Epiphany Of Our Lord Church June 22 The Most Holy Body & Blood Of Christ2014 Page 1: Fill & Download for Free

+JMJ+Approximately 25:From 2020 Holy Days of Obligation and Solemnities - Relevant RadioThe end of the year (and decade) is approaching, and if you’re like me, you like to plan ahead—especially when it comes to major liturgical feasts that change dates year-to-year (Easter, anyone?)! To help you keep track of everything coming up in the 2020 calendar year, I’ve compiled a list of the Holy Days of Obligation for the year, as well as solemnities and some other special celebrations within the Church’s calendar. This list is not exhaustive—you can visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website for the full liturgical calendar. Holy Days of Obligation are marked below, but remember, Sundays are always obligatory!2020 Holy Days of Obligation: Sundays (including Epiphany, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost, etc.) are always obligatory.Wednesday, January 1, 2020– Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of GodThursday, May 21, 2020– Ascension of the Lord (celebrated on Thursday in some dioceses; in others it is transferred to Sunday, May 24, 2020)Tuesday, December 8, 2020– Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryFriday, December 25, 2020– The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)Is it one of your goals to grow in holiness this year? Branch out from the obligatory Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, and discover the richness and beauty contained the Church’s liturgical calendar. These holy days and solemnities are a great place to start! To ensure that you don’t forget these celebrations, put the dates on your calendar now and you’ll be prepared for the whole year!Wednesday, January 1, 2020 – Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God, Holy Day of ObligationSunday, January 5, 2020 – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the LordSunday, January 12, 2020 – The Baptism of the LordWednesday, February 26, 2020 – Ash WednesdayIt is a common misconception that Ash Wednesday is a Holy Day of Obligation. However, it’s a great way to start the Lenten season!Thursday, March 19, 2020 – Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin MaryWednesday, March 25, 2020 – Solemnity of the Annunciation of the LordSunday, April 5, 2020 – Palm Sunday of the Passion of the LordThursday, April 9, 2020 – Holy ThursdayFriday, April 10, 2020 – Good FridaySaturday, April 11, 2020 – Holy SaturdaySunday, April 12, 2020 – Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the LordSunday, April 19, 2020 – Divine Mercy SundayThursday, May 21, 2020 – Ascension of the Lord (Holy Day of Obligation in some dioceses)In several ecclesiastical provinces, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Thursday. In other dioceses, the solemnity is celebrated on the following Sunday, May 24, 2020. Check with your local parish or diocese if you aren’t sure.Sunday, May 31, 2020 – PentecostSunday, June 7, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Holy TrinitySunday, June 14, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)Friday, June 19, 2020 – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of JesusWednesday, June 24, 2020 – Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the BaptistMonday, June 29, 2020 – Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, ApostlesSaturday, August 15, 2020 – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MaryBecause it falls on a Saturday, the Assumption is not a Holy Day of Obligation this yearSunday, November 1, 2020 – Solemnity of All SaintsNormally a separate Holy Day of Obligation, but since All Saints Day falls on a Sunday this year, your regular Sunday Mass will fulfill the obligationMonday, November 2, 2020 – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)Sunday, November 22, 2020 – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Christ the King)Tuesday, December 8, 2020 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Day of ObligationFriday, December 25, 2020 – The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Holy Day of Obligation

Sol Invictus and Christmas"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings."Malachi 4:2The worship of the Sun (Sol) was indigenous to the Romans, who had a temple to Sol Indiges on the Quirinal that was said to have been established by Tatius, king of the Sabines, the first inhabitants of the hill who, after the rape of the Sabine women, reconciled with Romulus and ruled jointly in the eighth century BC (Quintillian, Institutio Oratoria, I.7.12; Varro, De Lingua Latina, V.10). There also was a temple to Sol (as well as one to Luna) in the Circus Maximus, where chariot races took place under the auspices of these deities (Tacitus, Annals, XV.74; Tertullian, De Spectaculis, VIII.1). The four-horse quadriga, for example, was consecrated to the sun, just as the two-horse biga was entrusted to the Moon (Tertullian, IX.3). The foundation dates, too, of the temples on the Quirinal and in the Circus both were in August (the ninth and twenty-eighth, respectively), when the heat of the sun was most intense.After the great fire of AD 64, in which a large portion of Rome was destroyed, Nero erected a colossal statue of himself 120 feet high (Suetonius, Life of Nero, XXXI.1), which Vespasian converted to that of Sol, placing a radiant crown on its head (Suetonius, Vespasian, XVIII.1; Pliny, Natural History, XXXIV.45). Vespasian also was the first emperor to display the image of Sol on imperial coinage. By the second century AD, this autochthonous deity was being eclipsed by an Eastern cult of the Sun, Invictus appearing as an epithet in an inscription in AD 158. Several decades later, Commodus became the first Roman emperor to appropriate the title for himself (Dio, Roman History, LXXIII.15.3).Septimius Severus, who had command of Legio IV Scythica in Syria (Historia Augusta, III.6), married Julia Domna, younger daughter of the high priest of Sol Invictus Elagabal (Aurelius Victor, De Caesaribus, XXIII.2; Historia Augusta, III.9), whose son Caracalla also adopted the title Invictus. In AD 219, not long after Elagabalus arrived from Syria, where he had been the hereditary priest of the sun god Elagabal in Emesa, Sol Invictus (the Invincible or Unconquerable Sun) was introduced to Rome as its principal deity. Elagabalus enlarged the Temple of Jupiter Victor on the Palatine and rededicated it in AD 221 as the Elagabalium (Herodian, Roman History, V.5.8), where the rites of Jews and Christians were to be transferred "in order that the priesthood of Elagabalus might include the mysteries of every form of worship" (Historia Augusta, III.4). Indeed, the emperor, sought "to abolish not only the religious ceremonies of the Romans but also those of the whole world, his one wish being that the god Elagabalus should be worshipped everywhere" (VI.7)."In every respect an empty-headed young idiot" (Herodian, V.7.1ff), Elagabalus, having impiously presumed to elevate a foreign god above Jupiter himself (Dio, LXXX.11.1), was killed by the praetorian guard and the cult of Sol Invictus suppressed. It was re-established half a century later in less contentious form by Aurelian, whose troops had been inspired by a "divine form" in the Battle of Emesa against Zenobia in AD 272 (Historia Augusta, XXV.3, 5). Victorious, he entered the city and went to the Temple of Elagabalus, where the apparition again appeared to him. Aurelian triumphantly returned to Rome two years later, after recovering the Gallic Empire, and was hailed as Restitutor Orbis, "Restorer of the World." A magnificent temple to Sol was erected, to which great quantities of gold and jewels were dedicated, and a new college of pontiffs established to serve the god, who was to be the supreme deity of Rome (Historia Augusta, XXV.6, XXXV.3, XXXIX.6; Victor, XXXV.7; Eutropius, Abridgment of Roman History, IX.15.1; Zosimus, New History, I.61).Games were instituted as well, which are recorded in the Chronography of AD 354, an illustrated codex (the first in Western art) compiled that year in Rome as a gift to a Christian aristocrat. In the section known as the Calendar of Philocalus (after the calligrapher whose name appears on the dedication page), VIII Kal. Jan. (December 25) is annotated N INVICTI CM XXX. Although the dedication is uncertain (as there is no name attached to the epithet), the presumption is that Natalis Invicti refers to the birthday of the Invincible Sun, who is mentioned in the games of August 28, and the foundation date of his temple. Thirty races (circenses missus) were run in the circus that day. And every four years, thirty-six races were dedicated to Sol on the last day of games that extended from October 19-22, possibly to commemorate the earlier triumphal procession of Aurelian. These quadrennial games are mentioned by Julian (ruled AD 361-363) in his Hymn to King Helios (CLV), who refers to them as a "more