The Three Masses of Christmas
A unique feature of the Christmas liturgy is the pattern of three Masses for Christmas Day (at midnight, at dawn and during the day) each with its own scripture readings and ‘proper’ texts.
The oldest Mass is the Mass during the day, which originated in Rome in the early fourth century. This Mass seems to mark the origins of the celebration of the Feast of Christmas.
The Mass at midnight is a slight misnomer: the Roman Missal only provides a Mass 'in nocte' not 'media nocte'. The Gospel implies that the birth of Jesus took place during the night but the time is never specified as midnight. The midnight tradition seems to follow a figurative interpretation of a passage from the Book of Wisdom [18, 14-15]: 'While all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course thy almighty word, O Lord, came down from Heaven from thy royal throne'.
Celebration of the Night Mass originated in the fifth century. The Day Mass was then celebrated at St Peter's and the Night Mass in the Basilica of St Mary Major to which relics of the crib were brought in the seventh century.
The Mass at dawn was the latest of the three to appear, being celebrated first in the sixth century. This originated with a request from the Byzantine Governor in Rome that a Mass in honour of St Anastasia should be celebrated on her day (what we now know as 25th December) and in the Church dedicated to her. This was then 'fitted in' at dawn (all of these Masses being then celebrated by the Pope). When Rome ceased to be part of the Byzantine Empire the tradition of the Dawn Mass remained but its text was altered into a second Mass of the Nativity. Prayers commemorating St Anastasia remain as part of the Dawn Mass even in the 1962 Missal.
The oldest Mass is the Mass during the day, which originated in Rome in the early fourth century. This Mass seems to mark the origins of the celebration of the Feast of Christmas.
The Mass at midnight is a slight misnomer: the Roman Missal only provides a Mass 'in nocte' not 'media nocte'. The Gospel implies that the birth of Jesus took place during the night but the time is never specified as midnight. The midnight tradition seems to follow a figurative interpretation of a passage from the Book of Wisdom [18, 14-15]: 'While all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course thy almighty word, O Lord, came down from Heaven from thy royal throne'.
Celebration of the Night Mass originated in the fifth century. The Day Mass was then celebrated at St Peter's and the Night Mass in the Basilica of St Mary Major to which relics of the crib were brought in the seventh century.
The Mass at dawn was the latest of the three to appear, being celebrated first in the sixth century. This originated with a request from the Byzantine Governor in Rome that a Mass in honour of St Anastasia should be celebrated on her day (what we now know as 25th December) and in the Church dedicated to her. This was then 'fitted in' at dawn (all of these Masses being then celebrated by the Pope). When Rome ceased to be part of the Byzantine Empire the tradition of the Dawn Mass remained but its text was altered into a second Mass of the Nativity. Prayers commemorating St Anastasia remain as part of the Dawn Mass even in the 1962 Missal.
posted by Alnwickian at 10:22 am
1 Comments:
Indeed you may be interested to know that permission was given to anticipate this Mass even in the 16h century:
Anticipation of 'Midnight Mass'. I found this on another list:
Indult 6 August 1502, Alexander VI for Venice;
Indult 23 October 1727, Benedict XIII for the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua;
Indult 25 November 1751, Benedict XIV for the bishop of Feltrensis
and a whole series of others listed in Ephemerides Liturgicae 1945 pp 64-69
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