OUR FESTIVE MESSAGE to ALL PEOPLE
While the World is in great need of the values that Jesus the Nazarene taught us, it is a great shame that it is generally only practiced on one day a year.
This day is traditionally the 25th December and was chosen as the Christ’s birthday by Pope Julius in AD 350 after being asked to do so by Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem.
The first traditional festival of Christ’s birth as Christmas was first recorded, according to Laurence Gardiner in his fascinating book The Grail Enigma, in 1038.
The term apparently stems from the Old English Cristes Maesse (the Mass of Christ). The Latin equivalent was Dies Natalis from which came the French Noël and the Italian Il Natale.
Christmas was not part of the early Christian ritual and the Roman civil calendar displayed 25th December as the annual feast of Natalis Invicti from the cult of Sol Invictus, the unconquered and unconquerable sun.
In many northern hemisphere countries the solstice origins still survive as Yuletide celebrations, which have become intermixed with the Nativity.
In pagan tradition it was the time when the Holly King gave way to the Oak King for the next six months. The Yule log was of Oak and was burned with Ash faggots while candles were lit to ornament the evergreens.
Puddings of fruit and grain were eaten to celebrate the richness of the earth. The accompanying revelries included fertility symbols of holly, ivy, mistletoe and pine cones at the time when the goddess was giving birth to the sun.
The Holly King made his final appearance of the year distributing presents while the Oak King was reborn. In about 1610 the Holly King was renamed Father Christmas to bring the pagan image into line with the Christian festival.
Santa Claus evolved in North America from the satanic figure called Claus being the corruption of Satan Claus, while in Europe the red-garbed St Nicholas was renamed Sinterklaas.
From 1300 onwards Christmas carols became popular and some like The Holly and the Ivy retain the pagan kingly connotation with ‘The Holly wears the crown’.
The Christmas nativity was the idea of St Francis of Assisi, who asked approval of Pope Honorius III in 1223, and then left Rome for Greccio, where he constructed for Christmas Eve a crib and grouped around were Mary and Joseph with the ass, the ox and the shepherds who had come to adore the new-born saviour.
In the Gospel of Luke the birth day of Jesus was in the month of Nissan at the time of Passover in March, but what matters here is that we reflect over this festive season that, although Jesus came as a Jew, he came to teach all people.
His words are beyond any single religion, but should be a way of life as to how we should conduct ourselves if we aspire to pass from this world into the Realms of Spirit and move towards our Creator and ‘His’ existence in Love and Harmony.
Jesus taught that if we wish to go to Heaven then we should live our lives on Earth as if we were already there. There are no short cuts, but if we treat our fellow man and woman as we would wish to be treated ourselves then we are at least on the way.
Our Message to you all at this time is simply and honestly expressed in the words of Mustafa:
“May the joy of the Spirit bring forth love over this festive time and may we ponder for just one moment that God loves us all, whosoever we are and whatsoever the circumstances. Comfort is always at hand.
The term apparently stems from the Old English Cristes Maesse (the Mass of Christ). The Latin equivalent was Dies Natalis from which came the French Noël and the Italian Il Natale.
Christmas was not part of the early Christian ritual and the Roman civil calendar displayed 25th December as the annual feast of Natalis Invicti from the cult of Sol Invictus, the unconquered and unconquerable sun.
In many northern hemisphere countries the solstice origins still survive as Yuletide celebrations, which have become intermixed with the Nativity.
In pagan tradition it was the time when the Holly King gave way to the Oak King for the next six months. The Yule log was of Oak and was burned with Ash faggots while candles were lit to ornament the evergreens.
Puddings of fruit and grain were eaten to celebrate the richness of the earth. The accompanying revelries included fertility symbols of holly, ivy, mistletoe and pine cones at the time when the goddess was giving birth to the sun.
The Holly King made his final appearance of the year distributing presents while the Oak King was reborn. In about 1610 the Holly King was renamed Father Christmas to bring the pagan image into line with the Christian festival.
Santa Claus evolved in North America from the satanic figure called Claus being the corruption of Satan Claus, while in Europe the red-garbed St Nicholas was renamed Sinterklaas.
From 1300 onwards Christmas carols became popular and some like The Holly and the Ivy retain the pagan kingly connotation with ‘The Holly wears the crown’.
The Christmas nativity was the idea of St Francis of Assisi, who asked approval of Pope Honorius III in 1223, and then left Rome for Greccio, where he constructed for Christmas Eve a crib and grouped around were Mary and Joseph with the ass, the ox and the shepherds who had come to adore the new-born saviour.
In the Gospel of Luke the birth day of Jesus was in the month of Nissan at the time of Passover in March, but what matters here is that we reflect over this festive season that, although Jesus came as a Jew, he came to teach all people.
His words are beyond any single religion, but should be a way of life as to how we should conduct ourselves if we aspire to pass from this world into the Realms of Spirit and move towards our Creator and ‘His’ existence in Love and Harmony.
Jesus taught that if we wish to go to Heaven then we should live our lives on Earth as if we were already there. There are no short cuts, but if we treat our fellow man and woman as we would wish to be treated ourselves then we are at least on the way.
Our Message to you all at this time is simply and honestly expressed in the words of Mustafa:
“May the joy of the Spirit bring forth love over this festive time and may we ponder for just one moment that God loves us all, whosoever we are and whatsoever the circumstances. Comfort is always at hand.
God bless, Mustafa”
