not made to be visible, yet it is close and even within us.
So: both Science & Scripture acknowledge that what we can see & feel is a temporary construct, set in a far greater matrix.
In ‘Ethical Encounter Theology’ that is called ‘The Matrix of Right Ethics’.
Thus, informed Catholics appreciate: ‘The Ascension’ refers to Jesus returning in triumph (as Victor over sin & death & evil); returning to the matrixial reality [a parallel universe, if you must] of perfectly holy goodness.
We know that that matrix of perfectly holy goodness is NOT the sky, or stars or anything else in our s-t/e-m universe.
The earliest Catholic Church is unlikely to have succeeded, except that the persecutor of Christians – Saul of Tarsus – was confronted by The Resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ, on the Road to Damascus. Saul became Paul, the most powerfully effective evangelist the Church has ever known.
Saul of Tarsus’ conversion powerfully witnesses to the unseen presence of The Kingdom of Heaven & its Great Shepherd, right here among us & intimately concerned with our daily lives.
Catholics know Christ is true to His word in saying: “I Am with you always.” Because of the way He hears every prayer of His lowliest adoring servants & works thousands of miracles for us.
So, dear Alex: if you want to be literal, you could say:
“The crucified, resurrected Jesus moved through a portal, into His original home, the unseen divine reality that originated, sustains, closely embraces, & explains all of our space-time/energy-matter existence.”
Probably most Catholics might still prefer to simply say: “Christ Ascended!”
Ever in the grace & mercy of King Jesus Christ; love & blessings from marty
Easter Sunday is moved every year based solely on non religious based criteria. Enough said.
I’m a pastor at a parish on the NY/CT border. The Archdiocese of New York is one of the few dioceses that holds Ascension Thursday on the traditional day as a day of obligation while the neighboring diocese of Bridgeport does not. I have parishioners who live on the same street but in different dioceses. How is that supposed to work. Mortal sin for me, but not for thee?
I think Father, its because too many of our high churchmen have mistaken themselves for God and think they can do what they wish by the swing of a magic wand. My parish includes several foreign born priests who are wonderful and by my observation have a generally more evident sense of humility than American priests. At least more than the older ones. We have a young American priest and he seems to be VERY into what he is doing and is enjoying the experience. A delight to have around. The older ones were the ones who supported the Vatican two stuff that did so much damage. I hope I can live long enough to see the young ones reverse course.
I agree with you 100% maybe this could be a topic for the synod communities. I agree Pope Benedict was a great great teacher and he did correct a lot of the mistakes that were in the Mass he did place a period after the consecration, however people still say that acclamation without realizing that it’s meant to identify with the real presence. my other concern is doing away with Saturday morning Mass every year another parish is doing away with the Saturday mass and when you call they say oh we have it Saturday night.. I want to celebrate Mass daily reading the liturgical readings, what I don’t understand is I thought priests are supposed to say a mass everyday so what do they do in the mornings when they don’t say Mass publicly? Some traditionalists say they’re doing away with it because it interferes with the Jewish sabbath, any truth to that
I don’t think there’s any connection to the Jewish Sabbath and getting rid of Saturday morning Mass.
Priests are not obligated to say Mass every day, they are obligated to pray the Office every day. They are *permitted* to say Mass once a day, and can only say it more than once if the bishop gives them a dispensation (which is common for Sunday Masses). Particularly for parishes with only one priest, I expect this could result in only a Sunday vigil Mass on Saturday. A lack of daily Mass-goers wanting specifically the Mass for Saturday probably also contributes.
The only place I know of in my area that does Saturday daily Mass is the TLM parish.
I belong to a NO parish in New York. We have always had a Saturday morning Mass. We have a Mass saturday evening too, but that is the Vigil Mass which counts for Sunday. As far as I know the liturgy for those two Masses must of necessity differ from each other, as they are intended for two different days of the week. . My Mom’s parish in California has no Saturday morning Mass but I think it may be because they only have one priest on staff. Even a priest needs an occasional day off.
You can watch it on EWTN; I realize that’s not the same but it’s on if you’re interested.
