Forty Years of U.S. Christmas Stamps

Many countries have occasionally issued special postage stamps for Christmas, but the first to issue a regular annual series of Christmas stamps was Australia in 1957, with the Vatican following in 1959. The United States began its Christmas stamp series in 1962, and, since 1966, a "Madonna and Child" stamp has been issued every year. 

"The birth of Christ in Bethlehem is not a fact that remains in the past. Before him, in fact, the entire human story is placed. Our today and the future of the world are illuminated by His presence. Jesus is the true novelty that surpasses any expectation of humanity and so will remain forever, through the happenings of the historical eras."
                  Pope John Paul II, The Great Jubilee, 2000.

"Mary, the Virgin of welcome, is the figure and model of the Church, which must be a welcoming
home for all men and peoples. To assume our humanity, God willed to knock on the door of the heart of Our Lady, receiving a "yes" full of faith and love. May she help us to be open to the needs of brothers and sisters, in particular of all those who are in great difficulties."
                 Pope John Paul II, Angelus Message, Nov. 17, 2002.

Liturgy and Devotions: All Part of Catholic Prayer and Worship

This past year saw two documents which have helped to clarify the relation between liturgy and devotions, an issue which has many implications for Marian devotion. (In the post-conciliar period, liturgy and devotion sometimes had a stormy relationship). The first document was the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy (from the Congregation for Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, December 20, 2001) and the second, Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (October 16, 2002).

The discussion over the distinction between the liturgy and "popular devotions" began in the 1940s, with Pius XII's encyclical on the liturgy, Mediator Dei (1947). Liturgy was defined as the "public worship of the Church carried out by its official ministers," which included the Mass, the sacraments, and the Divine Office. All other prayers and ceremonies of Catholic life -- not enumerated, but which included the Rosary, litanies, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Stations of the Cross, pilgrimage --- all fell under the category of "devotional exercises" and "pious practices." 

Vatican II's first document, that on the liturgy, spoke much of matters directly related to the liturgy -- the Mass, the sacraments, the language, the liturgical books, and the liturgical calendar. In the words of the council, the liturgy was "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed and the font from which all its power flows" (SC 10). Little was said about those expressions of devotion, which were not, strictly speaking, liturgical (no reference was made, for example, to the rosary). The council only directed that "pious exercises should be drawn up so that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some way derived from it and lead the people to it, since in fact the liturgy by its very nature is far superior to any of them" (SC 13).

Much of the turmoil in the decade after the council dealt with a correct reading and interpretation of the council's directive on liturgy and popular devotion. Because of the superior position which the council assigned to the liturgy vis-a-vis popular devotion, the advocates of the liturgy sometimes displayed a condescending attitude toward popular devotion, practices to be tolerated but not encouraged. Those associated with popular devotions, not understanding how to undertake the reform called for by the council, generally resisted changing them. The "eclipse of popular  devotion" which followed Vatican II was perhaps more responsible for the "Marian crisis" than the placement of the Virgin Mary in the eighth chapter of Lumen Gentium.

For some, the solution was to raise a popular devotion to the level of the liturgy. In 1969, Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., known throughout the Catholic world for his promotion of the Rosary, wrote an impassioned letter to Pope Paul VI asking that the Family Rosary "be raised to a higher level of efficacy ... by proclaiming it a liturgical prayer." 

A change in attitude towards popular devotions began in the1974 Synod of Bishops on Evangelization. Pope Paul VI's letter, Evangelii nuntiandi, spoke of popular devotions as "particular expressions of the search for God and for faith," which manifest "a thirst for God ... an acute awareness of profound attributes of God: fatherhood, a loving providence and constant presence." Furthermore, "they engender interior attitudes such as patience, the presence of the Cross in daily life, detachment, openness to others." The Pueblo documents and others from the Latin American Episcopal Conference continued developing the role of popular devotions both as part of the new evangelization and for the inculturation of Catholic values. 

The 2001 Directory of Popular Piety and Liturgy, which has been long in the making, is a synthesis of postconciliar developments on liturgy and devotions. It has two main divisions: Principles and Guidelines for the Harmonization of Popular Piety with Liturgy. The Guidelines include a survey of the liturgical year and its feasts, showing the wide array of practices and customs which have arisen in various cultures to mark different seasons and feasts. Popular piety has filled the lacunae of the sober Roman liturgy. For example, popular devotions in discreet ways acknowledged Mary's presence in the passion and resurrection of Christ, even though no reference was found in the official liturgy.

The first section of the Directory -- Principles -- tries to clarify the terms related to popular piety, difficult because even official documents do not employ a consistent vocabulary. "Exercises of piety" are recognized prayers and practices (such as the rosary), which, although not part of the liturgy, are in harmony with it, and are found in approved customs and books. "Devotions" are  external practices and objects pointing to a relation to Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.¹ "Popular piety" includes customs and practices rooted in a specific culture; finally, "popular religiosity" involves expressions of the innate religious  experience common to all humanity. The Principles offer a  fine historical survey outlining the relation between liturgy and devotions. If, at certain times (for example, the late medieval period), devotional practices seem to overwhelm and almost obliterate the liturgy, there were other times (for example, 18th century Josephinism), when devotions were excluded from the church's life.

