THE NATIVITY OF THE SAVIOUR (December 25) 

(Taken from True Christmas Spirit, by Fr. Edward J. Sutfin)

During the past few centuries the only vigil which has been celebrated with the nocturnal Office and Holy Mass was that of Christmas. Happily our present Holy Father has decreed that the vigil of Easter should be restored to its proper place of supreme importance. These two feast are the only ones in the Roman rite which are fully celebrated by the people as a whole, and in consequence their importance should be emphasized more forcibly. The ancient Church had made the night office a permanent institution. As Our Lord very often went up on to the mountain to pray during the night, so the Church offered her night watch for the "parousia" of the Saviour. Night was made for a prayer or meditation of love and not merely for sleep. In the spirit of the liturgy the nocturns of Matins in monastic houses are still assigned to the night. Many religious still rise from sleep in order to pray and watch with the Church. About ten thirty or eleven o'clock on Christmas Eve the bells are rung calling the monks to Matins of Christmas. It is a splendid privilege to be able to join them at the monastery in their bounteous celebration of the Nativity. It would, of course, be beyond our range here to explain in detail the ceremonies of Matins: this may be found in the works of Parsch and Graf concerning the Breviary. In Germany a beautiful arrangement of the Christmas Gospel has been made on the tone of Christmas Matins ("Die Frohbotschaft der Geburt des Herrn"). It would be excellent if this could be translated and placed in the hands of American parents to be sung around the home crib before the family goes to the midnight Mass. The children in this country would at least enjoy some echo of the more complete spiritual celebration with which the Church receives her Bridegroom. The only substitute which we could recommend at present is a common reading or meditation on the birth of Christ as found in the readings and psalms of the Divine Office. Reading, however, is a rather remote substitute for children as it is likewise for adults. We prefer to do, to see, to hear and to sing ourselves. The explanation of the reason for the celebration of three Masses on Christmas day is so very simple and clear in "Das Jahr des Heiles" of Pius Parsch that we feel obliged to translate. When this great work is translated completely into English, every family should read it frequently during Christmastide. It is replete with the Christmas spirit. "The holy day of Christmas is characterized by a triple Eucharistic Sacrifice. The ancient Roman Church followed, in this matter, the example of the venerable Church of Jerusalem. The faithful there assembled during the night at the grotto of the Nativity in order to sanctify the hour of the birth of the Lord by the celebration of Holy Mass. At the end of this Mass they returned to Jerusalem. In the Church of the Resurrection in that city, what better means could they take than to celebrate Christmas with the shepherds? This was the second Mass. During the day they again assembled in church for the solemn Office of the feast. In this manner it became customary to celebrate three Masses on Christmas Day. This custom was initiated at Rome. The first Mass was celebrated during the night in the church of the crib at St. Mary Major (the stational church of St. Mary Major was considered to be the Bethlehem of the Roman people). The second Mass was celebrated in the Roman church of the Resurrection. The third Mass was celebrated at the basilica of St. Peter. This custom spread from Rome to the entire Occidental church. Since the time when priests of the Roman rite were permitted to celebrate Mass each day the custom became established that every priest might celebrate three Masses on Christmas Day. "Three elements unite in each Mass: the divine Light, the corresponding time of the day or night, and the historic fact expressed in the Gospel for that hour. In the three Masses, there is a progressive development of the feast. The spirit of Advent is still noticeable in the first Mass. The God of Majesty, surrounded by light, manifests Himself. Luminous angels fly above the earth, and the Mother, the most pure Virgin, is the only earthly creature who approaches the divine Infant. Humanity is still waiting in the shadows of the night. The meaning of Christmas develops with the second Mass, which is celebrated at dawn at the rising of the sun. That divine Light which appeared mysteriously upon earth, clothed in the garments of night, rises for us like the sun. He is full of creative power and enters into relation with us as our Saviour. In the third Mass, the meaning of Christmas attains its perfect development: Jesus is manifested in all His power to all men. "Christmas is a feast of light. This is evident from its very beginning. The date of December 25 is not the historical day of the birth of the Saviour (this day is unknown). This day of the winter solstice was chosen in order to supplant the pagan feast of the sun god ("sol invictus"), and