recent" institution.In another section of the Chronography commemorating the laying to rest of martyrs (Disposition of Martyrs, the earliest record of the Roman sanctoral), the liturgical year begins on December 25, and VIII Kal. Jan. is annotated natus Christus in Betleem Iudeae ("Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea"). In a section listing the consuls, there also is a note for AD 1: dominus Iesus Christus natus est VIII kal. Ian. These are the first references to December 25 as the birthday of Jesus. Since no martyrs are mentioned after AD 336, the first celebration of Christmas observed by the Roman church in the West is presumed to date to that year."Bruma is so named, because then the day is brevissimus 'shortest'....The time from the bruma until the sun returns to the bruma, is called an annus 'year'....The first part of this time is the hiems 'winter.'"Varro, On the Latin Language (VI.8-9)In the Julian calendar, December 25 marked the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, after which the days begin to lengthen, cf. Vitruvius, "This time from the shortness of the days, is called Bruma (winter) and the days Brumales" (On Architecture, 9.3.3). In calculating the seasons, Pliny, too, remarks that the days begin to increase immediately after the winter solstice (bruma) on a.d. VIII kal. Ian (XVIII.221). For Ovid, bruma was the first of the new sun and the last of the old (Fasti, I.163), as it was for Servius, who equates the new sun (sol novus) with the eighth day before the Kalends of January (Commentary on the Aeneid of Virgil, VII.720; also II.472, "Bruma, that is, winter")—and Censorinus, who in turn identifies the new sun with the bruma, "a novo sole, id est a bruma" (De Die Natali, XXI.13)In 45 BC, it was decreed that public sacrifice should be made to celebrate the birthday of Julius Caesar (Dio, XLIV.4.4), a sacrifice that became obligatory after he later was declared a god (XLVII.18.5). The birthday of Augustus, too, was recognized in thanksgiving after his victory at Actium (LI.19.2), as were the birthdays of other Julia-Claudians. The dies natales of family and friends were celebrated, as well, with gifts and banquets. Horace remembered the birthday of his friend and patron Maecenas (Odes, IV.11), as was the birthday of Messalla by Tibullus (Elegies, I.7), Macrinus by Persius (Satires, II), Cynthia by her lover Propertius (Elegies, III.10), and Virgil by a reverential Silius (Pliny the Younger, Epistles, III.7.8).Unlike the Romans, however, Jews and Christians tended not to recognize birthdays. Late in the first century AD, Josephus remarks that "the law does not permit us to make festivals at the births of our children, and thereby afford occasion of drinking to excess" (Against Apion, II.26). Indeed, only two birthdays are mentioned in the New Testament: that of Pharaoh (Genesis 40:20) and Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, whose marriage to his brother's wife Herodias had been denounced by John. When her daughter Salome danced before the king at his birthday feast, she was promised whatever she might ask which, at the instigation of her mother, was the head of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:6ff, Mark 6:17ff; Luke 9:7ff; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII.5.2).That the gods themselves had birthdays was thought ridiculous as well. Writing about AD 296, Arnobius mocks pagans for anthropomorphizing them. "We men gather our vintages, and they think and believe that the gods gather and bring in their grapes; we have birthdays, and they affirm that the powers of heaven have birthdays" (Adversus Nationes, VII.34). Rather, it was the anniversary of one's death that should be remembered; indeed, "the day of death [is better] than the day of one's birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1).Mark and Paul make no reference to when Jesus was born, and Matthew and Luke, although they include an account of Jesus' birth, do not mention the time of year. Nor were the early Christian fathers interested in establishing a calendar date. Origen admonished his listeners in Alexandria that "Not one from all the saints is found to have celebrated a festive day or a great feast on the day of his birth. No one is found to have had joy on the day of the birth of his son or daughter. Only sinners rejoice over this kind of birthday....the saints not only do not celebrate a festival on their birth days, but, filled with the Holy Spirit, they curse the day" (Homilies on Leviticus, VIII.3.2).The Nativity is not mentioned among the "certain days" (Preparation Day, Passover, and Pentecost) that should be observed (Against Celsus, VIII.22). Nor is it included in the feasts recognized by Tertullian (On Baptism, XIX), who, writing in the last years of the second century AD, admonished Christians not to partake in the Saturnalia, or gift-giving at the New Year or midwinter, or "an idol's birthday" when "every pomp of the devil is frequented" (On Idolatry, X). "The Saturnalia and New-year's and Midwinter's festivals and Matronalia are frequented—presents come and go—New-year's gifts—games join their noise—banquets join their din!" (XIV). Just as the heathen does not celebrate the Lord's Day (Sunday) or Pentecost, so Christians should not partake in their festivals; rather, they have a festive day every week whereas pagans celebrate only once a year. "When the world rejoices, let us grieve; and when the world afterward grieves, we shall rejoice" (XIII).If the birth of Jesus was not celebrated by the early church, it also was because there was not a consensus as to when it actually had occurred. Writing shortly after the assassination of Commodus on December 31, AD 192, Clement of Alexandria provides the earliest documented dates for the Nativity. One hundred ninety-four years, one month, and thirteen days, he says, had elapsed since then, which corresponds to a birth date of November 18 or, if the forty-nine intercalary days missing from the Alexandrian calendar are added, January 6. Moreover, "There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord'sbirth, but also the day" (Stromata, I.21), including dates in April and May, as well as another day in January.Hippolytus, a younger contemporary of Clement, does state that the Nativity had occurred on December 25 (Commentary on Daniel, IV.23.3). And, although the statement may be a later interpolation, he reiterated several decades later (in AD 235) that Jesus was born nine months after the anniversary of the creation of the world, which Hippolytus believed to have been on March 25 (Chronicon, 686ff). The Nativity thus would be on December 25.In about AD 221, Julius Africanus wrote the Chronographiae, the first Christian chronology. Although he does not specifically mention the Nativity, he believed that Jesus had been conceived on March 25. In AD 243, Cyprian is the first Christian writer to associate the birth of Jesus with the Sun: "O! The splendid and divine Providence of the Lord, that on that day, even at the very day, on which the Sun was made [March 28], Christ should be born" (De Pascha Computus, XIX). Creation itself was on March 25, the vernal equinox, and the Sun created on the fourth day, March 28. It followed that the "Sun of righteousness," in Malachi's phrase, would be born then as well.On December 25, AD 380, Gregory of Nazianzus delivered a sermon in Constantinople in which he referred to the day as "the feast of God's Appearing, or of the Nativity: both names are used, both titles given to the one reality....The name of the feast, then, is 'Theophany' because he has appeared, but 'Nativity' because he has been born" (Oration XXXVIII.3). Then on January 6, AD 381, he preached on the Baptism (Oration XL), a date traditionally celebrated as the Theophany (the Feast of the Epiphany in the Western church, commemorating the visitation of the Magi in Bethlehem). Traditionally, the Eastern church celebrated the Nativity and Epiphany (the realization that Jesus was the manifestation of Christ) as a single Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. December 25 as the Nativity of Jesus (and a separate feast) was not agreed upon until the late fourth century AD.The Nativity first was celebrated in Alexandria on December 25, AD 432, when Paul, Bishop of Emesa, preached before Cyril on Mary as Mother of God (Theotokos). Eventually, the time between the Nativity and Epiphany became known as the Twelve Days of Christmas. John Cassian (d. AD 435), writes that the church in Egypt continued to celebrate both the Baptism and Nativity "not separately as in the Western provinces but on the single festival of this day" (Conference, X.2).Half a century after the Philocalian Calendar had commemorated the first celebration of Christmas in the West, John Chrysostom delivered his homily on the feast day of Philogonius, bishop of Antioch, who had died some sixty years earlier. It was delivered on December 20, probably in AD 386. The day