our King and lawgiver,
the expected of the nations and their Savior:
Come to save us, our Lord our God!
Midnight Mass is the ultimate sign that we are adjusting our lives to fit Christmas. In the whole year – sacred or profane – no other event begins at midnight. For no other reason do we head out in the middle of the night. In the heart of the night, in the heart of the darkest season, in the heart of the winter bleakness, Catholics gather because they have seen a great light. It is the Christmas tradition par excellence.
Why toss it away for greater convenience? Just as the introduction of Saturday evening Masses have made Sunday less central as the Lord's Day, so too the multiplication of Masses on Christmas Eve have stripped Christmas Day of its significance. Christmas Day begins at midnight, and Mass at that hour indicates that the Catholic people are so eager for Christmas that they want to wait not one minute longer than necessary. What a pity to take the midnight Mass, readings and all, and slot it in before dinner.
My boys are altar serving Midnight Mass tonight. Hope they stay awake... They get to use incense, so that might keep them alert. This is our 3rd year of dragging the kids there, and we love it. We did a Christmas Eve vigil Mass once - only once - with children. Nightmare! After that, we would do the Mass on Christmas morning - very calm congregation, quiet, uncrowded. Oh, except for that Christmas my husband was deployed...one family ruined the peace and quiet...
ReplyDeleteLadies, how do you do it with little ones? Do they just sleep through Mass? This is the reason we don't go to Midnight Mass, even though I would very much like to.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Mary fell asleep at home by 8 pm and remained asleep throughout Mass. She woke up when I buckled her in the car on the way home, but went back to sleep when she got to her bed. Peter and Jenny were asleep by the time Mass started. Peter never woke up, even when his dad put his PJs on him at home. Jenny woke up during the offeratory, so she was able to go to communion. The 4 oldest propelled themselves in and out of our house and the church on their own, so we only had to carry the littlest ones. All the kids were asleep within 10 minutes of getting home.
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago, we had to assist other children in walking to/from the car. At home, we had to carry more than just 2, but we had my oldest son keep vigil with the sleepers while we ran them in one at a time.
I almost fell asleep during the first and only Midnight Mass I tried to attend with my mother-in-law. I think it was the first year of marriage. If it was then, and not when we were engaged, I would also have been pregnant. It was so hard to stay awake and I didn't really nap beforehand. We've since done, and previously I'd always attended, the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at 7pm.
ReplyDeleteLast year Andrew, at one and a half, was really antsy, but this year, he was sleeping because he didn't take his nap. Lucy slept for the half hour before Mass, into the beginning of it, and then woke up and was pretty good the remainder of the time, so it's worked well for us.