A Bleak Midwinter; A Blessed Christmas | National Catholic Reporter

A Bleak Midwinter; A Blessed Christmas | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: I wish NCR would work a bit later on Christmas Eve, as it will be strange copying these comments to their website on Monday.



Midwinter is sad for a variety of occassions - the biggest one being the shortening of the days in the northern latitudes that have a strong pressence in the Church.  Still, Christ was born in the Spring, when the shepherds were in the fields and where the Magi looked for him in April of 6 BCE.  If you looked in on the holy family at that time you would see a visibly, but not to terribly, pregnant Mary trying to explain why she was in that state while still a Virgin.  This event actually fits better with midwinter than the Incarnation, although it is a part of the whole.  The reality of the holiday has been Saturnalia and all those cultural encrustations - most having to do with fighting the dark with levity.  While using Jesus as the light of the world supplements them, it does not and should not supplant them.



For me, Chirstmas will be bleak this year as my daughter is in a different state.  I probably should have sent for her, but truly putting her at my sister's house and then commuting to spend time would be a major effort, so we will suffice with gift cards in the mail and a phone call or two.  Going to Tennessee would have its other complications that I won't go into, so phone call it is.



As a sufferer of depression, this season is particularly hard and I have been susceptible to whatever has been going around in terms of throat and lung infections, so much so that I could not go and sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel last Sunday.  My Advent has essentially been commenting on Distinctly Catholic entries, which will haveto be enough.  Medication also helps for many in my condition who would otherwise suffer, suicide or resort to alcohol. 12th Step meetings help as well, especially for the dual diagnosed.



This time of year we have Soberthon's, which are meetings in succession on Christmas Eve and Christmas.  You will also find me at St. Ann's Christmas Eve Mass, which I really wanted my mother to see one day, but with her passing will never happen.  Still, it will be my father I remember when the choir and congregation sin Adeste Fidelis as it is meant to be sung.  Tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law are hosting, so I will be surrounded by family, which will be nice.  Even living close, it is hard to make time to see each other, so it will be a happy event to stave off the midwinter blues.