and month are confirmed by the fact that John is anticipating the Feast of the Nativity, which was to occur in five days' time (December 25). That was the day he delivered another homily, In Diem Natalem ("On the Birthday"), in which he remarks that it has been less than ten years since the festival had been introduced at Antioch."A feast is approaching which is the most solemn and awe-inspiring of all feasts....What is it? The birth of Christ according to the flesh. In this feast namely Epiphany, holy Easter, Ascension and Pentecost have their beginning and their purpose. For if Christ hadn't been born according to the flesh, he wouldn't have been baptised, which is Epiphany. He wouldn't have been crucified, which is Easter. He wouldn't have sent the Spirit, which is Pentecost. So from this event, as from some spring, different rivers flow—these feasts of ours are born."John Chrysostom, Homily VI: On St. Philogonius (23-24)And yet Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis who died in AD 403, continued to argue that January 6 was the date of Jesus' birth. "Greeks, I mean idolaters, celebrate this day on the eighth before the Kalends of January [December 25], which Romans call Saturnalia....For this division between the signs of the zodiac, which is a solstice, comes on the eighth before the Kalends of January, and the day begins to lengthen because the light is receiving its increase. And it completes a period of thirteen days until the eighth before the Ides of January [January 6], the day of Christ's birth" (Panarion, "Refutation of All the Heresies," IV.22.5-6; also IV.24.1: "For Christ was born in the month of January, that is, on the eighth before the Ides of January—in the Roman calendar this is the evening of January fifth, at the beginning of January sixth"). (Epiphanius is incorrect in understanding the Saturnalia to be on December 25; it was on December 17, although it eventually was extended to December 23.)The winter solstice, which coincided with the Christian festival, still was recognized however. Leo I (AD 440-461) repeatedly was obliged to admonish the faithful not to honor the sun on the very doorsteps of the old basilica of St. Peter's in Rome, which was oriented to the east, so that the sun would illuminate the apse. Worshippers, as did Leo, faced east—ad orientem, "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Mathew 24:27)."From such a system of teaching proceeds also the ungodly practice of certain foolish folk who worship the sun as it rises at the beginning of daylight from elevated positions: even some Christians think it is so proper to do this that, before entering the blessed Apostle Peter’s basilica, which is dedicated to the One Living and true God, when they have mounted the steps which lead to the raised platform, they turn round and bow themselves towards the rising sun and with bent neck do homage to its brilliant orb. We are full of grief and vexation that this should happen, which is partly due to the fault of ignorance and partly to the spirit of heathenism: because although some of them do perhaps worship the Creator of that fair light rather than the Light itself, which is His creature, yet we must abstain even from the appearance of this observance: for if one who has abandoned the worship of gods, finds it in our own worship, will he not hark back again to this fragment of his old superstition, as if it were allowable, when he sees it to be common both to Christians and to infidels?"Sermon XXVII: On the Feast of the Nativity, VII (Pt. IV)And Origen, who was "not quite seventeen years old" when Septimius Severus began his persecution of Christians (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History(VI.2.12), declared that "Of all the quarters of the heavens, the east is the only direction we turn to when we pour out prayer," although he confessed not to know the reasons for doing so, which "I think, are not easily discovered by anyone" (Homilies on Numbers, V.1.4).But, even if in facing east Christians worshipped the creator of the sun and not the sun itself, there was concern that pagans would be mislead by the practice and confuse one religion with another. Leo certainly was aware, even in the fifth century AD, of the coincidence between the feast of the Nativity and the winter solstice, and that the honor that should be inherent in the former might be thought to have derived from the latter. (Several centuries earlier, in AD 197, Tertullian had contended shortly after his own conversion with the same accusations of worshipping the sun, praying to the east, and devoting Sunday to worship, Apology, XVI.9ff; also Ad Nationes, I.13)"Having therefore so confident a hope, dearly beloved, abide firm in the Faith in which you are built: lest that same tempter whose tyranny over you Christ has already destroyed, win you back again with any of his wiles, and mar even the joys of the present festival by his deceitful art, misleading simpler souls with the pestilential notion of some to whom this our solemn feast day seems to derive its honour, not so much from the nativity of Christ as, according to them, from the rising of the new sun. Such men's hearts are wrapped in total darkness, and have no growing perception of the true Light: for they are still drawn away by the foolish errors of heathendom, and because they cannot lift the eyes of their mind above that which their carnal sight beholds, they pay divine honour to the luminaries that minister to the world. Let not Christian souls entertain any such wicked superstition and portentous lie."Sermon XXII: On the Feast of the Nativity, II (Pt. VI)Three centuries later, the papacy still was confronted with these vestiges of pagan custom. In AD 742, Boniface, apostle and archbishop of Germany, reproached Zacharias, complaining that his attempt to convert the heathen there was being thwarted by the behavior of Christians in Rome."Because the sensual and ignorant Allemanians, Bavarians and Franks see that some of these abuses which we condemn are rife in Rome, they think that the priests there allow them, and on that account they reproach us and take bad example. They say that in Rome, near the church of St. Peter, they have seen throngs of people parading the streets at the beginning of January of each year, shouting and singing songs in pagan fashion, loading tables with food and drink from morning till night, and that during that time no man is willing to lend his neighbour fire or tools or anything useful from his own house. They recount also that they have seen women wearing pagan amulets and bracelets on their arms and legs and offering them for sale. All such abuses witnessed by sensual and ignorant people bring reproach upon us here and frustrate our work of preaching and teaching. Of such matters the Apostle says reprovingly: 'You have begun to observe special days and months, special seasons and years. I am anxious over you: has all the labour I have spent on you been useless?' [Galatians 4:10]" (Letter of Boniface to Pope Zacharias on His Accession to the Papacy).In seeking to determine the date of Christmas, critics have tended to discuss the matter in one of two ways. Those who would calculate the date seek to demonstrate that the Nativity of Jesus can be determined by the chronology of the liturgical calendar. Proponents of an historical approach, on the other hand, tend to interpret Christmas as a substitution for the annual birth of Sol Invictus on December 25.In the Julian reform of the Roman calendar, December 25, the eighth day after the Kalends of January (VIII Kal. Jan.), was recognized as the winter solstice. Nine months earlier, March 25 was the vernal equinox, the eighth day before the Kalends of April (VIII Kal. Apr.), which marked the beginning of spring. This tradition of assigning the equinoxes and solstices to the eighth day before the Kalends (the first day of the month) later was embraced by the church in its calculation of the birth date of Jesus.Rabbinic scholars had understood the births and deaths of the Old Testament patriarchs to have occurred on the same day. Because Jesus was deemed to be perfect, his life was thought to be complete as well and to comprise a whole number of years. March 25 (the eighth Kalends of April) was believed to be the date of his conception (Annunciation) and, exactly nine months later, December 25 (the eighth Kalends of January) his Nativity. The date of Jesus' conception and crucifixion, therefore, were thought to have occurred on the same day of the year: March 25 (the eighth Kalends of April) (Tertullian, Adversus Judaeos, VIII.17; Hippolytus, Commentary on Daniel 4:23; Augustine, On the Trinity, IV.5; Dionysius Exiguus, Argumenta Paschalia, XV). Fittingly, this also was the day on which the world itself was believed to have been created.In correlating the conception of John the Baptist with the birth of Jesus, the author of a fourth century AD tract erroneously attributed to John Chrysostom (De Solstitiis