Christmas Eve Mass During the Day

Christmas Eve Morning  

"Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'"

We will begin to celebrate and recall the fulfillment of this promise to David in just a few hours.  The Kingdom of which the prophet speaks shall endure forever and beyond forever. It shall endure after time has ceased to exist. The Kingdom of God shall endure when the universe no longer endures.   

"O Radiant Dawn,Splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

The gospel antiphon is one of the ancient O Antiphons that are chanted before the Magnificatbetween December 17 and December 23.  They are called the "O Antiphons" because each one begins with "O." The Latin first word of this antiphon "O Oriens"  is translated variously as "O Radiant Dawn," ''O Morning Star,"  "O Dawn of the East," "O Dayspring from on high," "O Glorious Dayspring." 

The multiple translations illustrates the difficulty of using any language to express that which is inexpressible, to explain that which is inexplicable, and to describe that which is indescribable.  Words cannot adequately describe Jesus' advent, his ad venire,his coming into the world, or his ongoing presence in the world. Fully God and fully man, like us in all things but sin,  no word can capture this reality.  We can only understand it when we sit with it in silence.  

Today's gospel from Luke, the Canticle of Zechariah, is known as the Benedictus, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel."   The Church prays it daily toward the end of lauds or morning prayer.  Zechariah proclaimed these words, after a prolonged period of mutism, at the birth of his son, John the Baptist.  Remember, Zechariah became mute following the vision in the Temple.  To counter the objections of others to the name given by the angel he wrote on a tablet: "His name is John."  Zechariah's tongue was immediately loosed and he prayed this canticle of praise and thanksgiving. One can spend an entire week meditating on it. 

Christmas Eve is a day of chaos for many as they prepare for Christmas celebrations.  I am of Polish descent.  In the past Christmas Eve included hours in the kitchen preparing the elaborate Wigilia supper, a meal that is crucial to our celebration of Christmas.  To those who are wondering--I made the pierogi though definitely not on Christmas Eve.  With my mom's death, my sister's death, and the overall shrinkage of the family, it is now a quieter and more reflective day.

Despite the chaos, traveling, cooking, cleaning, decorating, arranging cookies, slicing fruitcake, and so on, it is important to take a bit of time for quiet. It is important to realize the meaning of this great feast, a feast that has nothing to do with Frosty, Rudolph, or any of the other bizarre accretions. 

The final verses of the Benedictus summarize the meaning of the Nativity of Our Lord and all that is to follow for the rest of the liturgical year: 

"In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness 

and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

The Vigil Masses for Christmas will begin in just a few hours, and we will sing: 

Venite adoremus,  Dominum.

Come, let us adore him, 

Come, let us adore Christ the Lord. 

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Just after Thanksgiving I went up to Mt. Equinox in Vermont.  No consistent internet access explains why the snow that kept me there for two additional days was a complete surprise.  Woke on Tuesday, the planned departure day, to find 8 inches of snow with an additional ten to come by the time we were able to leave two days later.  Not a bad thing.   Nothing beats freshly fallen untrod-upon snow. 

 Have a most Blessed Christmas

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD