Chapter V. On Hearing Mass during the Season of Christmas

Such is the number and importance of the Feasts kept during this Holy Season, that even those of the Faithful, who have not the habit of hearing Mass daily at other times, look upon it as a sort of duty to do so now: and rightly; for, the Lamb, who is offered up in this Divine Sacrifice, is He, whom they have been asking of the Eternal Father with so much earnestness during Advent, in those words of the Prophet Isaias: Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the Ruler of the Earth.¹

This tender Lamb is come; the Child is born to us,² and even now is on the Altar of his Sacrifice. St. Paul tells us, that this Jesus, on his first entrance into the world, said to his Father: Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not; but a Body thou hast fitted to me.—Then said I; Behold I come:—to do thy will, O God.³ It is true, that the Sacrifice of the Cross, of which that of the Mass is the continuation, was the Sacrifice of Christ at the end of his Three-and-Thirty Years; still, during these days of Christmas, when we have so much to learn from the mystery of the Sacred Infancy, we shall be in strict accordance with the spirit of the Church, if, whilst assisting at Mass, we keep before our minds, not only the bleeding Victim of Calvary, but likewise the sweet Lamb of Bethlehem. Moreover, does not our Jesus offer himself, for us, to his Father, from his Crib as well as from his Cross? Thus, we read in the Acts of the Saints, that as often as this our Redeemer wished to requite the faith and love of his servants, by manifesting to them his real Presence in the sacred Host, he appeared to them in the form of a lovely Babe.

The Liturgical Iconography of the Greeks represents the mystery of the Eucharist under the symbol of a Babe reposing on a Paten. So, too, in many of our Latin Missals, up to the end of the 16th century, we find an illumination or engraving, as the case may be, representing a Priest vested in a Chasuble, standing at the Altar, and holding in his hands the Body of our Savior, under the form of a Child.

Let the Faithful, therefore, enter the House of God in the dispositions, wherewith the Shepherds and the Magi were animated, when they went to Bethlehem, the House of Bread. They, too, must come with haste;⁴ from the mid-night of this world, to that Light which shineth in darkness.⁵ They must come to the Altar as to the Crib of Jesus, and in the joy of this Mystery, they must offer their whole heart to the New-Born Babe. Then, uniting themselves with Mary and the Church, they must offer the Lamb of God to the heavenly Father, and themselves together with him—and all this, with the humility and simplicity of Little Children.

We will now endeavor to embody these sentiments in our explanation of the Mysteries of the Holy Mass, and initiate the Faithful into these divine secrets; not, indeed, by indiscreetly presuming to translate the sacred formulæ, but by suggesting such Acts, as will enable those who hear Mass, to enter into the ceremonies and sentiments of the Church and the Priest.

During a considerable portion of this Season, the Mass is celebrated in commemoration of the great Mysteries, which were accomplished at this period of the Liturgical Year; and the Prayers used by the Church, on these great Feasts, will be found on the respective days. During the remaining forty days, the Holy Sacrifice is either of the Saints or of the Sundays, which come during this time, and on which there does not occur a Double Feast. The Sundays of Septuagesima and Sexagesima sometimes fall during Christmastide; and when this happens, they cannot be put out by any Feast, save those of the Patron of the Place, or of the Titular or Dedication of the Church.

In all the Masses of the Sundays, as also on those Feasts which are called simples and semi-doubles, the Priest makes a commemoration of our Blessed Lady as Mother of God, and this by three Prayers, which we give in their proper places. With regard to the colors of the Vestments, used during this holy Season, we have explained them in a previous chapter.

On the Sundays, if the Mass, at which the Faithful assist, be the Parochial, or, as it is often called, the Public Mass, two solemn rites precede it, which are full of instruction and blessing—the Asperges, or sprinkling of the Holy Water, and the Procession.

During the Asperges, let them unite with the intentions of the Church in this venerable rite, and pray for that purity of heart, which will fit them for admission into that Stable of Bethlehem, wherein the Word Incarnate first appeared to his creatures.

Antiphon of the Asperges

The Procession, which immediately precedes the Mass, should remind us of the Shepherds and Magi going to Bethlehem, and how, after a holy impatience to reach the holy spot, they arrived, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger.

But see, Christians, the Sacrifice begins! The Priest is at the foot of the altar; God is attentive, the Angels are in adoration, the whole Church is united with the Priest, whose priesthood and action are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us make the sign of the cross with him.