et Aequinoctiis, "On the Solstices and Equinoxes") calculated that Elizabeth (the mother of John) must have conceived on the Day of Atonement, September 24 (the eighth Kalends of October) on the mistaken assumption that her husband Zechariah then served as high priest in the Temple (cf. Luke 1:26, where she is "in the sixth month" of her own pregnancy when Mary conceives). John's birth, therefore, was presumed to be June 24 (the eighth Kalends of July) and that of Jesus six months later on December 25. The one-day discrepancy between the two dates can be attributed to how the Roman calculated the days of the month. There is one less day in June than in December, as there is when counting the six months between June 24 (VIII.Kal.Jul.) and December 25 (VIII.Kal.Jan.).John was understood to be preparing the way for Jesus (cf. John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease"), just as the sun begins to diminish at the summer solstice and eventually increases after the winter solstice. And, as the four seasons were counted from equinox to solstice and from solstice to equinox in the Roman calendar, so Christian feasts were aligned with these traditional turning points in the solar year: the conception (and death) of Jesus on the vernal equinox (March 25), the birth of John the Baptist on the summer solstice (June 24), the conception of John on the autumnal equinox (September 24), and the birth of Jesus on the winter solstice (December 25). The same liturgical calculation was used by the eastern church, which also believed that Jesus was conceived and died on the same day, April 6—and therefore must have been born exactly nine months later on January 6. (Astronomical usage follows this convention — but with current dates, with spring usually beginning on March 21, summer on June 21, autumn on September 21, and winter on December 21.)Hijmans presents a critical re-evaluation of the history of religions hypothesis and the notion that the early church incorporated the feast of Sol Invictus into its own liturgy, positing instead that the pagan festival was "'rediscovered' by pagan authorities in response to the appropriation of the winter solstice by Christianity." The festival of Sol Invictus, in other words, may not have been identified with December 25 until after the first Christmas had been celebrated on that day. Nor, he argues, should the cosmic symbolism attached to the winter solstice, which may have led the church to adopt December 25 for its feast of the Nativity, be confused with a cult of Sol on that date.The winter solstice, when the light of day finally begins to lengthen, would have a natural association with the "Sun of righteousness." Indeed, Tertullian writes that "It is therefore due to a want of heed and reflection that many are offended by the mere fact that heresies have so much power. How much would they have if they did not exist?" (On the Prescription of Heretics, I). Here, the paradox is that the absence of heresy would confound the predictions of Scripture, as when one is admonished to "beware of false prophets" (Matthew 7:15).Like the cult of Sol Invictus, Mithraism was introduced from the East and perceived by the church to be sufficiently similar to Christianity that it was considered a threat. In the second century AD, for example, Justin Martyr wrote of the Eucharist, "Which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn" (First Apology, LXVI). The mysteries of Mithra, he insisted, were distortions of the prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah, contrived that "the words of righteousness be quoted also by them." (Dialogue with Trypho, LXX)Tertullian, too, was obliged to acknowledge similarities between Mithraism and Christianity but, rather than admitting that Christianity might have adopted certain rites, disparages them as diabolical counterfeits. "Let us take note of the devices of the devil, who is wont to ape some of God’s things with no other design than, by the faithfulness of his servants, to put us to shame, and to condemn us." (De Corona, "The Chaplet,'" XV).He also was an apologist for charges that Christians worshipped the sun."Others, again, certainly with more information and greater verisimilitude, believe that the sun is our god. We shall be counted Persians perhaps, though we do not worship the orb of day painted on a piece of linen cloth, having himself everywhere in his own disk. The idea no doubt has originated from our being known to turn to the east in prayer. But you, many of you, also under pretence sometimes of worshipping the heavenly bodies, move your lips in the direction of the sunrise. In the same way, if we devote Sun-day to rejoicing, from a far different reason than Sun-worship, we have some resemblance to those of you who devote the day of Saturn to ease and luxury, though they too go far away from Jewish ways, of which indeed they are ignorant (Apology, XVI.9-11).Tertullian repeats the argument in Ad Nationes ("Against the Nations"), adding that "you who reproach us with the sun and Sunday should consider your proximity to us. We are not far off from your Saturn and your days of rest" (I.13). He also seems to reject Hijmans' notion that pagans might have appropriated December 25 because of its renewed importance to Christians. Tertullian, at least, has no qualms about being mistaken for a heathen. Even if the heathen does not celebrate the Lord's Day or Pentecost for fear of being thought Christian, so Christians need not be apprehensive about the Saturnalia, or New Year's or Midwinter, for such festivals occur but once a year, whereas Christians celebrate every eighth day (Sunday)."Oh better fidelity of the nations to their own sect, which claims no solemnity of the Christians for itself! Not the Lord's day, not Pentecost, even it they had known them, would they have shared with us; for they would fear lest they should seem to be Christians. We are not apprehensive lest we seem to be heathens! If any indulgence is to be granted to the flesh, you have it. I will not say your own days, but more too; for to the heathens each festive day occurs but once annually: you have a festive day every eighth day. Call out the individual solemnities of the nations, and set them out into a row, they will not be able to make up a Pentecost" (On Idolatry, XIV).Rather than juxtapose the notions of calculation theory and history of religions as mutually exclusive alternatives or argue whether Christians or pagans were the first to appropriate December 25 as the natal day of their respective god, the winter solstice, when the light of day first becomes ascendant, would seem the natural birthday of both the Invincible Sun and the "Sun of righteousness."In AD 312, as Constantine was about to fight the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, he perceived a sign, a "a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun" (Eusebius, Life, I.28) to which he attributed his victory. It was Constantine who decreed in AD 321 that, with an exception for farmers, Sunday was to be a day of rest. "On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed" (Codex Justinianus, III.12.2). The resurrection of Christ also was said to have occurred on a Sunday, the day after the Jewish Sabbath (cf. Mark 15:42, 1 Corinthians 15:3). And in AD 386, Theodosius decreed Sunday to be holy (Codex Theodosianus, II.8.18). It was a natural association, therefore, to identify the birth of Jesus, the "Sun of righteousness," with that of the Sun itself (cf. Cyprian, The Lord's Prayer, XXXV, where he is identified as "the true sun").The conflation of Sun and Son can be seen as well in the Christmas hymn "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" where in the fifth stanza is the verse "Hail the Sun of righteousness! / Light and life to all he brings." Originally written in 1739 by Charles Wesley (the brother of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church) as a Hymn for Christmas-Day, it was changed by George Whitefield to "Hail the Son of Righteousness!" In 1753, Whitefield also altered the first line of the hymn from "Hark how all the welkin rings" to "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," which, although an improvement, doubtless must have irritated Wesley, who believed that heaven (the meaning of "welkin") rang with joy. He also understood the angel (and a multitude of the heavenly host) in Luke 2:13-14 to be "saying, Glory to God in the highest," not singing the words.In the Preface to his 1780 Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists, which did not include the hymn by Charles, John Wesley beseeched those who would alter his lyrics (or those of his brother) to "let them stand just as they are, to take things for better or worse; or to add the true reading in the margin, or at the bottom of the page; that we may no longer be accountable either for the nonsense or for the doggerel of other men" (VII).The picture above, the head surrounded by a radiant crown