Did you know that the Church has four different Christmas Masses, each with their own gospels? The four Masses are:
- The Nativity of the Lord – Vigil Mass
- The Nativity of the Lord – Mass during the Night (aka: The Midnight Mass – which has rules: can not start before 10 pm and must finish by 2 am)
- The Nativity of the Lord – Mass at Dawn
- The Nativity of the Lord – Mass during the Day
The Vigil Mass gospel is taken from Mathew and provides his genealogy as well as the Christmas narrative from Joseph. The masses during the Night and at Dawn take the Christmas narrative from Luke. The “midnight” Mass tells the story up to the angelic announcement of the birth of Jesus. The Mass at dawn recounts the shepherds’ visit to the manger.
The Mass on Christmas Day uses the gospel known as the Prologue of John. It is proclaimed during Christmas Mass because it beautifully captures the profound theological meaning of the Incarnation—the central mystery celebrated at Christmas.
The documents attached are detailed commentaries on the different Christmas gospels. Enjoy!
Christmas during the Night and at Dawn gospel
Image credit: Adoration of the Shepherds by Matthias Stom (c. 1650). Palazzo Madama and Casaforte degli Acaj, Turin, Italy
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