It is New Year’s Eve and everywhere throughout the world celebrations are planned as the the New Year 2010 is upon us. You can be sure that large signs will flash “2010!!!” and “Happy New Year!” But why is New Year’s January 1st and why do we call this 2010? The answers are very Catholic and Christian. I would like to elaborate a bit on what Deacon Curtis began a few days ago as we explore the relgious roots of what is perceived by most to be a very secular holiday.
- Why is this year designated 2010?Deacon Curtis largely addressed this question early this week. However let me reiterate some of it here. It is clear that the world and human history stretch back much farther than that 2,010 years. What we are announcing this year is that it is 2010 Anno Domini (usually abbreviated A.D. and meaning “the year of the Lord). What this most clearly means is that it is 2,010 years since the Birth of Jesus Christ. Christ at his birth and through his passion, death and resurrection ushered in a new era for the world. The Christian West acknowledged this fact quite radically by resetting the calendars. As far as we know, the AD system was developed by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus in Rome in 525, as an outcome of his work on calculating the date of Easter. It was especially at the time of Charlemagne (8th Century) that the AD dating system become widespread in Western Europe. However, the calculations as to the exact year of Christ’s birth were not perfect and today, by surveying history and the data of Scripture it now seems rather more certain that Christ was born closer to what we call today 3 – 6 BC. Nevertheless the current dating system is obviously a reference to Jesus Christ. Even the most secular of people calculate their place in time by Jesus Christ. Every letter that is dated, every check that is written, every appointment that is made is swept up into the life of Christ! I almost hesitate to say this since perhaps the ACLU or some militant atheist group will want to tamper with the calendar. As Deacon Curtis already pointed out, many secularist and scholars who want to avoid “offending” by referencing Christ have begun to abandon the BC/AD system in favor of a BCE/CE system (Before the Common Era/Common Era). Well, even if they want to try and call it something else that “2010″ still means Jesus!
- But if 2010 is a reference to the Birth of Christ why do our dates change on January 1st and not December 25th? Ah, this too has a very Catholic and religious answer. Most people think that Christmas Day is one day called December 25th. That is not accurate. It is the ancient Catholic practice that we celebrate the “Octave” of Christmas. (We do the same thing with Easter). So important is this feast that we celebrate it for eight whole days (Dec 25,26,27,28,29,30,31, Jan 1). But the “Octave” is really considered one long day. Upon the completion of this long day, on January 1 the Birth”day” of Christ is complete and our calendars advance to the next year. That is why we celebrate New Years Day one week later than Christmas. So very Catholic!
- So the fundamental calendar on every one’s wall is Catholic. Surely we owe the Jews as well for our seven day weeks for it is the Old Testament that records the 7 days of creation. The sun gives us the length of our days and the years. The moon gives us our months for month is just a mispronunciation of moon – as in, “what “moonth” are we in?”
- Now to be sure there ARE other designations out there a to what year we are in. For the Jews whole celebrate their New Year (Rosh Hashana) in September it is the year 5770. The Chinese reckon this year as 4707, 4706, or 4646 depending on what system they use. Arabic reckoning makes this the year 1431 (AH). They start their count based on the number of years since Muhammad completed his journey to Medina. Despite the existence of these and other systems, it is the Christocentric date that really unites the world, it’s the common point of reference.
Some one once said that Jesus is Lord of History since history is “his-story” One final thought on the calendar and secularists It is usually claimed by secularists that God is nowhere mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Actually He is, specifically the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus. Here is how the Constitution ends:
Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth. In Witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names:
Notice, “the year of OUR Lord.” Not even just “the year of THE Lord.” That would offend secularists enough, but they went further and described 1787 as the year of “our” Lord. Some will say, “Well that’s just how they talked then.” But that is just the point. The Founding Fathers did not hesitate to use this expression because they did not have the idea that the public square had to be a “religion-free zone.” The Constitution does not provide freedom FROM religion, it provides freedom FOR religion.
I wish you a very blessed and happy Year of our Lord 2010!
When I was a kid I used to love these Moody Bible Institute films on faith and science. I spliced a couple of excerpts here from the one on the Mystery of Time.
I wish you a very happy New Year, Monsignor. I am glad to have been a part of this blog at the end of 2009, and will continue to read and offer my insights in 2010. Do you believe in New Year’s resolutions? I think it’s a great time to start practicing something, like exercise, or learning of some sort, but personally I think we should be growing in faith and charity all year long, not just at Christmas and New Year’s.
My new year’s goals include getting back to people a lot better than I do. Sometimes I won’t e-mail people for days, and I know how I feel when I send someone something important and they don’t get back to me. But hopefully 2010 won’t be as tumultous as 2009. I also want to run the Marine Corps Marathon again for Run for Vocations, but this time actually train harder and better, now that I know what to expect. I hope you are well, and that you have a wonderful end to 2009 and a wonderful beginning to 2010!
Thanks for reading, commenting and praying. Thank you for your faith.
To expand on your point for people who might be wondering why Jesus ushered in the new era.
The Jews were awaiting, a la the promise of God spoken through His prophets, a new age, the messianic age, when the Messiah would come and rule with justice and peace over the whole world. He would spread the knowledge of God, bring nations to the Temple, write a new law on people’s hearts, bring a new and final covenant, and make all sacrifices cease save for the thanksgiving (Greek: eucharisteo, eucharist) offering. Hence, the birth of Jesus Christ – when the Messiah came – is the beginning of the new age, the Year of the Lord, the Day of Mercy, the Reign of Christ, the Age of the Church. Now, some might wonder why this new age didn’t start at His Incarnation: Well, it has to do with prophecy. The new age begins with the coming of the new King, not the conception of the new King in the womb of His virgin mother: Hence the new star over the stable in Bethlehem.
New and everlasting covenant!
Count me in with Katherine, Monsignor – it’s been great reading your posts, and I hope you have a blessed and peaceful New Year!
I am grateful for your prayers and support
Very educated post! 2010 sounds more like a religious year more so then 2009. I tell you Msgr. You all don’t miss a beat! There’s not any Stones that can’t be unturned on this Blog about the Catholic’s apostolic position.
Thanks! Pray for the bloggers!
Earlier today I was praying for the realization that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always with me. Your post has helped me with that realization. Always with me, yesterday, today, and tomorrow and ever shall be. World without end.
Happy New Year to you, Monsignor
Praise God
It tells us again that the Church is the mother of the saints. Christ
I read that the eight days from Christmas to new Years is based on the Jewish practice circumcision on the eight day after birth and the name of the feast day was changed after Vatican II. Is this correct? If so, it would seem a major historical fact missing from the post. Happy and Blessed New Year!
Yes, I just posted on this missing feast day!
I don’t think that New Year day as January 1 is of Christian origin.
The Roman New Year, at least for their civil calendar of when the consuls took office started on January 1. They also would mark the first day of spring as another kind of New Years.
The original Roman calendar consisted of ten months, March through December, “dec” referring to the tenth month. They had two other irregular months that the pontiffs would insert into the calendar at intervals to keep the calendar current. But March 1 was the start of the new year. This didn’t work well. Around 700 BC they added two additional months of January and February, but March 1 was still the start of the new year. In 153 BC they moved the start of the new year to January 1 as that was when the new consuls took office.
A great reference and work book for ancient calendars is “The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy” by James Evans.
Yes, I probably could have been clearer. The choice of Dec. 25th as Christmas Day may well be the Church plugging into what was already practiced in the Roman Empire viz pagan religious celebrations and the like. We do not teach as a matter of faith that Christ was born Dec 25. The date seems to have been chosen to strategically Chrisitanize an already existing scenario. When the Catholic ascended out of persecution to official recognition in the centuries that followed the official designation shifted to a reference to Christ. But the day January 1 still made sense rather than switching to Dec 25 due to the practice of the octave. But it is clear enough that Dec 25 and Jan 1 were likely pre-existing dates strategically chosen by the Church and “Christianized”
Our pastor (United Methodist) spoke on this very topic last Sunday. (“How Christmas Changed Everything”). My 18 year old son was particularly tickled with Pastor Randy’s comment that it must gall the atheists that every time they write the date they are acknowledging the existence of Christ! Thank you for this blog. Happy New Year, Monsignor and all who believe.
Congratulations on a very interesting and informative blog. I hope you don’t mind–I referenced this entry on my own website http://www.threeminutetheology.com.