archdiocese, and we want to th . he -- hello an we want to thank kpix channel 5 for another year of the public service. this show is all about christmas. it doesn't air until december 23rd. isn't that a little late? christmas is almost over, christmas eve and christmas day and that's it. you recycle the gift wrap and take down the tree and plan a new year's party. but christmas day is the beginning of christmas. you know the song about the 12 days and they are populated not

by french hens and maids a milking and lords a leaping, but the feast of jesus' birth to january 13th, the feast of his baptism, we have a wonder of stories of human and divine, things absolutely heavenly and earth think. it's a time of love, danger, excitement, revelation, poetry, and holyness. and guest is from the arch die sis of san francisco and we'll learn about the riches of christmas after the break.

good morning and welcome to mosaic. i want to introduce the guest today. this is laura. welcome. >> good morning. >> we know each other. you work for the archdiocese of san francisco. . >> i do. >> and i would be called a liturgist and an amateur three loejen and -- theologian and a historian. we're talking about christmas. i think we want to -- you've

created a slide show for us.. >> right. >> christmas is full of riches. >> right. >> if you're willing to slow down and see the season for what it is, you enter into a wonderful set of stories that really have no end. there's depth to them. how should we start this? >> well, i think you talked about it earlier. christmas isn't just one day. and it's not just about the song. >> i >> i get tired of it by the end of it. but it doesn't start 12 days before christmas. the 26th chritrees on the curb. we're finished. and i think no, christmas keeps going. we have an entire christmas season. other than easter, christmas is the one season with an octave. the christmas day is so important. we celebrate it for eight days. the first thing, we have a feast and we say, we're going

to mauk a party -- make a party out of it. within that time, we feasts and celebrate the holy family and mary as mother of god. and we have further feasts and the baptism of the lord. . >> can we put up the slide sns. >> sure. >> take us through the detail. we have slides which take us from december 25th and through january 13th. >> first octave, the first is the birth of christ. immediately following is the feast of st. steven, the first mar tir. and the feast of st. john who we believe wrote the book of john and several book of the bible. the feast of the holy innocence. not the most upbeat story but an important one for us. and a die without a moniker, just the fifth day. and then the holy family of

jesus. jesus and mary and joseph being the family unit. and monday is a down day, the day within the octave and christmas. and we start the second week and we have the feast january 1st. while everyone else is celebrating new year's, we have mary, the holy mother of god. it's a lovely feast. and following that is a few memorials. we have gregory the great, a few wonderful doctors of the church. we have the memorial of two american saints, very important american sanities on the 4ing -- sanities on the 4th and 5th. and epiphany on the 6th. it's on a sunday this year. >> it means a showing forth! . >> the arrival of the spirit. >> okay. >> and that in many places until the east is their christmas. . >> the feast of three kick kinks. -- kings.

>> and we have one further slide that takes us further to january? >> we do. the next week, we insert when christmas is early and we have a week of masses. it couple nates with the -- culminates with the cap bichl of the lord -- baptism of the lord. >> like the first good chapter of any good catholic's life, you're born and a few weeks later, you're baptized. who did pap tiez jesus, do we -- baptize jesus, do we know? . >> john the baptist. there's two nativity stories in the gospels of matthew and luke. ptisesy jos inalth east finds it an important feast and more authentic. see the revelation of god. that is an important feast for

us. to say christmas is over, like you said,baptism is an important occasion and mark your life as a christian. >> interesting. so one by one, you have a slide to show -- you tell me. >> january 25th. , we have the nativity of christ. the flexion day is the feast of stvment steven -- st. steven. he was a deacon and our first mar tir. he died in about -- martyr. he died in 35. he died because he preached the gospel of christ and they sa you have to back off and he said i'm not going to. >> and the story is told in the acts of the apostles. >> the first day after jesus' birth is the first death on his behalf. and it doesn't get any nicer.

the following day is the feast of the holy innocence. >> let's look at that slide. a little information is there too. the feast of st. john. . >> i skipped. so john the evangelist. shown as an eagle in many depictions of him. he's the most spiritual of the gospels, 50,000 foot level of gospel. very poetic. >> and he was one of jesus' disciples. we credit the gospel to him. >> there's a lot of debate about that. some say he's the gospel that jesus love 's rifrto -- referred to as that. contemporary. >> with jesus and writing soon after that. the one we're gointo br th o you s inn mo about the riches of christmas

with laura.

