Show notes
It’s the Feast of Octave of the Nativity, Circumcision of Our Lord, 1st Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “Jesus Victim”, today’s news from the Church: “Bishop Mutsaerts Affirms, When Christ Is Not King, Chaos Reigns”, a preview of the Sermon: “On Keeping New Year's Resolution”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.
Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? podcast@sspx.org
Sources Used Today:
- “Jesus Victim” – From Advent to Epiphany
- “Bishop Mutsaerts Affirms, When Christ Is Not King, Chaos Reigns” (FSSPX.news)
- “On Keeping New Year's Resolution” (SSPX Sermons)
- The Spiritual Life – Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord, kept on January 1 in the traditional calendar, is one of the Church’s oldest and most theologically rich celebrations of the Christmas season. It draws our attention not to sentiment or pageantry, but to the first act of obedience and sacrifice in Christ’s earthly life. Eight days after His birth, the Child Jesus submitted to the law given to Abraham, receiving circumcision and the Holy Name that had been revealed by the angel. From the very beginning, salvation unfolds through humility, blood, and fidelity.
For the early Church, this feast held immense importance. It proclaimed clearly that Christ was truly born under the Law, fully sharing in the condition of the people He came to redeem. Though He was sinless and had no need of purification, He accepted the sign of the covenant to fulfill it, not abolish it. The Church saw in this moment the first shedding of Christ’s Precious Blood, a quiet foreshadowing of Calvary. Christmas joy is thus inseparable from sacrifice. Even in the cradle, the Cross casts its long shadow.
The feast also centers on the giving of the Holy Name of Jesus. In biblical understanding, names are never incidental. The name Jesus means “God saves,” and it is bestowed precisely at the moment His blood is first shed. The Church has long reflected on this union of name and sacrifice. Salvation is not abstract. It is personal, costly, and accomplished through obedience. The Infant Christ, unable to speak, already teaches by example that redemption comes through submission to the Father’s will.
Liturgically, the feast carried a sober dignity. While still within the Octave of Christmas, it tempered festivity with contemplation. The Mass texts emphasized Christ’s humility and the marvel that the Lawgiver Himself chose to be subject to the Law. In the traditional Roman Rite, this day was not primarily a Marian feast, but a Christological one, grounding devotion in the mystery of the Incarnation lived concretely in time, culture, and covenant.
Culturally, January 1 marked both a beginning and a consecration. In Catholic lands, the day was often observed with prayer for the year ahead, asking that every joy and trial be united to Christ’s saving work. Some families renewed resolutions or offered the coming year to God, mindful that the Christian life begins and continues under the sign of sacrifice and grace. The Church taught the faithful to see even the turning of the calendar as something to be sanctified.
The Feast of the Circumcision reminds us that Christ did not redeem us from a distance. He entered fully into our obligations, our laws, and our limitations, redeeming them from within. The Child of Bethlehem is already the Savior who obeys, suffers, and saves.
O Jesus, whose Precious Blood was first shed for our salvation, have mercy on us.
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