Even if the celebration of many Masses on the same Sunday may be an ordinary experience for many parish priests too often, Christmas, with its three distinct Mass settings for three different times of the day, remains a unique liturgical occasion.
In the middle of the night, a great light surrounds the shepherds “watching over their flock” (Luke 2:8-14). Hymns of praise fill the air: Gloria in excelsis Deo! The Saviour is announced: He is “Christ the Lord” in the shape of “a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”. The paradox of the Incarnation shines forth as a star in the night: the Lord is in the manger; this Babe is our Saviour; God is made flesh.