hello. welcome back too mosaic. we're here are laura, she's the sdrekt director of the office of worship. that's what's tas -- what's the training? >> i have a degree in liturgy from the yufr of tote -- university of notre dame. and we have priests who have this role. itassion and t churchys. ve little bit of knowledge of, you know, how ceremonies work, how to put things together, almost like a producer on a show. . >> i mean, if some of the viewers

san francisco and seen the litu liturgies, you're the manager of those. >> it's like being a wedding coordinator. everything from the flowers to the catering and of course, choosing the readings and the music. >> it's a beautiful and ornate and complex. all the them have that quality. >> if i've done it right, yes ch. >> we're talking about christmas and moving through the feast of days after it. and on to the feast of the holy innocence. tell us about that. >> it's not the most upbeat feast in the world. it is the story from luke where the herod, who heard a new king was born and tried to get the wise men to tell him when he was. ized hcouldn't

find out, he said to kill any male child under the age of two. kill any boy under the age of 2. it's similar to the story of moses. these were the very, very first martyrs, the first people to die unwillingly. they weren't dying for faith. they were completely innocent in the whole scheme of things and suffered because of one man's jealousy and anger. -- anger. in this time, it's a downer a few days after christmas. but in our world, we have a lot of innocents slain, children who don't have what they need. it's a time for the churng to reflect -- church to remrekt on that and pay on that. >> in the palestinian context, they had their gods and there were child sacrifice, part of the pagan religions that

preceded the jews. the children get it in the neck and it's unfortunate. >> yeah. >> aant seeking to eliminate a rival. >> any competition. >> and then the three kings, they -- we give their feast riter. >> i have to correct you. i have to do these things. we always say three kings. there's no evidence of how many kings there were. they had three gifts so people say there's three. i like to say the wise men. >> wise men from the east. >> that's all we know about that. . >> astroll gists -- astronomers. >> they were the first gentiles in matthew's gospel, we have the shepards and those people coming to see them as the first to acknowledge the krooisz. these -- christ. these are the gentiles who come forward and seek the son of

god. >> and their feast is the first week of january. after the 28th? . >> a little bit of a lull. uawr else is celebrating new year's day, we celebrate the foos of mary -- feast of mary, the mother of god. we focus on mary and is fact that she said yes to having jesu for the growing up years. we don't know much about jesus' early life. acknowledging that. and we use it as the day of prayer for peace and world peace. >> and this feast of mary, this is a global feast in. >> yes. holy day of obligation. >> that's another point. a holy day of obligation means what? >> that catholics are required to attend mass on that day. it's a at a dai separate -- it's a day separate from sundays and this is an

important day and you should spend at least an hour in prayer remembering the feast. it's all about the people on that day. there's seven or eight throughout the year and they're highlight, extra special days we want to put out. >> and they're clustered here i think christmas, the 25th, is a hi -- holy d >> this ren riching -- enriches your life as a worshipper. and to learn the stories. so mary the mother of god, known as our mother, i take it, yeah. wonderful. and what happens next after january 1st? >> january 2nd is the feast of st. bazzle the graechlt -- great. they were from the fourth century. doctors of the church have a special knowledge and

contributed to the formation of the church. there's not many. they have to share the feast together. the two of them, such wonderful influence, especially in the east. this is a feast for the orthodox brothers and is remain silent sisters. >> where? . >> northern africa. >> and the -- they were both men. >> yes.. but there are doctors church who are female. >> yes. >> scholars and holy people contributed to the literature of the church and the theology and understanding of the church. and gregory? >> yes. >> i'm saying that the way i learned. and bazzle the great. >> was he a pope? . >> no. >> bishops. >> all right well, let's take a pause there. >> okay. >> and we'll take a brief break and come back and learn more about the riches of christmas.

welcome back to many sake. and -- mosaic. and apparently, we've gone to bethlehem.

