The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-12-25

For the first time since the year 1885 tn,
1Egis greets its friends with GA Merry Christ
mas to all, on Christmas Day ITSELF
Doubtless during all this week we have
been thinkinga great deal about Christmas
and 10 variety of ways making ready for it.
The bess'way to make ready for it is in the
way that those faithful Shepherds did in the
plain of Bethlehem. They were humble men,
doing their duty in the station in which it
pleased God to place them. To such as these
the vision comes sooner or later. 1t is very
pleasant to think of these lowly men, doing
the simple thing they were set to do, which
was ito watch; how thankful they must
have been all their lives afterwards that they
did not fall asleep that night and mics the
glorious sight of the multitude of the heav-
enly host praising God" Then the shep-
herds made haste to go and see what was
told them and they "found Mary and Joseph
and the Babe lying in manager" So much
for the shepherds; there were other men who
wise men" they are called and wise they
certainly were in not waiting for some great
light; they simply followed the light they
had, "a star" and it led them to the Sun of
Righteousness: So it will be with US if only
we are faithful; if only we follow the light
We have it will bring us some time to the
very presence of the blessed Christ himself.
80
Christmas ranks third among the church's
festivals, easter and Whitsuntide alone be-
ing placed above it, yet it has ajoy, not only
peculiarly its own-which might be said of
all-but the happiness of Christmas seems to
be more generally diffuse6; it is, indeed, shar-
ed by ALL Three festivals stand in immedi-
ate connection with it; those of st. Stephen
December 26,) the first martyr; of St. John
December 27th)" the disciple whom Jesus
loved; fthe Holy Innocents December 28!h),
the babes who were slain by Herod's COM
mand Christmas was at first the most NOV
able of the Christian festive days and was
often COMPOUNDED with Epiphany. To st.
Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, we owe the final
agreement of all Christendom upon Deem
Der 25th as the Nativity. St. Cyril obtained
from Pope Julius list an order for an investi-
cation to be made concerning the day of
Christ's birth. The result of the inquiry by
the theologians of the East and the West was
an agreement upon the 25th of December.
The chief grounds for this decision were the
tables of the censors in the Archives of Rome
and although in the opinion of some of the
Fathers, there was no authentic proof of the
Identification of the day, yet the decision
was uniformly accepted and from that time
the Feast of the Nativity has been celebrat-
ed throughout the church ON the same day.
The intention of the festival is to make
stronger and stronger the life-giving faith in
that wonderful event which it commentaries,
the good will" of our Heavenly Father in
giving US His Son to take our nature upon
Hin, aud as this time to lie born of pure
virgin" that all through Him might be regen-
crate and made Gods children by adoption
and grace. Let US not lose the blessing of
this season which has been called "The truce
of God" but mediate much upon this great
gift of Christmas. which shepherds and wise
men sought and found, and which is within
the reach of all alike-high and low, rich
and poor, old and young; and may we be led
to realize in its fullness that this thing which
is common to all is indeed the best thing in
life.