or nimbus, is a detail from a marble altar dedicated to the sun god. From Palmyra (Syria), it dates from the second half of the first century AD and now is in the Galleria Lapidaria (Capitoline Museums, Rome). The first line reads "Sacred to the most holy Sun." The accompanying eagle was thought to be the messenger of the god.References: A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Series II (1890-1896) edited by by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace; The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis (1987, 1994) translated by Frank Williams; On Roman Time: The Codex-Calendar of 354 and the Rhythms of Urban Life in Late Antiquity (1990) by Michele Renee Salzman; Toward the Origins of Christmas (1995) by Susan K. Roll (who translates the seventh sermon of Leo; "The Origins of Christmas: The State of the Question" by Susan K. Roll, in Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year (2000) edited by Maxwell Johnson); A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship (1758) by George Whitefield (this is the seventh of thirty-six editions); Aurelian and the Third Century (1999) by Alaric Watson; John Chrysostom (1999) by Wendy Mayer and Pauline Allen; Homilies on Leviticus 1-16 (1990) translated by Gary Wayne Barkley; "Birthday Rituals: Friends and Patrons in Roman Poetry and Cult" (1992) by Kathryn Argetsinger, Classical Antiquity, 11(2), 175-193; Christian Worship: Its Origin and Evolution (1889/1903) by L Duchesne; The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany: Being the Lives of SS. Willibrord, Boniface, Sturm, Leoba and Lebuin, Together with the Hodoepericon of St. Willibald and a Selection from the Correspondence of St. Boniface (1954) by C. H. Talbot; Gregory of Nazianzus (2006) by Brian E. Daley;The Cult of Sol Invictus (1972) by Gaston H. Halsberghe; On Roman Time: The Codex-Calendar of 354 and the Rhythms of Urban Life in Late Antiquity (1990) by Michele Renee Salzman; "The Origins of the Christmas Date: Some Recent Trends in Historical Research" (2012) by C. P. E. Nothaft, Church History, 81(4), 903-911; The Works of the Emperor Julian (1913) translated by Wilmer Cave Wright (Loeb Classical Library); Time in Roman Religion: One Thousand Years of Religious History (2012) by Gary Forsythe; The Origins of the Liturgical Year(1986) by Thomas J. Talley; Sol: The Sun in the Art and Religion of Rome (2009) by Steven Ernst Hijmans (PhD dissertation); "Sol Invictus, the Winter Solstice, and the Origins of Christmas" (2003) by Steven Hijmans, Mouseion, 3, 377-398; Divus Julius (1971) by Stefan Weinstock; Origin: Homilies on Numbers (2009) translated by Thomas P. Scheck. The online blogs of Tom Schmidt and Roger Pearse also present important discussions.http://penelope.chicago.eduTHE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMASIs Christmas a Christian Holiday?There are many Christians who have been conditioned to believe that Christmas is a "Christian Holiday," nothing can be further from the truth! Although this holiday has been adopted into the core of Christianity as a so called Christian Holiday, this does not change the fact that this holiday, is, has always been, and will always be a pagan celebration. There is a saying that goes something like this, "A Rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." The gist of this saying is that no matter what you call a rose, you cannot take away it's qualities and characteristics. The same can be said about Christmas only in the opposite direction. No matter what you call it, even if you used a name that is actually found in the Bible, at the end of the day it would still be a pagan celebration. Just because we put our savior in the mix does not mean that he accepts it as an acceptable practice. In fact, although our Savior's name is invoked during this holiday, he is actually a very small piece of the larger picture. Gift giving during winter solstice, which is a pagan practice, Christmas trees, which is also a pagan practice, Santa Clause, which is an outright lie, and many other Christmas decorations, practices and/or objects of Christmas, compose the largest part of this pagan day.Santa Clause (more important than our Savior)Comparably our Savior is a very small piece of Christmas, the larger piece is often given to Santa Clause...kids are told to be good because Santa knows whether they are good or bad. Again an outright lie. By teaching the kids this, Santa Clause has a higher level of influence over the children because they are taught to yearn for Santa's return so that he can bring them presents. In other words, they are actually expecting the return of Santa Clause rather than the return of our Savior. In essence, the fact that Santa Clause is tangible to them makes Santa more important to them. Isn't it odd, that a Jolly fat man, in a red suit, who does not even exist is more important to some kids then our Savior? Certainly our Savior is such a small part of Christmas that he is hardly ever mentioned during most news telecast or morning news shows. You will hear more about how to decorate Christmas trees, how to plan holiday parties, how to buy the perfect Christmas gift and how shoppers are affecting the economy then the name of our Savior. Next time that you watch a news telecast or morning news show count the amount of times that our Savior is mentioned...recently I sat and watched a 3 hour morning news show and he was not mentioned once. Truly even though this holiday is presented as a Christian holiday and even though social pressure has been put on people to celebrate it. Christians must wake up to the fact that Christmas is nothing more then an ancient winter pagan celebration that was simply renamed. Christmas not sanctioned by our Heavenly Father!So the question is, "would a skunk smell like a rose if you called it such?" The original Christians did not and would not have celebrated Christmas; the later Christians eventually did as a means to convert the pagans. Unfortunately the opposite has occurred, many Christians have accepted Christmas uncleanness of paganism. Christians must adopt the Judeo way of life that was common during the time of our Savior. They must wake up and realize that our Heavenly Father does not and will not ever sanction pagan practices, no matter what emotions are stirred up within us. Let us educate ourselves and stand up for righteousness, walk in the ways supported by the Bible and avoid all appearance of paganism.The Nativity Scene and the BibleIt goes without saying that is easier to convince people of something when they see things with their own eyes. Due to the fact that most people including many Christians do not read their Bibles it is easy to see how a recreated scene can cause them to believe something that is not necessarily true. Take for example the nativity scene; the scene of a little baby in a manger resting on hay or straw with animals and three wise men looking down on him is a very common scene during this particular time of year. Many people and obviously children since they are more impressionable, believe that what they see being mimicked is actually scriptural and that it validates the celebration of Christmas. Looking into things however one has to draw a line between believing what is actually true and what is essentially a lie.What we have been taught! The Nativity Scene depicts a winterized scene of three wise men carrying gifts, a newborn baby, the parents of the baby and a couple of barnyard animals; all of whom were rejoicing before the baby.What the Bible says! The actual timing of this scene was probably in the fall as the Shepherds were living out in the fields tending their flocks (Luke 2:8-20). In addition it is common knowledge that the census which had been ordered by the king would have occurred in the fall not the middle of winter. In fact Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register for that very thing; a census (Luke 2:1-5). We are told that it was the shepherds to whom the angels had appeared that went to the manger to see the baby not the wise men (Luke 2:15-20). We are also told in the story that the shepherds that went to visit the baby spread the news like wildfire. Undoubtedly the news spread far and wide until iteventually reached the wise men who had been studying the signs of the sky. Since they would have noticed the eastern star and since they would have heard about what the shepherds saw and heard, this news would have aroused their interest enough to go on a fact finding journey. So eventually about 2 years after the birth of the Messiah the wise men went on a journey to find this child and to seek out the source of the eastern star. In the process of their journey they fooled the king and he, the king, ordered the killing of male children who were two (2) years old and younger. The King had figured out the child would have been about 2 years of age at this point. The story indicates that the wise men actually visited the child in