Devotions which spontaneously arose from religious enthusiasm, or which have been overlaid with specific historical associations, may require direction, purification, and completion. A frequently cited reference in the Directory is Paul VI's 1974 letter on Marian devotion (Marialis cultus) whose guidelines for the reform of Marian devotion are applicable to all popular devotions: they were to be centered on Christ, the Incarnation, the Trinity, with a Scriptural, liturgical, ecumenical dimension, and aware of anthropological implications.

A balance between liturgy and devotion is suggested, one which recognizes the primacy of the liturgy and the value of devotions. Liturgy is the center of the Church's life, and popular devotions extend the liturgy to personal consciousness -- to our homes, families, and daily activities. Liturgy usually involves the official ministers, whereas devotions offer opportunities for participation of
different charisms and personal involvement to a degree not possible in liturgy. Liturgy and devotions are two parts of Christian worship. Each has a service to render. The spirit of the liturgy should form and permeate the popular devotions, while devotions encourage a consciousness of the divine presence and assistance in daily life. 

Pope John Paul's Apostolic Exhortation on the Rosary can be read from many perspectives, not the least of which is as an example of a sound relation between liturgy and devotions: The letter has a personal tone, a conversation from a spiritual guide and father, an invitation "to investigate or rediscover the value of the Rosary." The rosary has been part of the pope's life; he says it "has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it, I have always found comfort." It is a "way of embracing all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all humanity." It is also a simple prayer, which marks "the rhythm of human life," and each of its mysteries "sheds light on the meaning of our own existence" (#26).

The rosary shows how a devotion can respond to our deep human and spiritual needs. A characteristic of our age is the desire for spirituality and a contemplative type of prayer. The rosary is a method of contemplation (#28), a means to an end. In view of the helplessness which most experience in the face of violence in society, it is a prayer asking for the "gift of peace" within our communities, countries, our world. "How could one possibly gaze upon the face of the Risen Christ, or of Mary, Queen of Heaven, without yearning to make this world more beautiful, more just, more closely conformed to God's plan?" Lastly, it provides a type of informal, familiar prayer within our families and communities.

The letter suggests a "pastoral approach" to the rosary, and encourages adaptation to varying circumstances and capacities. There are different ways to begin and conclude the rosary. Visual representations of the mystery are encouraged, as are listening to and silently pondering the word of God. A "phrase" referring to the mystery may be included in the Hail Mary, after the name of Jesus. Some reflections relating the mystery to daily life are encouraged. The success of the rosary at the World Youth Day indicates that if the Rosary is "well-presented," even "young people" will make it their own.²

A recurring theme throughout the letter is the harmony between the rosary and the liturgy. The first objection that the letter considers is that "the centrality of the liturgy necessarily implies giving lesser importance to the rosary." Yet, the letter maintains, the "rosary does not conflict with the liturgy ... it sustains, serves as preparation for and an echo of the liturgy, allowing full and interior participation in the liturgy" (#4).

The spiritual life is not limited to the liturgy, but also involves prayer in common, prayer "in their own rooms," - all part of the Apostle's exhortation "to pray without ceasing." The rosary is part of the varied panorama of " ceaseless prayer." "If the liturgy, as the activity of Christ and the Church, is a saving action par excellence, the Rosary too, as a 'meditation' with Mary on Christ, is a  salutary contemplation ... It ensures that what the liturgy makes present is profoundly assimilated and shapes our existence."(#13) Parish communities can celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, a liturgical exercise, and also the Rosary: "These two paths of Christian contemplation are not mutually exclusive; they complement one another." (#41)

The pope's letter on the rosary contains personal insights on the prayer which has been part of Catholic life for the last millennium. It also points out the mutual benefits which the liturgy and a devotion bring to each other -- both are centered on the mystery of Christ, one celebrated in liturgy, and the other encountered in contemplative pondering with Mary. 

1.  See "Sacramentals" in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1667-1679. 
2.  A similar approach to the Rosary was suggested by Paul VI and in recent years by other church documents. To avoid confusion, Paul VI indicated that the term "rosary" should be limited to describe the traditional form, but there were other possibilities, which for lack of a better term could be called "rosary-like." Among them are Cardinal Leon-Josef Suenens' Fiat Rosary and the programs given in Celebrations for the Millennium, 1998.

Beginning a Stamp Collection?

Interested in Collecting Marian Postage Stamps?

Collecting stamps dealing with religion is way of learning religion, art, geography, and history. In 1969, the dean of Marian philatelists, the late Fr. Aloysius S. Horn of Freemont, Ohio (Diocese of Columbus) encouraged those beginning a stamp collection to consider Marian stamps. 

"There is a wide field open to you. Over the past several years many countries have issued stamps, which depict the Madonna in Art, some after masterpieces in their own national galleries or museums, and some after the Louvre, etc. True, some of the issuing countries are considered suspect; yet the stamp does reproduce a masterpiece, which is a delight to behold, particularly for those of us who never expect to see the original in person. 

The question may arise as to how one would mount a collection of Madonna in Art. Perhaps these few suggestions may be of some benefit. It could be divided into: pictures, sculptures, stained glass, woodcarvings, etchings and engravings, tapestries. It could be further divided by School: Italian, Spanish, French, Flemish, German, Oriental; or it could be segregated by period: Medieval, Goth, Renaissance, Baroque, Modern. One could mount the stamps by the artist, thus covering his life with a showing of his   works. So, if you are looking for a new area of collecting -- how about the 'Madonna in Art'? You will find a most fascinating and interesting area."