MY First Christ Mass Communion

[VickySGV]

Not too many people really think about the church holy day that has become Christmas, including many Christian churches who have taken on the literal Bible instead of many traditions of worship that date back before the Protestant Reformation. I belong to one Christian Tradition though that does use these traditional feasts as a meaningful part of the faith cycle we call the Church Year. By the word feast, I mean the service of Holy Communion of wine and bread that was commanded by Jesus at his last supper with his disciples.

The Christ Mass was instituted by the Church after the Council Of NIcea had adopted the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in the 4th century. The church did in fact hijack some Pagan festivals of the Winter Solstice when it picked the date of December 25th. The actual purpose of the Christ Mass though was not so much to be a birthday party for an infant, but was to proclaim the belief that God had glorified his creation Man, by taking on HIS creation's form and identity. Jesus was a human identity, and the actual scriptures, and even the doctrine of the Trinity emphasize HIS human Identity as a paramount thing to God's plan. The Christ Mass therefor is a celebration of Identity, a human identity of God.

Those of us with Gender Identity Dysphoria, are also deeply involved with our Identities, ours are in turmoil and are being twisted and turned by society and our families to be in a certain image they deem fit for their comfort and social standing. God took on an identity in Jesus and went on to proclaim that identity. We have our own Christ Mass, or feast of identity when we "come out", and there is the story of Jesus "coming out" at the Jordan River which shows that we follow in good footsteps.

Tonight I took communion at my parish's Christ Mass Celebration, and felt deeply the approval for declaring my human identity and coming forward in love. I had the distinct feeling tonight that my coming out was an expression of my faith in God, because HE changed his identity from God to Human and thereby glorified humanity as he planned it to be. We do have parallels which non trans people cannot as easily bring to example of the meaning of the Christ Mass. God changed from what mankind thought a God should be. The Christ Mass is a celebration of our lives and an example for us to be ourselves.