The Ordinary of the Mass

The thought of his being about to appear before his God, excites, in the soul of the Priest, a lively sentiment of compunction. He cannot go further in the holy Sacrifice without confessing, and publicly, that he is a sinner, and deserves not the grace he is about to receive. Listen, with respect, to this confession of God’s Minister, and earnestly ask our Lord to show mercy to him; for the Priest is your Father; he is answerable for your salvation, for which he every day risks his own. When he has finished, unite with the Servers, or the Sacred Ministers, in this prayer:

The Priest having answered Amen, make your confession, saying with a contrite spirit:

Receive with gratitude the paternal wish of the Priest, who says to you:

Invoke the divine assistance, that you may approach to Jesus Christ.

The Priest here leaves you to ascend to the altar; but first he salutes you:

Answer him with reverence:

He ascends the steps, and comes to the Holy of Holies. Ask, both for him and yourself, the deliverance from sin:

When the Priest kisses the altar, out of reverence for the relics of the Martyrs which are there, say:

If it be a High Mass at which you are assisting, the Priest incenses the Altar in a most solemn manner; and this white cloud, which you see ascending from every part of the Altar, signifies the prayer of the Church, who addresses herself to Jesus Christ; and which this Divine Mediator then causes to ascend, united with his own, to the throne of the majesty of his Father.

The Priest then says the Introit. It is a solemn opening-anthem, in which the Church, at the very commencement of the Holy Sacrifice, gives expression to the sentiments which fill her heart.

It is followed by nine exclamations, which are even more earnest, for they ask for mercy. In addressing them to God, the Church unites herself with the nine choirs of Angels, who are standing round the altar of Heaven, one and the same as this before which you are kneeling.

To the Father, who has sent us his Son:

To the Son, who has come down to us:

To the Holy Ghost, whose operation has accomplished the mystery:

Then, mingling his voice with that of the heavenly host, the Priest intones the sublime Canticle of Bethlehem, which announces glory to God, and peace to men. Instructed by the revelations of God, the Church continues, in her own words, the Hymn of the Angels. She celebrates, with rapture, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. She offers to this Lamb, in return for the humiliations of the Stable and the Crib, the homage of her fervent praise, declaring that He alone is Holy, He alone is Lord, He alone Most-High. Enter, Christians, into these sentiments of profound adoration, of confidence, and of tender love, towards the Divine Lamb.

The Angelic Hymn

The Priest turns towards the people, and again salutes them, as it were to make sure of their pious attention to the sublime act, for which all this is but the preparation. The words of this greeting are especially beautiful during the season of Christmas: The Lord be with you! Isaias had foretold that it would indeed be verified, and the Angel confirms the prophecy to St. Joseph, when he thus says to him: They shall call his name Emmanuel, that is, God with us.⁶

Then follows the Collect or Prayer, in which the Church formally expresses to the divine Majesty the special intentions she has in the Mass which is being celebrated. You may unite in this prayer, by reciting with the Priest the Collects which you will find in their proper places: but on no account omit to join with the server of the Mass in answering Amen.

Then follows the Epistle, which is, generally, a portion of one or other of the Epistles of the Apostles, or a passage from some Book of the Old Testament. Whilst it is being read, thank Him, who, not satisfied with having, at sundry times, spoken to us by the Prophets, has deigned, in these days, to speak to us by his Son.⁷

The Gradual is an intermediate formula of Prayer between the Epistle and Gospel. It again brings to our attention the sentiments which were expressed in the Introit. Read it with devotion, so as to get more and more into the spirit of the Christmas Mystery.

The song of praise, the Alleluia, is next heard. Let us, whilst it is being sung, unite with the holy Angels, who, at the Birth of the Divine Lamb, made our earth echo with their heavenly chants.

One of the princes of this heavenly host, said, speaking to the shepherds: Behold I evangelize to you (that is, I bring you good tidings of) a great joy—for this day is born unto you a Savior, in Bethlehem, the City of David.⁸ Afterwards, came the Apostles, and they evangelized this same joy to the whole world; and the Book, which contains the words which gave joy to mankind, is called the Gospel—Evangelium. A passage from this divine Book is now going to be read to the assembly of the Faithful; we shall hear the very words of Him, who became a Little Child, in order to be thus able to speak to us.

If it be a High Mass, the Deacon prepares to fulfill his noble office, that of announcing the Good Tidings of salvation. He prays God to cleanse his heart and lips. Then kneeling, he asks the Priest’s blessing; and having received it, he at once goes to the place where he is to sing the Gospel.

