Friday, December 25, 2009

Wrapping paper and Christmas proclamation

Merry Christmas to all! I hope you're having a blessed day!

This is the wrapping paper I'm using this year:




But it's not all snarky social commentary. I also used some of this paper:




In fact I used that for the Secret Santa exchange at the lab Christmas party, and several of my co-workers gathered around my present to try to figure out the equations.

And look! I found a use for my hundreds and hundreds of free address labels! They're more colorful and fun on wrapping paper than plain ol' tape is:



Now that you, my blog readers, know my address, you may send me gifts. :)

And now let us have the Proclamation! It's traditionally chanted at the Midnight Mass. I heard it at St. Therese last night.


The Proclamation of the Birth of Christ

Today, the twenty-fifth day of December,
unknown ages from the time
when God created the heavens and the earth
and then formed man and woman in his own image.

Several thousand years after the flood,
when God made the rainbow shine forth
as a sign of the covenant.

Twenty-one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;
thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel
out of Egypt.
Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges;
one thousand years from the anointing of David as king;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.

In the one hundred and ninety-fourth 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,
Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful 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.

Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

8 comments:

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

I was at a Tridentine Christmas in Rialto, lol :)

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

Loving the Math Wrapping Paper, I need to get some of that ;)

R.A. said...

Beautiful post! And beautiful way to use up thoes name labels!

Rachel said...

Joe, I might have guessed you'd like the paper. Thanks Rachel!

Anonymous said...

Thanks be to God! - The Proclamation of the Birth of Christ CANNOT be chanted to the tune of "Gilligan's Island".

Gary Page

Rachel said...

And Gary, it's not for lack of trying!

Ah, the wisdom of meter-less Gregorian Chant.

Pam H. said...

Oooh, I've not heard the Proclamation for more years than I can remember! I miss it. (Small children don't mix well with midnight Mass.)

We all laughed out loud at the wrapping paper!

Rachel said...

Thanks Pam! Maybe one day you'll have the pleasure of your grown children's company at midnight Mass. I really enjoy going to a Christmas service with my own parents and adult siblings.