>> this is what we would call a prosep. pio. i was raised in italy for the first few years and it's a nativity scene. you see them in church. he had seen it in jerusalem and brought it to europe and it became popular. initially, they were popular to be live. now the figures are more rational. i have an entire set with sheep and goats and the wise men and everyone else. this little one is made out of corn husks. it was given to me by a friend and it's a traveling set. you see the three kings there, there are three in the set, with mary, jesus, and joseph. this is a commemoration of what we're really celebrating. i occasionally put up a christmas tree. sometimes i do, sometimes i o i don't.

i always put this up. >> it was from northern italy and a gift from my grandmother. >> and the tree is a german tradition. >> it's a lovely idea and having the star on top reminds us of the star of bethlehem. and it's more of a worldly thing. >> so take us again through the little trip through the christmas octave. >> so this year, we're celebrating between sunday, which is the feast of the holy snam flam, and -- family, and the following sunday. we have two santss who are american. >> that's interesting. okay. >> the reason of saint's day is dgs the day -- it's the day they died. there's no coincidence. they happened to day. and thfsz a fascinating woman,

a woman of the early 1800s. had fooi children. raised wealthy. her husband was ill and eventually went bankrupt. shed to raise -- she had to raise five children alone and lost several of her children. during that time in italy, she found catholicism and was helped by sisters and came back to the united states and founded an order. the sisters of charity of st. joseph. and they are mainly a teaching and hospital order. people in the bay area would know the seton hospital. >> that was her married name. . >> yeah. >> and died in --. >> 1821. >> and died on january 4th. and canonized in 1974. it was quite a while. >> it's lengthy. >> it can be. it can be short. some are short.

especially in the modern age, things are rushed a bit. >> and then what happens on the next day? >> then on the 5th we have another american. he wasn't american born. but he was a bohemian, john nurmen -- newman. and he was very good at catechisms. he wrote wo two in -- two? german. and he was a holy man. >> was he a missionary who came here as a missionary? . >> no. he was a man -- he was called to the priesthood and went to his bishop in europe and they said we have too in priests -- too many priests. everyone turned limb down. they had too many priests. he ended up having to come to america before someone would accept him to seminary and become a priest. .

>> ordain here? >> ordained here. >> in mission territory. >> 1800s, still mission territory. >> the problem was not too many priests. we had circuit riding priests. >> and native speaking priests to serve the community. he would have served philadelphia on the east coast. that would make sense. >> and a very holy man. and can we read him? >> absolutely. >> and january 5th, that's the last slide i think. but january 6th is the feast of i do irnedny. it , that day and ve a party and a fire and burn the christmas tree. >> oh, that's a nice win. there's a lot of traditions. >> we had a little of that. cut up the tree and burned it apply had a marshmallow roast. i don't know if the three kings would appreciate that or not.

>> the idea of gift giving is from the kengs. -- kwings. and -- kings. and it is a celebration of the awakening of us realizing who christ in. the three kings is only in one of the gos fells. -- gospels. others put it on the idea of christ with us and christ present. there's so many fra digss, especially in -- traditions especially in europe and the east. e the trition of witjanuy 6th leaves hofully candou ocki rl with s oe, mae give gifts the 12th night, famous play, a 12th night party. this is the end of the revels of the christmas season. >> now look, we have about a minute left. i would like you to sum up what you would like people to take away about christmas.

>> enjoy december 25th. if you want to sing happy birthday, it's fine. it is the nativity of the lord. the season is much longer. it's important and we love celebrating it. the most important thing is god so loved the world that he sent his only son. we celebrate the nativiny and the incarnation of christ. it's a celebration through his family and mother and innocent people slain. i sayfullo habibullaevic saipov merry christmas to someone every day of the 12 days and even if you want to keep going until the 19th when we have the 19th day, the baptism. that's truly the christmas season. thu inand thank you for watchi mosaic and enjoy your christmas and all your christmases. you know when you're at ross

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a rescue operation at sfo after a co2 tank explodes in a tun, leavings -- tunnel, leaving one unconscious and one scrambling to save the man. thanks for joining us. >> let's get started with a check of the forecast. we have julie watts in the weather center with the latest. >> we are dry for now and we have christmas showers coming. it will be a white christmas in the sierra 46 in con card. 5 # -- concord.