As a preparation for hearing it worthily, you may thus pray, together with the Priest and Deacon:

You will stand during the Gospel, as though you were waiting the orders of your Lord; and at the commencement, make the sign of the Cross on your forehead, lips, and breast; and then listen to every word of the Priest or Deacon. Let your heart be ready and obedient. Whilst my Beloved was speaking, says the Spouse in the Canticle, my soul melted within me.⁹ If you have not such love as this, have at least the humble submission of Samuel, and say: Speak, Lord! thy servant heareth.¹⁰

After the Gospel, if the Priest say the Symbol of Faith, the Credo, you will say it with him. Faith is that gift of God, without which we cannot please him. It is Faith that makes us see the Light which shineth in darkness, and which the darkness of unbelief did not comprehend. It is Faith that shows us Him we are to love. It is Faith, too, that makes us become little children again; for, such we must be, if we would have access to the Crib of Him, whom Clement of Alexandria so beautifully calls the King of Infants. Let us, then, say with the Catholic Church, our Mother:

The Nicene Creed

The Priest and the people should, by this time, have their hearts ready: it is time to prepare the offering itself. And here we come to the second part of the Holy Mass, which is called the Oblation, and which immediately follows that, which was called the Mass of Catechumens, on account of its being formerly the only part, at which the candidates for Baptism had a right to be present.

See, then, dear Christians! bread and wine are about to be offered to God, as being the noblest of inanimate creatures, since they are made for the nourishment of man; and even that is only a poor material image of what they are destined to become in our Christian Sacrifice. Their substance will soon give place to God himself, and of themselves nothing will remain but the appearances. Happy creatures, thus to yield up their own being, that God may take its place! We, too, are to undergo a like transformation, when, as the Apostle expresses it, that which to us is mortal, shall put on immortality.¹¹ Until that happy change shall be realized, let us offer ourselves to God, as often as we see the bread and wine presented to him in the Holy Sacrifice; and let us glorify Him, who, by assuming our human nature, has made us partakers of the divine nature.¹²

The Priest again turns to the people with the usual salutation, as though he would warn them to redouble their attention. Let us read the Offertory with him, and when he offers the Host to God, let us unite with him in saying:

When the Priest puts the wine into the chalice, and then mingles with it a drop of water, let your thoughts turn to the divine mystery of the Incarnation, which is manifested to the world by the Birth of our Emmanuel; and say:

The Priest then offers the mixture of wine and water, beseeching God graciously to accept this oblation, the figure of which is so soon to be changed into the reality, of which it is now but the figure. Meanwhile, say, in union with the Priest:

After having thus held up the sacred gifts towards heaven, the Priest bows down: let us, also, humble ourselves, and say:

Let us next invoke the Holy Ghost, whose operation is about to produce on the altar the presence of the Son of God, as it did in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the divine mystery of the Incarnation:

If it be a High Mass, the Priest, before proceeding any further with the Sacrifice, takes the thurible a second time. He first incenses the bread and wine which have been just offered, and then the altar itself; hereby inviting the faithful to make their prayer, which is signified by the incense, more and more fervent, the nearer the solemn moment approaches. St. John tells us, that the incense, which burns on the Altar in heaven, is made of the Prayers of the Saints. During Christmastide, therefore, we may look on the fragrant cloud, which covers our Altar here on earth, as an emblem of the prayers said by the Shepherds round the Crib, and of the adorations paid by the Magi to the Infant-God. Let us imitate them; for, this same Jesus is soon to be on our Altar.

But the thought of his own unworthiness becomes more intense than ever in the heart of the Priest. The public confession, which he made at the foot of the altar, is not enough; he would now, at the altar itself, express to the people, in the language of a solemn rite, how far he knows himself to be from that spotless sanctity, wherewith he should approach to God. He washes his hands. Our hands signify our works; and the Priest, though by his priesthood he bear the office of Jesus Christ, is, by his works, but man. Seeing your Father thus humble himself, do you also make an act of humility, and say with him these verses of

Psalm 25

The Priest, taking encouragement from the act of humility he has just made, returns to the middle of the altar, and bows down full of respectful awe, begging of God to receive graciously the Sacrifice which is about to be offered to him, and expresses the intentions for which it is offered. Let us do the same.