to substitute a Christian feast on that day. Christ is the true God and Sun who combats the powers of darkness and overcomes them. This is the reason why the feast of His birth is well placed at the very moment when the sun begins its ascension. The thought of light, so touchingly expressed by the Christian people by their illuminated Christmas tree, is to be found in all three Masses The symbolism of light is particularly noteworthy at the midnight Mass; at the second Mass the rising sun offers a living symbol, and that is why the Introit sings out with joy: 'A Light shines for us today.' At the third Mass the symbol of Light is to be found in the Gospel itself: 'The Light shines in the darkness.'"8 The spirit of the Masses of Christmas may be expressed in the following division: Midnight: The birth of the Son of God in Eternity by His procession from the Father. Mary alone, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, witnesses and recognizes Him in His historic birth at Bethlehem. Dawn: The birth of the Son of God upon earth by means of the Incarnation is recognized by the chosen people, represented by the shepherds. He becomes our redeemer, the Saviour and Head of His Mystical Body and Spouse, the Church. Noonday: The birth of the King in majesty, the God-Man who is revealed as the Redeemer of all men and King of all creation. All mankind, by rebirth in grace, and in virtue of His victory over the kingdom of Satan, may wait in joy and expectancy for the opening of the eternal gates of heaven by the Lamb who was slain: the "parousia," or final coming of the Saviour at our death, and especially at the end of the world. The celebration at home on Christmas Day should be filled with joy and rest, as is emphasized in the Matins for the feast: "Our Saviour is born today. Dearly beloved, let us rejoice! It would be unlawful to be sad today, when it is the birthday of Life: the birthday of that Life which, for us dying creatures, takes away the sting of death and brings the bright promise of eternal life hereafter. No one is shut out from a share in this happiness. All men have an equal share in the great cause of our joy, for Our Lord...is come to make all free."9 The great King for whom we have been preparing during the whole season of Advent has come, and we may no longer fast now that the Bridegroom is in our midst. Christmas dinner is customarily the high point of the family celebration. It should be remembered that the feast is not the time for the mother of the family to spend long hours in the kitchen. The greater portion of the meal should have been prepared beforehand, and help in serving and dishwashing is a mark of the charity of all. The blessing for the meal should be taken directly from the "Ritual" today, and if possible, all could sing it.10 Community reading, caroling and folk-dancing are traditionally appropriate. We suggest that many ideas for the celebration of the holiday season may be found in "The Christmas Book." It is interesting to learn how Christmas was celebrated in the Middle Ages, to read about the nativity plays, including even a sample of an Epiphany play as presented by the Huron and Algonquin Indians, and to glean information about all the flowers and decorations used everywhere at Christmastide--the holly, mistletoe, ivy, laurel, rosemary, bay, cherry and poinsettia. Many stories can be read to the children and a play may be enacted after the Christmas dinner. In the event that Mother has received a poinsettia plant, the children could enact the legend telling why the Mexican people call this the "flower of the Holy Night." Father Weiser recounts it thus: "On a Christmas eve long ago a poor little boy went to church in great sadness because he had no gift to bring to the Holy Child. He dared not enter the church and, kneeling humbly on the ground outside the house of God, he prayed fervently, and assured Our Lord with tears how much he desired to offer Him some lovely present. 'But I am very poor and dread to approach You with empty hands.' When he finally rose from his knees he saw springing up at his feet a green plant with gorgeous blooms of dazzling red. His prayer had been answered; he broke some of the beautiful twigs from the plant and joyously entered the church to lay his gift at the foot of the Christ Child. Since then the plant has spread over the whole country; it blooms every year at Christmas time with such glorious abandon that men are filled with the true holiday spirit at the mere sight of the Christmas flower, symbolic of the Saviour's birth."11 Children and adults both enjoy caroling, either at home or going from house to house. Besides the customary American and English carols, we should suggest a few of the following ones. The hymn for Christmas Lauds, "O Solis Ortus," has been well-arranged for vernacular singing in "Hymns of the Church."12 Two Latin hymns have a catchy melody which children love: "Puer natus in Bethlehem,"13 and "Resonet in laudibus," an excellent fourteenth- century carol which may be found in the "St. Gregory Hymnal." The latter melody is so popular and modern