Toying With the Holydays

The title of this essay comes from a 2021 Christmas movie, the kind that run in places like the Hallmark Channel. But I think it better fits the American bishops’ approach to holy days of obligation.

Regular readers know that I have criticized detachment of holy days from their historical context (e.g., Ascension Thursday becoming Ascension-next-Sunday) or the “pastoral” don’t-make-people-go-too-much-to-church-so-Saturday-and-Monday-holy days-sometimes-don’t-count rule (especially ludicrous when...