The Priest again turns to the people; it is for the last time before the sacred Mysteries are accomplished. He feels anxious to excite the fervor of the people. Neither does the thought of his own unworthiness leave him; and before entering the cloud with the Lord, he seeks support in the prayers of his brethren who are present. He says to them:

With this request he turns again to the altar, and you will see his face no more, until our Lord himself shall have come down from heaven upon that same altar. Assure the Priest that he has your prayers, and say to him:

Here the Priest recites the prayers called the Secrets, in which he presents the petition of the whole Church for God’s acceptance of the Sacrifice, and then immediately begins to fulfill that great duty of religion, Thanksgiving. So far he has adored God, and has sued for mercy; he has still to give thanks for the blessings bestowed on us by the bounty of our heavenly Father, and expressly for that chiefest of all his gifts—the Messias. We are on the point of receiving a new visit of this Son of God; the Priest, in the name of the Church, is about to give expression to the gratitude of all mankind. In order to excite the faithful to that intensity of gratitude which is due to God for all his gifts, he interrupts his own and their silent prayer by terminating it aloud, saying:

In the same feeling, answer your Amen! Then he continues:

Let your response be sincere:

And when he adds:

Answer him with all the earnestness of your soul:

Then the Priest:

Preface¹³

Preface

Here unite with the Priest, who, on his part, unites himself with the blessed Spirits, in giving thanks to God for the unspeakable Gift: bow down and say:

After these words commences the Canon, that mysterious prayer, in the midst of which heaven bows down to earth, and God descends unto us. The voice of the Priest is no longer heard; yea, even at the altar, all is silence. It was thus, says the Book of Wisdom, in the quiet of silence, and while the night was in the midst of her course, that the Almighty Word leaped down from heaven from his royal throne.¹⁴ Let us await him in a like silence, and respectfully fix our eyes on what the Priest does in the holy place.

The Canon of the Mass

In this mysterious colloquy with the great God of heaven and earth, the first prayer of the sacrificing Priest is for the Catholic Church, his and our Mother.

Here pray, together with the Priest, for those whose interests should be dearest to you.

Here let us commemorate the Saints: they are that portion of the Body of Jesus Christ, which is called the Church Triumphant.

The Priest, who, up to this time, had been praying with his hands extended, now joins them, and holds them over the bread and wine, as the High Priest of the Old Law did over the figurative victim: he thus expresses his intention of bringing these gifts more closely under the notice of the Divine Majesty, and of marking them as the material offering whereby we profess our dependence, and which is, in a few instants, to yield its place to the living Host, upon whom all our iniquities are to be laid.

And here the Priest ceases to act as man; he now becomes more than a mere minister of the Church. His word becomes that of Jesus Christ, with all its power and efficacy. Prostrate yourself in profound adoration; for the Emmanuel, the God with us, is coming down from heaven.

The Divine Lamb, the Son of Mary, is now lying on our Altar! Glory and love be to him for ever! But he is come, that he may be immolated. When Isaias, in prophetic vision, contemplated this Child that is born unto us, he saw, that even then his government was upon his shoulder,¹⁵ and this was the Cross. Hence, the Priest, who is the minister of the will of the Most High, immediately pronounces over the Chalice those sacred words, which will produce the great mystical immolation, by the separation of the Victim’s Body and Blood. The substances of bread and wine have ceased to exist: the species alone are left, veiling, as it were, the Body and Blood, lest fear should keep us from a mystery, which God gives us in order to give us confidence. Let us associate ourselves to the Angels, who tremblingly look upon this deepest wonder.

The Priest is now face to face with God. He again raises his hands towards heaven, and tells our heavenly Father, that the oblation, now on the altar, is no longer an earthly offering, but the Body and Blood, the whole Person, of his divine Son.

The Priest bows down to the altar, and kisses it as the throne of love on which is seated the Savior of men. Do you look at it with love, as the Crib, whereon is laid, veiled in the eucharistic elements, that Jesus who has said: I am the Bread of life.

Nor is the moment less favorable for making supplication for the Church Suffering. Let us, therefore, ask the divine Liberator, who has come down amongst us, that he mercifully visit, by a ray of his consoling light, the dark abode of Purgatory, and permit his Blood to flow, as a stream of mercy’s dew, from this our altar, and refresh the panting captives there. Let us pray expressly for those amongst them, who have a claim on our suffrages.

This duty of charity fulfilled, let us pray for ourselves, sinners, alas! and who profit so little by the visit, which our Savior pays us. Let us, together with the Priest, strike our breast, saying:

Whilst saying these last few words, the Priest has taken up the sacred Host, which was on the altar; he has held it over the chalice, thus re-uniting the Body and Blood of the divine Victim, in order to show that He is now immortal. Then raising up both Chalice and Host, he offers to God the most noble and perfect homage which the divine Majesty could receive.