that some young people are reminded by it of the advertisement for Super Suds. "The Trapp Family Book of Christmas Songs" is replete with songs and ideas. From it we recommend the following songs for Christmas Day: A "Child Is Born in Bethlehem," "We Whom Joyous Shepherd Praised" (a moving fourteenth-century Latin carol), "Maria on the Mountain" (a lullaby carol traditional in Germany), "The Darkness is Falling" (an Austrian carol which could serve as a Christmas night prayer for the children); and "Fum, Fum, Fum" (full of the rhythm of Christmas in Spain). The word carol comes from the Greek word "choraulein," which is constructed from the two words "choros," the dance, and "aulein," to play the flute. The ancient Greeks and Romans danced in ring form. Their carols were brought in Roman times to Britain and Gaul. Even in medieval England a carol meant a ring-dance accompanied by singing: the children's game of ring-around-a-rosy very likely comes from the Middle Ages. Sweden and Austria still maintain the dance-carol. Gradually the meaning of the word carol came to be applied to the song itself rather than the dance. A carol usually pertains to folklore and is joyful and festive. However, in our day we apply the word carol to all Christmas songs, including many which are more solemn and should more appropriately be called hymns. The birthplace of the true Christmas carol was Italy. Besides the gift of the Christmas crib to the world, modern caroling may be ascribed to St. Francis of Assisi. From Italy the carol extended to Spain, France, and finally to all Europe. The earliest modern English carol was a lullaby-carol. The old forms of the dance-carol persisted even in church itself, relates Father Weiser. "Dance carols, usually ring-dances accompanied by singing, were greatly favored in medieval times. The altar boys, for example, in the Cathedral of Seville, Spain, used to dance before the altar on Christmas and other feast days accompanied by song and the sound of castanets. In the Cathedral of York, England, until the end of the sixteenth century choir boys performed a dance in the aisle of the church after morning prayer on Christmas Day. In France it was customary to dance a "bergette" (shepherd's dance) in churches at Christmas time. Dancing in churches was prohibited by an ecclesiastical council at Toledo in 590, but the custom had become so much a part of the Christmas festivities that in some places dancing survived until the thirteenth and fourteenth century, and in England, right up to the Reformation (in Spain even longer)."14 It is for these reasons that we greatly favor caroling and folk- dancing for the children during Christmastide. In the bibliography may be found several books on folk-dancing which will be very useful even to the amateur. Parents should wisely familiarize their children with simple folk dances and melodies before they become too spoiled by our modern tunes and dances, the greater portion of which do not compare in interest and culture with the earlier carols and dances. It must be remembered that folk-dancing and caroling really belong to the people, and in consequence they are essentially attractive to children and adults alike. They are, in addition to being of the people, usually based upon the folk celebration of the liturgical feast itself. A final remark concerning caroling at Christmas is to encourage the reader to plumb the mysteries of yodeling. We are not all Swiss and Austrian and yodeling is not particularly easy. Yet it is a very popular form of music in mountainous countries, and one beloved by the people. Should you desire to try a little yodeling with the children, we recommend the Austrian yodel-carol from the Tyrol, "To Christ Our Lord We Raise This Song."15 The children will like it as if by instinct. For those families who are more sophisticated in taste, or whose talents are not developed for self-expression, Christmas night often brings dull moments and a nostalgic loneliness. Very beautiful and inspiring substitutes for Christmas cheer may be found in concerts and recordings. It is desirable at this season to take the older children to a performance of Handel's "Messiah" or to listen to the Christmas compositions of Corelli and Vivaldi, for example. Children indeed should at an early age be introduced to refinement in music. Folk singing and dancing serve as foundation blocks to modern musical compositions. The movements of concertos, partitas, sonatas and various other musical forms are essentially dance forms whose origin is to be found in mediaeval folklore. Parents and teachers in our country may balance the self-expression of children in using their own talents with a graduated development of interest and understanding of more developed musical compositions. In music as in all the arts the classic is that which is the common heritage of all peoples, imitations and the exaggeration of rugged individualists soon pass away. "From lands that see the sun arise To earth's remotest boundaries, The Virgin-born today we sing The Son of Mary, Christ the King." --Lauds for the Nativity16