a house not the manger; and that the child was a toddler not a baby! The mentions three gifts that were presented to the child but the number of wise men is not given. Historically we know that these men who were scholars and astronomers could have easily traveled in caravans of hundreds (Matthew 2). So as you can see there is a vast difference between what we have been conditioned to believe and what the Bible actually teaches.The Truth and Nothing But:as a religious holiday when it really isn't. It is time that Christians stand up for truth as their predecessors did, they must not whirl in the mud and uncleanness of paganism. Christians must adopt the Judeo way of life that was common during the time of our Savior. They must wake up and realize that our Heavenly Father does not and will not ever sanction pagan practices, no matter what emotions are stirred up within us. Let us educate ourselves and stand up for righteousness, walk in the ways supported by the Bible and avoid all appearance of paganism.The Nativity Scene and the BibleIt goes without saying that is easier to convince people of something when they see things with their own eyes. Due to the fact that most people including many Christians do not read their Bibles it is easy to see how a recreated scene can cause them to believe something that is not necessarily true. Take for example the nativity scene; the scene of a little baby in a manger resting on hay or straw with animals and three wise men looking down on him is a very common scene during this particular time of year. Many people and obviously children since they are more impressionable, believe that what they see being mimicked is actually scriptural and that it validates the celebration of Christmas. Looking into things however one has to draw a line between believing what is actually true and what is essentially a lie.What we have been taught! The Nativity Scene depicts a winterized scene of three wise men carrying gifts, a newborn baby, the parents of the baby and a couple of barnyard animals; all of whom were rejoicing before the baby.What the Bible says! The actual timing of this scene was probably in the fall as the Shepherds were living out in the fields tending their flocks (Luke 2:8-20). In addition it is common knowledge that the census which had been ordered by the king would have occurred in the fall not the middle of winter. In fact Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register for that very thing; a census (Luke 2:1-5). We are told that it was the shepherds to whom the angels had appeared that went to the manger to see the baby not the wise men (Luke 2:15-20). We are also told in the story that the shepherds that went to visit the baby spread the news like wildfire. Undoubtedly the news spread far and wide until iteventually reached the wise men who had been studying the signs of the sky. Since they would have noticed the eastern star and since they would have heard about what the shepherds saw and heard, this news would have aroused their interest enough to go on a fact finding journey. So eventually about 2 years after the birth of the Messiah the wise men went on a journey to find this child and to seek out the source of the eastern star. In the process of their journey they fooled the king and he, the king, ordered the killing of male children who were two (2) years old and younger. The King had figured out the child would have been about 2 years of age at this point. The story indicates that the wise men actually visited the child in a house not the manger; and that the child was a toddler not a baby! The mentions three gifts that were presented to the child but the number of wise men is not given. Historically we know that these men who were scholars and astronomers could have easily traveled in caravans of hundreds (Matthew 2). So as you can see there is a vast difference between what we have been conditioned to believe and what the Bible actually teaches.The Truth and Nothing But: There comes a point in which every believer has to make a decision, either we continue to believe lies or we follow the truth. Our Heavenly Father does not give us the freedom to entertain both. The decision that we make is very serious and it has it's own set of consequences. If we follow lies, we become like everybody else who willingly or ignorantly walk in darkness and who follow and practice ancient pagan rituals. On that road we will go shopping for gifts with the masses. We will spend much of our hard earned money on gifts that will soon be forgotten. Our joy will be temporary and although we will say that the day (24 hours) belongs to or Savior we will only spend about an hour in church. We may opt to teach our children about Santa Clause, a non-existent person, while we sit around a decorated tree; a practice which the Bible forbids (Jer 10:3)!If we decide to follow truth, we stand on a gap where few people are willing to stand. We will abstain from anything that is remotely connected to paganism and that is not sanctioned in the Bible. Our friends and family will think us crazy and may accuse us of being in a cult or of being religious freaks. In addition they will label us or make us out to be what they call Scrooges; they will consider us to be unhappy and angry and they will assume that we must not love our kids and/or families. All of these are pressure tactics to shut us down as people do not want to hear the truth! However we will remain firm because our joy is not guided by marketing tricks of the media but by the sound doctrine of the Bible. We look for gifts from above not material gifts from this world. Our children look forward to the return of our Savior not a fabled jolly old man. We seek to obey the commandments of our Father in Heaven and not the customs of this world. We study the Scriptures, we love our families and we are grounded on moral behaviors and love for all humanity!As you ponder your decision and it's own set of consequences, we recommend that you educate yourselves on this matters and that you follow the truth! The following is some readily available information which proves that Christmas is and has always been a pagan celebration:This information was posted on Yahoo home page on 12/22/07:What is Yule or the Winter Solstice?Best Answer - Chosen by AskerWinter Solstice/Yule is the longest night of the year. It is a Pagan holiday, when the return of the sun is celebrated, as the days are about to get longer. At this time, there is a battle between the Holly King & Oak King, in which the Oak, representing lighter times, will win. Also in the Celtic/Druidic calendar, this would be the Nameless Day. This is the day in between the old year and the new year in the Druidic tree calendar, represented by mistletoe. Many common Christmas symbols actually came from Winter Solstice when the Christians were trying to convert the Pagans in the Middle Ages. (Evergreen tree, mistletoe, yule logs, etc.)This is what Wikipedia says about Christmas: Pre-Christian originsMain article: List of winger festivalsA winter festival was traditionally the most popular festival of the year in many cultures. Reasons included less agricultural work needing to be done during the winter, as well as people expecting longer days and shorter nights after the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. In part, the Christmas celebration was created by the early Church in order to entice pagan Romans to convert to Christianity without losing their own winter celebrations. Certain prominent gods and goddesses of other religions in the region had their birthdays celebrated on December 25, including Ishtar, Sol Invictus, and Mithras. Various traditions are considered to have been syncretised from winter festivals including the following:SaturnaliaMain article: SaturnaliaIn Roman times, the best-known winter festival was Saturnalia, which was popular throughout Italy. Saturnalia was a time of general relaxation, feasting, merry-making, and a cessation of formal rules. It included the making and giving of small presents (Saturnalia et Sigillaricia), including small dolls for children and candles for adults. During Saturnalia, business was postponed and even slaves feasted. There was drinking, gambling, and singing, and even public nudity. It was the "best of days," according to the poet Catullus. Saturnalia honored the god Saturn and began on December 17. The festival gradually lengthened until the late Republican period, when it was seven days (December 17–24). In imperial times, Saturnalia was shortened to five days.Natalis Solis InvictiMain article: Sol InvictusThe Romans held a festival on December 25 called 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti', "the birthday of the unconquered sun." The use of the title 'Sol Invictus' allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including 'Elah-Gabal,' a Syrian sun god; 'Sol,' the god of Emperor Aurelian (AD 270–274); and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin. Emperor