The Nativity Of Our Lord Jesus Christ From The Roman Martyrology
The announcement of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord from the Roman Martyrology draws upon Sacred Scripture to declare in a formal way the birth of Christ. It begins with creation and relates the birth of the Lord to the major events and personages of sacred and secular history. The particular events contained in the announcement help pastorally to situate the birth of Jesus in the context of salvation history.
This text, The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, may be chanted or recited, most appropriately on December 24, during the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. It may also be chanted or recited before the beginning of Christmas Mass during the Night. It may not replace any part of the Mass. (The musical notation is found in Appendix I of the Roman Missal, Third Edition.)
The Twenty-fifth Day of December,
when ages beyond number had run their course from the creation of the world,
when God in the beginning created heaven and earth, and formed man in his own likeness;
when century upon century had passed since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds
after the Great Flood, as a sign of covenant and peace;
in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our father in faith, came out of Ur of the Chaldees;
in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel were led by Moses in the Exodus from Egypt;
around the thousandth year since David was anointed King;
in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
in the year seven hundred and fifty-two since the foundation of the City of Rome;
in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus, the whole world being at peace,
JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence, was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and when nine months had passed since his conception, was born of the Virgin Mary
in Bethlehem of Judah, and was made man:
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.
During the Season of Christmas, we rejoice and celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became man to save the world. We offer God the Father thanks and praise for sending this great gift of His Son to us.
In the glorious Feast of Christmas, we reflect on the threefold coming of Christ in history, in mystery, and in majesty. We commemorate Christ’s coming in history when the Son of God humbled Himself to take on human flesh and, born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, became man to bring salvation to the world. We celebrate Christ’s coming in mystery at every Mass, when He becomes present in the Eucharist to apply that salvation to each individual. We look forward to Christ’s coming in majesty at the end of time, when He will complete this salvation for each of us.
In Christ, we encounter the Father who is gracious to us, comforts and consoles us, and accepts us as His adopted children. By praying and participating fully in the Christmas Mystery we honor it, not as an isolated event that happened some two thousand years ago, but rather as a mystical event whose effects are constantly present to us. Christ is present in the Mystery of Christmas, always interceding for us and communicating Himself to us through the holy symbols of the Christmas season.
In the Gospel of Luke, we discover the Annunciation to Mary. Here is what the angel Gabriel says to the Virgin: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33).
No first-century Israelite would have missed the meaning here: this child shall be the fulfillment of the promise made to King David. He will be the king of the world, the one who would bring unity and peace to the nations.
The angel confirms this to the shepherds in the fields: “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord: (Luke 2:11). Saviour is Soterin Greek, which means “healer.” This was rendered in Latin as Salvator, Saviour in English. In old myths and legends, the true king would bring healing to his country, just as a wicked king would make the whole country sick.
Further, this healer is “Christ and Lord.” Christos means anointed, and this has a clear Davidic overtone, for David had been anointed king by the prophet Samuel, and all of his successors had been anointed. This baby will be the point of ordering for the entire world; he’ll be the ruler and governor, the one who sets the tone.
And this is further emphasized by calling him “Lord”--Kyrios in Greek, Dominus in Latin. He is the one who should dominate us, rule over every aspect of us.
With the angel’s next words, everything is turned upside down: “And this shall be the sign to you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” The new David, Christ the Lord, the Dominus, the center and orderer of all things, the emperor of the universe…is a baby? And a baby wrapped up so it can’t move? And lying where? In the grubby place where the animals eat?
Here is all of the poetry and all of the drama of Christmas. Indeed, the divine power is made manifest in weakness, for the divine power is nothing other than love, giving oneself away, being bound to the other, becoming food for those around you.
Finally, alongside the single angel there appeared an entire army of angels. We should not get sentimental about these angels. These aren’t cute, chubby babies playing harps. They represent the army of heaven, which is more powerful than all of the armies of earth. The Prince of Peace has an army that is more powerful than anything that is in the world.
There are the glad tidings of Christmas. A new king has come, bringing with him an army of heavenly messengers, and he intends to bring peace and unity to the nations.
"After the annual celebration of the Paschal Mystery, the Church has no more ancient custom than celebrating the memorial of the Nativity of the Lord and of his first manifestations, and this takes place in Christmas Ti\me" (Universal Norms, 32)
The Christmas Season extends from Evening Prayer I of Christmas (December 24, 2016) through the Baptism of the Lord (Monday, January 9, 2017).
The liturgical color of the Christmas season is white. Gold vestments may be worn in place of white. On the feasts of St. Stephen (December 26) and The Holy Innocents (December 28), red vestments symbolic of martyrdom for the Faith are worn.
The Mass of the Vigil of Christmas is celebrated in the evening of December 24, and may be celebrated either before or after Evening Prayer I.
On Christmas itself, priests may celebrate or concelebrate the three traditional Masses (during the Night, at Dawn, and during the Day), provided they are celebrated at the proper times. A priest who celebrates three times may accept three Mass offerings (Code of Canon Law, 951, § 1).
During the singing or recitation of the Nicene Creed, at the words "and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man", all genuflect (instead of bowing) at all Masses celebrating the Nativity of the Lord.
On December 24, Night Prayer is prayed by those who do not participate in the Office of Readings and in the Mass during the Night.
Prior to the opening procession, the Mass during the Night (December 25) may begin with the Roman Martyrology (Roman Missal, Appendix I), proclaimed by a deacon, a lector, or some other minister.
The weekdays of this season have proper Masses, arranged for days within the Octave, as well as before and after the Epiphany.
With the exception of the Feast of the Holy Family, the days within the Octave make use of Evening Prayer of Christmas Day. Optional Memorials within the Octave may be omitted or commemorated according to liturgical norms.
The Blessing of a Christmas Manger or Nativity Scene (Book of Blessings, #1541-1569, or Catholic Household Book of Blessings and Prayers, #82-84) may take place during the Vigil of Christmas or at another more suitable time, during Mass, during a celebration of the word of God, or even during another service, e.g., a service of lessons and carols.
The Christmas Season, especially the Solemnity of the Epiphany, is a traditional time when homes may be blessed. For the Blessing of Homes during this season, see Book of Blessings, #1597-11621, or Catholic Household Book of Blessings and Prayers, #88-91.
On the Feast of the Holy Innocents (December 28), special prayers for the innocent who have perished through abortion, starvation and war may be found in the Catholic Household Book of Blessings and Prayers, #367.
After the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas Season ends and the Season of Ordinary Time begins.