107. In addition to these celebrations recalling
the primary meaning of Christmas, there are also other celebrations closely
connected with the mystery of the Lord's manifestation: the martyrdom of the
Holy Innocents (28 December) whose blood was shed because of hatred for Jesus and
because of Herod's rejection of his lordship; the memorial of the Holy Name of
Jesus, 13 January; the feast of the Holy Family (Sunday in the octave of
Christmas) celebrating the holy family in which Jesus "grew in wisdom and
grace before God and men" (Lk 2, 52); the solemnity of the 1E January
which recalls the divine, virginal and salvific motherhood of the Blessed
Virgin Mary; and, although outside of Christmastide, the feast of the
Presentation of the Lord (2 February), celebrating the encounter between the
Messiah and his people, represented by Simeon and Anna, and the prophecy of
Simeon.
108. Much of the richness and complexity of the
mystery of the Lord's manifestation is reflected in displays of popular piety,
which is especially sensitive to the childhood of Christ which reveals his love
for us. Popular piety intuitively grasps:
·
the importance of the "spirituality of
gift", which is proper to Christmas: "a child is born for us, a son
is given to us" (cf. Is 9, 5), a gift expressing the infinite love
of God, who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3,
16);
·
the message of solidarity conveyed by the event
of Christmas: solidarity with sinful man, for whom, in Christ, God became man
"for us men and for our salvation"(118); solidarity with the poor,
because the Son of God “who” was rich but became poor for your sake, to make
you rich out of your poverty" (2 Cor 8, 9);
·
the sacredness of human life and the wonderful
event that is every birth, since the Word of life came amongst men and was made
visible through his birth of the Virgin Mary (cf. 1 John 1, 2);
·
the messianic joy and peace to which man has
aspired in every age: the Angels announce the birth of the Saviour of the world
to the shepherds, the "Prince of Peace (Is 9.5) and proclaim "peace
on earth to men of good will" (Lk 2, 14);
·
the spirit of simplicity and poverty, humility
and trust in God, suggested by the events surrounding the birth of Christ.
Popular piety, precisely because it can intuit
the values inherent in the mystery of Christ's birth, is called upon to
cooperate in preserving the memory of the manifestation of the Lord, so as to
ensure that the strong religious tradition surrounding Christmas is not
secularized by consumerism or the infiltration of various forms of neopaganism.
Christmas Eve
109. In the space of time between the first
Vespers of Christmas and Midnight Mass, both the tradition of Christmas carols,
which are potent means of conveying the Christmas message of peace and joy, and
popular piety propose certain forms of payers, differing from country to
country, which should be cherished and, where necessary, made consonant with
the celebration of the Liturgy: These would include:
·
"live cribs" and the inauguration of
the crib in the homes of the faithful which is an opportunity for family
prayer: this prayer should include a reading of St. Luke's account of the birth
of Christ, the typical Christmas carols, as well as prayers of petition and
praise, especially those of children who are the protagonists in such family
moments;
·
the inauguration of the Christmas tree. This
event also offers an opportunity for family prayer. Apart from its historical
origins, the Christmas tress has become a potent symbol to-day and is very diffuse
amongst Christians; it evokes both the tree planted in the centre of Eden (Gen
2, 9), and the tree of the Cross, which lends it a Christological significance:
Christ is the true tree of life, born of human stock, of the Virgin Mary, the
tree which is always green and productive. In the Nordic countries, the tree is
decorated with apples and hosts. "Gifts" can be added; but among the
gifts placed under the tree, something should be included for the poor since
they belong to every Christian family;
·
the Christmas supper. The Christian family,
which traditionally blesses the table and gives thanks to the Lord for the gift
of food, performs this ceremony with greater intensity at the Christmas supper
which gives potent concrete expression to the joy of family ties.
110. Where possible, the Church desires that the
faithful should prepare for the celebration of Midnight Mass on the 24 December
with the Office of Readings(119). Where such is not possible, it may be
opportune to arrange a vigil of hymns, readings, and elements drawn from
popular piety.
111. At Midnight Mass, an event of major
liturgical significance and of strong resonance in popular piety, the following
could be given prominence:
·
at the beginning of Mass, the proclamation of
the Saviour's birth according the formula contained in the Roman Martyrology
could be made in song;
·
the prayer of the faithful should really be
universal, and where appropriate, use several languages; and the poor should
always be remembered in the presentation of the gifts;
·
at the end of Mass, the faithful could be
invited to kiss the image of the Child Jesus, which is then placed in a crib
erected in the church or somewhere nearby.
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