Elagabalus (218–222) introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday.December 25 was also considered to be the date of the winter solstice, which the Romans called bruma. It was therefore the day the Sun proved itself to be "unconquered" despite the shortening of daylight hours. (When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar in 45 BC, December 25 was approximately the date of the solstice. In modern times, the solstice falls on December 21 or 22.) The Sol Invictus festival has a "strong claim on the responsibility" for the date of Christmas, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born . . . Christ should be born", Cyprian wrote.Main article: YulePagan Scandinavia celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period. Yule logs were lit to honor Thor, the god of thunder, with the belief that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. Feasting would continue until the log burned out, which could take as many as twelve days. In pagan Germania (not to be confused with Germany), the equivalent holiday was the mid-winter night which was followed by 12 "wild nights", filled with eating, drinking and partying. As Northern Europe was the last part to Christianize, its pagan celebrations had a major influence on Christmas. Scandinavians still call Christmas Jul. In English, the Germanic word Yule is synonymous with Christmas, a usage first recorded in 900.Christian originsIt is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became associated with Christ's birth. The New Testament does not give a specific date. Tertullian does not mention it as a major feast day in the Church of Roman Africa. . In 245, the theologian Origen denounced the idea of celebrating Christ's birthday "as if he were a king pharaoh". He contended that only sinners, not saints, celebrated their birthdays. Sextus Julius Africanus popularized the idea that Christ was born on December 25 in his Chronographiai, a reference book for Christians written in AD 221. This date is nine months after the traditional date of the Incarnation (March 25), now celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation. March 25 was considered to be the date of the vernal equinox and therefore the creation of Adam; early Christians believed this was also the date Christ was crucified. The Christian idea that Christ was conceived on the same date that he died on the cross is consistent with a Jewish belief that a prophet lived an integral number of years. Thus, the date as a birthdate for Christ is traditional, and is not considered to be his actual date of birth.Although the identification of the birth date of Christ is debated, liturgical celebrations of the Nativity were celebrated from at least A.D. 200 in the Christian East. The earliest reference is found in St. Clement of Alexandria's writings in reference to a celebration of the Nativity and the Epiphany. Another reference is found in the Chronography of 354, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome in 354. In the East, early Christians celebrated the birth of Christ as part of Epiphany (January 6), although this festival focused on the baptism of Jesus.http://cdn.website-editor.net

This question is so broad that it can’t be answered in depth in an article on Quora. You would need to write a whole book on the subject in order to do it justice and answer the question in depth. That said, I will address some of the more common and obvious differences. Most likely I’ll have to post my answer here in several segments.I have some personal experience on both sides of this divide. My father was Roman Catholic and my mother was Lutheran. My brother and I were raised in her church. I have some more detailed information about my background at the end of this article.References. In my answers below I will quote official confessional documents as best as I can. Here are the books I’m using.Kolb, Robert and Timothy Wengert, eds. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2000)United States Catholic Conference. Catechism of the Catholic Church. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997)I will refer to these works as [Kolb 2000] and [USCC 1997], respectively.For a few answers I will also refer to sections of the Roman Catholic Code of Canon Law as it is posted on the Vatican web site.The following differences are not in any particular order of importance. I wholeheartedly invite well-informed theologians of both traditions to correct any mistakes I may have made.Papacy. This more than anything else is what separates Roman Catholics from all other kinds of Christians. Roman Catholics believe that the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ and therefore his chief lieutenant on earth. ([USCC 1997], ss. 880–883, especially s. 882) Lutherans reject this claim. See the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope. ([Kolb 2000], pp. 329–344, especially p. 330)Church Governance. The Roman Catholic Church is organized as a top-down monarchy. This is an article of faith and doctrine. ([USCC 1997], ss. 882–885) In contrast, most Lutheran churches are organized as representative democracies under written constitutions. Individual congregations make major decisions in congregational meetings. They call pastors; pastors are not assigned by the bishop. They elect delegates to the regional Synod Assemblies, who elect a regional bishop for a fixed term. The Synod Assemblies elect delegates to a Churchwide Assembly which makes major church policy, elects the Presiding Bishop, and elects the entire church’s board of directors. This is the governance model in my own church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). I have good reason to believe that most other Lutheran churches are organized and governed in a similar manner.Basis of Theology. The two traditions have substantially different philosophical and theological foundations. Roman Catholic theology is based on a combination of Scripture and Sacred Tradition ([USCC 1997], ss. 80–83). In contrast, Lutheran theology is based on the principle of “Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura”, i.e., “Through Grace Alone, by Faith Alone, on the basis of Scripture Alone”. See Formula of Concord: Epitome, Introduction ([Kolb 2000], pp. 486–487, 527).Worship Service. Both Roman Catholic and Lutheran worship services share a common model. Both services start with an entrance hymn followed by confession. This is followed by several hymns and several readings from the Old and New Testaments. The sermon (or homily) follows the Gospel reading. Then comes the offering followed by the celebration of Holy Communion (Eucharist). There are some differences in emphasis. Generally, Roman Catholic worship services place less emphasis on the homily and have much more elaborate Eucharistic Prayers. In contrast, Lutheran worship services place much more emphasis on the sermon and often have fairly short Eucharistic prayers.Liturgical Calendar. Generally, both traditions share the same set of liturgical seasons, holidays, and lesser observances. There are a few differences. In the Roman Catholic tradition January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In the Lutheran tradition it is the Name of Jesus. In the Roman Catholic tradition, August 15 is the Assumption of Mary. In the Lutheran tradition, it is the celebration of Mary, Mother of Our Lord. In the Roman Catholic tradition, All Saints Day is always celebrated on November 1. In the Lutheran tradition, All Saints Day is usually transferred to the first Sunday in November (All Saints Sunday).There are some observances that one church has that the other does not. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. Lutherans don’t observe it. The Lutheran churches celebrate Reformation Day on October 31 or transfer it to the last Sunday in October (Reformation Sunday). To date, the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t observe it. Somehow I don’t think that it will any time soon.Sacraments. