Monday, December 24, 2007

The Importance of the Proclamation of Christmas At Midnight Mass

THis is often my favorite part of the liturgy at Christmas Eve Mass. I love when it is sung. I was struck a couple of years back when Scott Hahn talked about this. He said:

One of the very first times I attended Mass as a non-Catholic, a Protestant, Christmas Eve; it was the Midnight Mass in a suburb of Pittsburgh, my home town. I got there just in time to hear this cantor stand up and before the actual Mass began, he began to sing a song. It is actually a part of the ancient Christmas liturgy. I asked for a copy afterwards and I got the Proclamation of Christmas. I won't sing it or you'll all flee my presence, but I will tell you what it says: "The twenty-fifth day of December in the 5,099th year of the creation of the world from the time in the beginning when God created the heaven and the earth, the 2,957th year after the flood, the 2,015th year from the birth of Abraham, the 1,510th year from Moses and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt, the 1,032nd year from David's being anointed king, and the 65th week according to the prophecy of Daniel and the 194th Olympiad, the 752nd year from the foundation of the city of Rome, the 42nd year of the reign of Octavius Augustus, the whole world being at peace, in the sixth age of the world, Jesus Christ, the Eternal God and the Son of the Eternal Father willing to consecrate the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and nine months having passed since his conception, (all kneel) was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary being made man (rise), the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh."

I was a non-Catholic, but when I heard that, I wanted to jump up and shout because all of a sudden a panoramic, bird's-eye view of salvation history was given in song to approximately 900 uncomprehending Catholics who were sitting there. You know, if they could understand the words they were like, "What week of the prophecy of Daniel?" You could just see the looks on their faces. It's a beautiful song but the awareness, the understanding and the appreciation for how much went into preparing the world and the nations and the whole broken human family for the coming of Christ was lost to I would say the vast multitude that night and on many other Christmas Evening Masses.

It just highlights the importance for us as Catholics, as Christians, to enter into more fully the liturgical worship of the family of God, the Church; we need to know the Bible. It is not a Protestant book. It was written by Catholics in the Catholic Church and for Catholics. I am so glad Protestants and other non-Catholics have it. We can profit so much from mutual sharing back and forth. I don't want to say anything to gainsay the profit we can actually acquire from studying Scripture with non-Catholics. But it really is a most treasured family heirloom, and it's also a most neglected family heirloom. So it's important not only to bring them and to follow along, but also to study prayerfully in the days, the weeks, the months and years to come
.

25 comments:

  1. haha i just read this same song for the first time today! it is spectacular. it sparked a ten hour study into Daniel 9 and his prophecy. God Bless you and Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from this web page, and your views are nice in
    support of new visitors.

    Also visit my weblog: membership

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is my first time pay a quick visit at here and i am really pleassant to read all
    at one place.

    Here is my website levine

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi there, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar
    one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam feedback?
    If so how do you stop it, any plugin or anything you can advise?
    I get so much lately it's driving me crazy so any support is very much appreciated.

    my blog post Louis Vuitton Handbags

    ReplyDelete
  5. I simply couldn't leave your web site before suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard info an individual provide to your visitors? Is going to be back continuously to inspect new posts

    Also visit my page ... Michael Kors Bags

    ReplyDelete
  6. I absolutely love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you develop this site yourself?
    Please reply back as I'm wanting to create my own personal website and want to know where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Cheers!

    Here is my webpage ... Sac Guess Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  7. My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
    I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
    But he's tryiong none the less. I've been using WordPress on a number of websites for about a
    year and am concerned about switching to another platform.
    I have heard great things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all
    my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!


    Check out my web blog - Michael Kors Outlet

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog.
    Is it tough to set up your own blog? I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about setting up my own but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Appreciate it

    my website - Louis Vuitton Handbags

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm extremely impressed together with your writing skills and also with the structure on your blog. Is this a paid subject or did you customize it your self? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it is uncommon to look a nice weblog like this one nowadays..

    Also visit my blog post ... Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am not certain where you are getting your info,
    however good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more
    or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful information I was searching for this information for my mission.



    Feel free to visit my webpage ... NFL Jerseys Cheap

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful work! That is the type of information that are supposed to be shared around the web.

    Disgrace on the search engines for no longer positioning
    this publish higher! Come on over and consult with my site .

    Thank you =)

    Also visit my webpage: NFL Jerseys Wholesale

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hurrah, that's what I was seeking for, what a stuff! present here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web site.

    Feel free to visit my website; Air Jordan Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to look it over.

    I'm definitely enjoying the information. I'm bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
    Great blog and amazing style and design.

    My web site Evgeni Malkin Authentic Jersey

    ReplyDelete
  14. bookmarked!!, I like your web site!

    Feel free to surf to my web-site - cheap jerseys

    ReplyDelete
  15. If you are going for best contents like myself, simply pay a visit this web site everyday
    for the reason that it offers feature contents,
    thanks

    My website; Authentic Sidney Crosby Jersey

    ReplyDelete
  16. This design is steller! You obviously know how to keep a reader entertained.
    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well,
    almost...HaHa!) Fantastic job. I really enjoyed what you
    had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.

    Too cool!

    Here is my web-site - Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm really enjoying the design and layout of your website. It's
    a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often.

    Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
    Superb work!

    Also visit my blog Louis Vuitton Bags

    ReplyDelete
  18. If you would like to grow your familiarity only keep visiting this web
    site and be updated with the most up-to-date information posted here.


    Feel free to visit my site - NFL Jerseys Cheap

    ReplyDelete
  19. What's Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I've found It absolutely useful and it has helped
    me out loads. I'm hoping to give a contribution & aid different users like its aided me. Good job.

    Feel free to surf to my web page - Read Full Article

    ReplyDelete
  20. Greetings I am so glad I found your site, I really found you by accident, while I was
    searching on Digg for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks for a tremendous post
    and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don't have time to read through it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the superb job.

    Also visit my web blog ... ngosummit.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you, I've recently been looking for info approximately this subject for a while and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you positive about the supply?

    Also visit my web blog ... Chaussure De Foot Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  22. This site was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found
    something that helped me. Kudos!

    My blog Abercrombie France

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi everybody, here every person is sharing such
    familiarity, so it's pleasant to read this website, and I used to go to see this web site everyday.

    Feel free to visit my web site :: Oakley Frogskins

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hurrah, that's what I was seeking for, what a information! present here at this website, thanks admin of this website.

    my web blog; ngosummit.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. magnificent issues altogether, you simply gained a logo new reader.

    What could you recommend about your submit that you just
    made a few days in the past? Any sure?

    my web-site - Read More Here

    ReplyDelete