Hodie, Christus Natus Est, Today, Christ is born!

The last time Christmas fell on a Sunday some Protestant churches got a bad rap for not having any services on Christmas Day.  That may change this year, according to at least one survey.  A recent study, conducted by LifeWay Research, showed that out of 1,000 randomly selected Protestant pastors, 91 % plan to have services on Christmas Day, though they are expecting low turnouts.   They are not alone.   No matter which Christian denomination is polled, it seems that the religious observance of Christmas has shifted from Christmas Day to Christmas Eve.

However, it wasn’t always this way.  Since the earliest centuries, the Church has always celebrated multiple Masses at Christmas.  In Jerusalem and Rome, these Masses were celebrated on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the places that had a historical or theological connection to the birth of Jesus.  Therefore, worshipers typically went to ALL of the liturgies, rather than choosing one or the other.  This is one reason the prayers and readings are different at each of the Christmas liturgies.  Looking closely at the gospels, we can see a gradual progression of the events of Christ’s Birth:

Mass at the Vigil: (Christmas Eve):  Matthew 1:1-25, The genealogy of Jesus

Mass during the Night: (Midnight Mass) Luke 2:1-14, The angels announce the birth of the savior

Mass at Dawn:  Luke 2:14, The shepherds went to see the baby Jesus lying in the manger

Mass during the Day:  John 1:1-18, The Word was made flesh.

The gospel that is proclaimed on Christmas Day (John 1:1-18)  is the same gospel that was proclaimed at the earliest Christmas liturgies.  It is this gospel which offers the fullest meaning of what we celebrate at Christmas.  It reminds us that Christmas is not simply about the celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus, 2000 years ago, but rather that God became flesh and lives with us now, today, forever.  That’s good news, no matter on what day Christmas is celebrated.  Amen!