Paganism and its influence on Catholicism

What many people fail to realize is that much of the celebrations within the Roman Catholic faith were based on Pagan tradition. The Roman Catholic church came into its being in 312 A.D., at the time of the so-called "miraculous conversion" to Christianity of the Roman Emperor Constantine. In order to help Pagans relate to the traditions of the Catholic church, the Christian movement adopted some of the paganistic celebrations. They have them new meanings in order to "reclaim" them for God and the church. They were able to do this because they believed that the outward gestures could represent whatever meaning they chose to give them.

The most notable celebration is that of Christmas. The church placed the feast day of Christmas on December 25th because that was the date of the Roman feast of the Unconquered Sun, or Sol Invictus or Mithras. Also, December 25 was the conclusion of the Pagan festival of Saturnalia, which was the Roman celebration  honoring the agricultural god Saturn. This was usually a time of much merrymaking, sort of like our modern Christmas parties.When Wicca came into being (in the mid-20th century), two other celebrations were created. That of the Winter Solstice and that of the Yule Celebration. The early Europeans celebrated light and birth during the darkest days of winter. Many cultures celebrated the winter solstice, which marks the ending of the worst of the winter and look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight (The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. But it is from here on in that daylight becomes longer).

Another Christian holiday also finds its roots in Paganism…..Easter. We see many cultures celebrating the spring equinox, just as the Christians celebrate the resurrection and the Jewish celebrating Passover. The story of the death of Jesus on a cross and his resurrection is a well known in the ancient world. But, there are many parallels that can be drawn between these celebrations and Paganism.

The Pagan festival of Eostre, who is the Germanic Goddess of Spring, is celebrated on the Vernal Equinox, around March 21, the first day of Spring. Eostre symbolized rebirth and renewal. The date is fluid due to the phases of the moon, which is why Easter is celebrated on a different date every year. Eostre is also known as a dawn goddess, and thought to be related to the Greek Goddess of the dawn Eos. Which is why Christian Easter services are held at sunrise. Yet another carry over from the Pagans! 

These are just two of the many influences of Paganism on Christianity. Christians may scoff at the idea and even deny it! But if they took the time to learn and look close, they will see that Paganism, indeed, spread its influence into the Christian faith.

Saint Dominic

Saint Dominic (August 8, 1170 – August 6, 1221)

Saint Dominic is the Saint of the Day for August 8. 

Saint Dominic was born into a prominent family in Spain in 1170. His parents were members of the Spanish nobility and related to the ruling family. His education was in theology and the arts; he spent six years studying theology and four years studying the arts. Dominic was praised by his professors for his exceptional performance in his classes. However, Dominic felt he had a higher calling and chose to become a priest. In 1194, he joined a Benedictine order, the Canons Regular in Osma, Spain where he became the Prior of the Chapter in 1201.

As part of his ministry, Dominic founded an institution dedicated to preserving the progress that was made against the Albigensian heresy (a branch of the Catharistic belief, which was a heretical movement that had a different, and more extreme belief within Christianity). He also felt that the nobility needed a place to educate their children, and that Catholic women needed a safe place to go to worship, away from the hostile heretics. To that end, Dominic established a convent at Prouille, France in 1206, which became the first Dominican house.

Dominic’s vision was to live ones life with God, study, and prayer in all forms. As he journeyed through France, he shared this vision with other priests he had met as well as others whom he encountered. As he and his fellow priests slowly came together as a community, they decided that they would need a permanent place where they could live and minister to one and all. In 1215, Dominic founded a religious house at Toulouse, thus becoming The Order of Preachers or Dominicans. To this day, the monastery remains as the Notre-Dame-de-Prouille Monastery.

During a trip to Italy in 1221, Dominic fell ill. Upon reaching the convent of Saint Nicholas in Bologna, Italy, it was noted that he appeared exhausted and feverish. His health continued to decline, and at twelve noon on August 6, 1221 Dominic went home to be with God. He was 51 years old at the time. It appeared that his illness and subsequent death was due to exhaustion from his austere lifestyle, his many laborious journeys and his unfailing work.

Dominic was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 12, 1234, with his feast day commonly observed on August 8. He is usually depicted in icons with a dog, or lilies, holding a book. He is the Patron Saint of astronomers, astronomy, the falsely accused as well as being the Patron Saint in several cities and countries.

Stained glass | St. Dominic sends out the Friars

Helpful Links:
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-dominic/
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=178
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Dominic