This solemn and mysterious rite ends the Canon. The silence of the Mysteries is broken. The Priest concludes his long prayers, by saying aloud, and so giving the faithful the opportunity of expressing their desire that his supplications be granted:

Answer him with faith, and in a sentiment of union with your holy Mother the Church:

It is time to recite the prayer, which our Savior himself has taught us. Let it ascend up to heaven together with the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. How could it be otherwise than heard, when he himself who made it for us, is in our very hands now whilst we say it? As this prayer belongs in common to all God’s children, the Priest recites it aloud, and begins by inviting us all to join in it.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us answer, with deep feeling of our misery:

The Priest falls once more into the silence of the holy Mysteries. His first word is an affectionate Amen to your last petition—deliver us from evil—on which he forms his own next prayer: and could he pray for anything more needed? Evil surrounds us everywhere, and the Lamb on our altar has been sent to expiate it and deliver us from it.

The Priest is anxious to announce the Peace, which he has asked and obtained; he therefore finishes his prayer aloud, saying:

Then he says:

To this paternal wish reply:

The Mystery is drawing to a close: God is about to be united with man, and man with God, by means of Communion. But first, an imposing and sublime rite takes place at the altar. So far the Priest has announced the Death of Jesus; it is time to proclaim his Resurrection. To this end, he reverently breaks the sacred Host, and having divided it into three parts, he puts one into the Chalice, thus reuniting the Body and Blood of the immortal Victim. Do you adore, and say:

Offer now your prayer to the ever living Lamb, whom St. John saw on the Altar of Heaven standing, though slain: say to this your Lord and King:

Peace is the grand object of our Savior’s coming into the world: he is the Prince of Peace. The divine Sacrament of the Eucharist ought therefore to be the Mystery of Peace, and the bond of Catholic Unity; for, as the Apostle says, all we who partake of one Bread, are all one Bread and one Body.¹⁶ It is on this account that the Priest, now that he is on the point of receiving, in Communion, the Sacred Host, prays that fraternal Peace may be preserved in the Church, and more especially in this portion of it, which is assembled round the altar. Pray with him and for the same blessing:

If it be a High Mass, the Priest here gives the kiss of peace to the Deacon, who gives it to the Sub-Deacon, and he to the Choir. During this ceremony, you should excite within yourself feelings of Christian charity, and pardon your enemies, if you have any. Then continue to pray with the Priest:

If you are going to Communion at this Mass, say the following Prayer; otherwise, prepare yourself to make a Spiritual Communion:

When the Priest takes the Host into his hands, in order to his receiving it in Communion, say:

When he strikes his breast, confessing his unworthiness, say thrice with him these words, and in the same disposition as the Centurion of the Gospel, who first used them:

Whilst the Priest receives the sacred Host, if you also are to communicate, adore profoundly your God, who is ready to take up his abode within you, and again say to him with the spouse: Come, Lord Jesus, come!

But should you not be going to receive sacramentally, make a Spiritual Communion. Adore Jesus Christ who thus visits your soul by his grace, and say to him:

Then the Priest takes the Chalice, in thanksgiving, and says:

But if you are to make a Sacramental Communion, you should, at this moment of the Priest’s receiving the precious Blood, again adore the God who is coming to you, and keep to your canticle: Come, Lord Jesus, come!

If, on the contrary, you are going to communicate only spiritually, again adore your divine Master, and say to him:

It is here that you must approach to the altar, if you are going to Communion. The dispositions suitable for Holy Communion during this season of Christmas, are given in the next Chapter, Chapter VI. On Holy Communion during Christmas.

The Communion being finished, and whilst the Priest is purifying the Chalice the first time, say:

Whilst the Priest is purifying the Chalice the second time, say:

The Priest having read the Antiphon called the Communion, which is the first part of his Thanksgiving for the favor just received from God, whereby he has renewed his divine presence among us—turns to the people with the usual salutation; after which he recites the Prayers, called the Postcommunion, which are the completion of the Thanksgiving. You will join him here also, thanking God for the unspeakable gift he has just lavished on you, and asking him, with most earnest entreaty, that he will permit you to continue, for ever, in the company of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

These Prayers having been recited, the Priest again turns to the people, and full of joy for the immense favor he and they have been receiving, he says:

Answer him:

The Priest makes a last Prayer, before giving you his blessing: pray with him:

The Priest raises his hand, and thus blesses you:

He then concludes the Mass, by reading the first fourteen verses of the Gospel according to St. John, which tell us of the eternity of the Word, and of the mercy which led him to take upon himself our flesh, and to dwell among us. Pray that you may be of the number of those, who, now that he has come unto his own, receive him, and are made the sons of God.