Dear Mr Weigel. I guess you knew that these two churches were on different liturgical calendars before you chose to go to Mass there, but I do not know if you had other options. in any case, I do not think the bishops legislate in that matter to take into account what I would call “liturgical tourism” (as I have to do too when I travel, often in Paris). Faithfull who go to mass regularly are supposed to go to the same church most of the times. And then, would not have “skipped” Ascenion. Sincerely…
In his Gospel, Luke describes Jesus’ Ascension on the night of his Resurrection! After appearing to his disciples, explaining the Scriptures, and promising the Holy Spirit: “Then he led them as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven” (Lk 24:50-51). In John’s Gospel as well, Jesus evidently ascends to his Father on Easter Sunday. John writes of Jesus’ imparting his Spirit to this disciples when he appears to them that night. It seems unfair then to call “Easter Sunday” an absurdity. But the Missal does not use “Easter Sunday”; rather it speaks of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. It seems to me better to celebrate the Solemnity on a Sunday when more people will learn about it and praise God for it. Likewise, it is preferable that the Ascension be celebrated when more of the faithful are at leisure and not occasion sacrifice as they rush about on a weekday to meet an obligation.
Mr George,
Thank you so much for sharing your observation of the absurd. I appreciate very much your reflection on we Christians “entering the time beyond time”, “Christians live, or ought to live, as if they were in a different time zone: the time zone declared by the Lord at the beginning of the Lord’s public ministry, when he proclaimed that the kingdom of God is at hand, NOW.”. Here, here! “NOW is the time of salvation”, right? However, at the risk of being pedantic, I must point out 2 corrections: 1) the Jews, and the first Jewish converts to Christianity, did NOT “move, or bump up, their Sabbath Day to Sunday. The Sabbath Day remains to this very day, as it did 2000 yrs ago, Saturday. The Sabbath Day is a, and still remains, a JEWISH Feast day, NOT a Christian Feast Day. SUNDAY is the “8th Day” of the new creation in which CHRISTIANS (not Jews) celebrate the FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD, not the Sabbath. So, early Jewish converts celebrated BOTH days, going to synagogue or Temple on Saturday, the Sabbath Day, then going to Mass on Sunday, for the Feast of the Resurrection.
2). The idea that Jesus, the God-man, sitting at the Father’s right hand, is “eternal” means to take away Jesus’s FULLY HUMAN nature, which is NOT eternal, but “everlasting”. The Son of God from all eternity IS eternal as He is fully God, but Jesus, in His human nature, is, like you and me, NOT eternal in His fully human nature, and so not in the “eternal now” that is God, but in “av-eternity”, a dimension of time different from our own, but not timeless. He DOES “live forever to intercede for us”, as He read tells us, but that is not “eternal” as God before the incarnation is.
Thank you for the intriguing article,
Yours Truly,
Ed
lol, I imagine you folks must get ulcers every December 25th, when the CHURCH chooses to celebrate Christ’s birth!? It’s the celebrating that matters, not the day. Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th! There goes the “set” dates for the Immaculate Conception and Annunciation… all set from December 25th’s arbitrary date? Your wonderful arguments are absurd.
You have that backwards, Dr. Christos. December 25th was set from St. John the Baptist’s conception and the Annunciation, not the way you have it. Pagan Romans tried to set the previously floating day of their festival of Sol Invictus near Dec 25 in an attempt to counter the rising influence of our traditional Christian celebration of the Dawn of Justice–Christ’s birth, not the other way around. The claim that the Church chose Dec 25th to subvert Sol Invictus is a modern invention of neo-paganism propaganda unsupported by good, primary historical research.
One of our priests remarked that He was probably born in March, but it is celebrated as is for the “light to come out of the darkness.” What time of year was the census normally taken?
Ascension Thursday on a Sunday? ? ? So what is next?
Easter Sunday on a Tuesday? Good Friday on a Monday?
Ash Wednesday on a Sunday.
Throughout my life, the one way the Ascension was kept important to me was because of its special day, Ascension Thursday. It is so particular that on a Thursday, Our Blessed Lord departed this world for the Father. Last Sunday, the homily explained how the Paschal Mystery is completed by the Ascension. Is this not significant enough to maintain the celebration of Ascension Thursday on the actual day. The concept is difficult enough to grapple with without somehow downgrading the importance of the feast by moving it to Sunday. The particularity of Thursday is part of the clarity and conviction of the Apostles in the actual event. Please help us hold on to realities of Jesus’s presence and mission by celebrating them as close as possible to the accounts given. Ascension Thursday needs to be arresting and thought provoking, something that is made less possible by merging it with Sunday as though it were just an afterthought to the Resurrection and Descent of the Holy Spirit. People of simple faith hold on to simple events to nourish their faith – Ascension Thursday should be Ascension Thursday.
As long as B.C.E. Doesn’t totally displace B.C. and A.D. we “backwardist” Catholics and Christians can still say we aren’t yet living in a flat universe.
Unless AI imposes flat-earth digital uniformity…