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes seven (7) sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance (or Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Ordination, and Marriage ([USCC 1997], ss. 1113, 1210). The basis of this is a combination of Scripture and Sacred Tradition. In contrast, Lutheran practice recognizes only two (2) sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion (Eucharist). In Lutheran theology a sacrament needs to have three (3) properties: (1) Earthly substance, (2) Promise of God, and (3) Command of Christ. The other five (5) rites that are named as sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church lack one or more of these properties.Holy Communion - Both Kinds. In Roman Catholic practice, Holy Communion may be given in the bread only or in both the bread and wine ([USCC 1997], s. 1390). Apparently, this is at the discretion of the priest who is presiding; I’m not sure. In Lutheran practice, Holy Communion is always given in both the bread and wine (Augsburg Confession, Article 22, [Kolb 2000], pp. 60–62).Holy Communion - Availability. The Roman Catholic Church restricts the availability of Holy Communion to it own members, although there are some exceptions made for members of the Eastern Orthodox Churches ([USCC 1997], ss. 1399–1400). Lutheran practice varies between the different Lutheran churches. My church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), invites all faithful Christians to commune who are admitted to Holy Communion in their own churches. In the USA, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) generally restrict Holy Communion to their own members. I don’t know about the availability of Holy Communion in Lutheran churches in other parts of the world.Holy Communion - Interpretation. The Roman Catholic Church teaches Transubstantiation, i.e., that the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ ([USCC 1997], ss. 1373–1377, 1413). In contrast Lutheran teaching is that the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine but that Jesus Christ is truly present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine. This doctrine is called Real Presence or sometimes Consubstantiation. See Augsburg Confession, Article 10; Formula of Concord: Epitome, Article7; Formula of Concord: Solid Declaration, Article 7 ([Kolb 2000], pp.44, 503–508, 591–615).Marriage of Clergy. The Roman Catholic Church requires that its priests, i.e., ordained ministers, to be and remain celibate. They are not allowed to marry ([USCC 1997], ss. 1579–1580). In contrast, Lutheran teaching has always allowed its ordained ministers to marry, either before or after ordination. See Augsburg Confession, Article 23; Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 23; Smalcald Articles, Part 3, Item 11 ([Kolb 2000], pp. 62–68, 247–257, 324).Ordination of Women. The Roman Catholic Church prohibits the ordination of women ([USCC 1997], s. 1577). Lutheran teaching and practice is divided. Some Lutheran churches, including the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) prohibit women from ordained ministry. Other Lutheran churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) welcome properly qualified women into ordained ministry. My church, the ELCA, has quite a few married couples where both spouses are ordained ministers. We have had quite a few women as regional bishops and our current Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, is a woman.Intercession of the Saints. The Roman Catholic Church practices the intercession of the saints and encourages its members to call upon the saints for help ([USCC 1997], ss. 956, 2683). In contrast, Lutheran teaching rejects this practice. See Augsburg Confession, Article 21; Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 21; Smalcald Articles, Second Article, “Concerning the Invocation of Saints” ([Kolb 2000], pp. 58, 237–245, 305–306).Religious Orders. The Roman Catholic Church has a long tradition of religious orders and monasticism, going back to the beginning of the Christian Church. There are many thriving religious orders and new orders are created from time to time; Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity is a good example of an order that was created relatively recently. The Roman Catholic Church especially approves of these institutions ([USSC 1997], ss. 914–933). In contrast, Lutheran teaching and practice frowns upon religious orders, although there are a few Lutheran religious orders in existence. See Augsburg Confession, Article 27, “Concerning Monastic Vows”; Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 27; Smalcald Articles, Part 2, Third Article and Part 3, Section 14, “Concerning Monastic Vows” ([Kolb 2000], pp. 80–91, 277–289, 306, 325).Required Fasting and Abstinence. The Roman Catholic Church has fasting rules that the faithful are required to observe during specified times of the year. Roman Catholics are to abstain from meat on all Fridays and on Ash Wednesday. They are to fast, i.e., eat only half of normal daily food quantity, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The abstinence rule is mandatory for anyone age 14 and up. The fasting rule is mandatory for anyone between the age of majority and age 60. Persons who are in frail health or recovering from serious injury or disease are exempted from these rules. ([USSC 1997], s. 2043; Code of Canon Law, ss. 1251–1252) In contrast, Lutheran teaching rejects any required fasting or abstinence. See Augsburg Confession, Article 26, “Concerning the Distinction among Foods”([Kolb 2000], pp.74–81). However, during Lent Lutheran pastors strongly encourage their parishioners to fast and donate the money saved to charity. The nature of the fasting and abstinence is completely up to the individual.Holy Days of Obligation. The Roman Catholic Church requires the faithful to attend worship and participate in the Eucharist on all Sundays and on all holy days of obligation that fall on days other than Sundays. Failure to do so is a grave sin unless excused for a serious reason ([USSC 1997], ss. 2177, 2180–2181, 2185, 2187–2188). The holy days of obligation are: Immaculate Conception (December 8), Christmas (December 25), Mary Mother of God (January 1), Epiphany (January 6), St. Joseph (March 19), Ascension (40 days after Easter Sunday), Body and Blood of Christ (Thursday after Trinity Sunday), Saints Peter and Paul (June 29), Assumption of Mary (August 15), and All Saints Day (November 1) (Code of Canon Law, ss. 1246–1248). Interestingy, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday are not on the list.In contrast, Lutheran teaching does not have the concept of a holy day of obligation. There is no obligation to attend worship on Sunday or any other particular day. However, the faithful are strongly encouraged to attend worship on those days, actively participate, and learn as much as they can about the teachings of the faith. See Large Catechism, “The Third Commandment”; Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 10, “Ecclesiastical Practices” ([Kolb 2000], pp. 396–400, 637). In practice, the faithful attend worship on every Sunday and on major religious holidays such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.Perpetual Virginity of Mary the Mother of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin her entire life, i.e., that she never had sexual relations with her husband Joseph ([USSC 1997], ss. 499–501). Thus, Jesus was an only child and the brothers and sisters mentioned in Matthew 13:55–56 and Mark 6:3 are really extended family members. In contrast, Lutheran teaching holds that there is no definite teaching of Scripture either in favor of or against the perpetual virginity of Mary. Thus, this issue is left to the individual.FWIW, I find the Roman Catholic teaching to be preposterous. No husband who is in his right mind would consent to never have sexual relations with his lawfully wedded wife. Also, the most straightforward reading of the relevant texts would be that the named brothers of James, Joseph, Simon, and Judah and the unnamed sisters are the younger siblings of Jesus. Also the wording of the text, “but he had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son” (Matthew 1:25) implies (but does not state explicitly) that Joseph did have marital relations with Mary after the birth of Jesus.My Background. Here is some background information in case you are interested.My father was always a very devout Roman Catholic to his dying day. The same was true of both of his parents, who were of Polish ancestry, as well as his three siblings. My mother was raised Lutheran by her mother who was of Swedish ancestry. Grandma Turner was very devout and was very active in her Lutheran congregation. Grandpa Turner was a C&E Methodist so he let Grandma take the lead on the religious education of their kids.Both sets of grandparents lived only 10 miles apart so when we visited them we sometimes went to Grandma Turner’s Lutheran church and sometimes went to Grandma Dedo’s Roman Catholic church.When Mom and Dad got married on Christmas Eve 1945, Mom refused to convert to Roman Catholicism and Dad would never give it up. Back in those days mixed marriages like this were extremely unusual. The religious education of the kids was left undecided and would be until my brother and I were pre-schoolers in the late 1950s. Then Dad tried to take us to his worship services but it did not work out well due to our ages. We couldn’t sit still and constantly fussed. In contrast, Mom’s Lutheran church had a well organized and well run Sunday School program starting at age 2. Eventually Dad agreed to have us raised in Mom’s church and we were baptized on October 17, 1959. I had turned 5 a few months earlier and immediately started Sunday School at English Lutheran Church in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. I was confirmed there in March 1969.