I was reading this piece and I began to reflect on my past, our present, and our future.
Growing up, I was surrounded by this ethos of "Sunday is the Lord's Day". The routine was simple: we got up, went to sunday school and church, came home and ate a big family dinner, and then by the evening, we essentially went our separate ways. This wasn't universal, however. Never do I recall any religious imperative to go to any church service on Sunday morning. We did it because thats what you did, being a good Christian family, that is what you did, go to church on Sunday. I can't say that I always wanted to, but we went. But not always. Of course there were illnesses and weather problems: there were also Sundays in which we were travelling and at least once when we were older I remember my parents saying that we just weren't going. This ethos was engrained into me that Sundays and holidays (like Christmas and Easter) were special, and should not be routine. It wasn't Sunday or a Holy-day unless we went to church. Christmas was a special phenomenon for us, because being Methodist, we had our Christmas Eve service (which was always well attended, even by my Reformed family members from across town) and in the morning we almost always went to Christmas Day service at the Reformed church my dad grew up in. My church had, at least for a while, a Midnight Service, which my parent would go to as well. As a kid, I hated going to church on Christmas Day because we'd open our presents, get to play with them for about 20 minutes, and then have to get ready for church. However, growing up this way has stuck with me.
By the time I had married, going to church on Christmas Day wasn't as common as it used to be. Thus, it was a no-brainer when Christina and I decided that for Christmas, we'd go to Mass on Christmas Eve so we'd have more time on Christmas Day to relax. Then we moved to Billtown, and started attending my wife's childhood parish, where the folk-group sings for the 4:30pm "Vigil" Mass. The church seats about 700, but on that day, there'd be almost 1000. It was unbearable, and truly, it was hardly reverent or edifying (especially since half the people near you would chat during the whole thing). Now, with our three kids, we go to the 8am Mass at our new parish, before we open presents, before we eat breakfast.
At the 8am Mass, we don't see very many people. I've heard that the 10:30am Mass isn't very crowded either. Many parishes, for a while anyway, would offer three Masses on Christmas: two Vigil Masses, and one on Christmas Day. This seems odd to me now, and it seemed odd to me as a kid. I remember thinking more than once, "Hey, if Christmas is so special, why don't we have church on Christmas Day?" Not that I minded...not having a service meant that I didn't have to go on Christmas Day...cool.
The Church allows people who attend Vigil Masses and Saturday anticipation Masses to have them count toward their Obligation. This isn't a bad thing, because unfortunately in today's day and age, not everyone can have off Sunday. Having a Saturday evening Mass is quite a necessity now. Likewise, one can't assume that everyone has off for Christmas, so a Christmas Eve Mass is likewise a necessity. However, just because it is a necessity, doesn't mean it should be the norm. In the article mentioned above, John Baldovin, S.J. says "People want to get it out of the way. They want to have the morning of Christmas for opening presents." Is this what Christmas is all about, presents?
Of course, with a hectic visiting and preparation schedule, a Vigil Mass can be appreciated. Consider the case of my wife's grandmother, who annually hosts a Christmas Dinner for all of her local kids and grandkids. She attends the 4:30pm Mass on Christmas Eve, which allows her to spend Christmas preparing for the dinner. There are also those families that spend lots of time traveling, who would be extremely put out to attend Mass in the morning.
But "Once you allow for vigil Masses, however," said Fr. Baldovin, "there may be a good question to ask: Is convenience the most important consideration?" What is the reason we go to Mass: to get it out of the way, or to actually celebrate the Incarnation? Is our schedule the most important thing in our Christmas planning?
My own personal take...after years of hustle and bustle on Christmas (from a kids' perspective)...is that if your Christmas morning can't fit in time for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you've got it all wrong. When we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice, we celebrate the real Reason for the Season: the Cross of our Salvation, the whole point of the Nativity. If that isn't your focus, you're focusing on the wrong thing...
No comments:
Post a Comment