"From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!"

St Theresa of Avila



Christmas is such an overwhelmingly joyful time of year! And it ends today as we begin carnival, another time of celebration and excess. The tree is down and the needles it scattered are swept up but the celebration goes on until lent - though with a different tone. With Christmas, it is a celebration of the coming of Christ, looking back on Advent and the time we spent waiting for His arrival. In carnival we are celebrating in anticipation of the deprivation that lent will bring, it has almost a sense of urgency about it.

We are off to Epiphany mass this evening to celebrate the revelation of Christ's divinity and the end of a long awaited season.