Historical Particularity

I found something tonight I never really thought I’d find, while reading the excellent monthly, First Things (January 2006). Let me explain.

For years, I’ve been convincing my parents, friends and family to go to the midnight Mass at Our Lady of Czestochowa in Turners Falls, Massachusetts (only about 20-25 minutes from Brattleboro). There, the excellent parish priest always, always, always starts complete darkness, while offering a fascinating prelude to the Mass celebrating the birth of Christ. Then, one by one, people light small candles and the priest and the altar boys march to the front while the organ and choir above sing (and I think bells are rung).

Tonight, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus offers the flowing entry in his “The Public Square,” referring precisely to what the priest in Turner’s Falls says every year. Mr. Neuhaus says:

“Christianity is not a mythology or source of elevating spiritual insights. Historical particularity is all, which is nicely underscored by the following “Proclamation of the Birth of Christ” from the Roman Martyrology for Christmas Mass:

The twenty-fifth day of December.
in the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth
year of the creation of the world
from the time when God in the beginning created the
heaven an the earth;
the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year
after the flood;
the two thousand an fifteenth year
from the birth of Abraham;
the one thousand five hundred and tenth year
from Moses
and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt;
the one thousand and thirty-second year
from David’s being anointed king;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of
Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-forth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the
foundation of the city of Rome;
the forty-second year of the reign of Octavian
Augustus;
the whole world being at peace
in the sixth age of the world,
Jesus Christ the ternal God and Son of the eternal
Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most mercifuel
coming.,
being conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and nine months having passed
since his conception,
was born in Bethlehem of Judea
of the Virgin Mary,
being made flesh.”