When we awaken on the day before Christmas, the Church gives us these words immediately following the cry, “Lord, open my lips,” which commences Morning Prayer (Lauds): “Today you will know the Lord is coming, and in the morning you will see his glory” (Antiphon for the Invitatory Psalm).
For me, Christmas eve day has always been a day of great anticipation, and as a priest since 1991, I have experienced special joy in celebrating the morning Mass on this day. I learned this expectation from my mother, for whom this day was her favorite of the entire Church year. I grew up with the sense that this day was singular because of the special celebration to which it led, Christmas. Yet this anticipative day might be said to have a quiet, contemplative dimension to it, something that can prove elusive with all the activity and festivity of Christmas day. In this silence we can hear the Lord say, speaking about us as his beloved, “I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart” (Hosea 2:16).
What is the expectancy of Advent which comes to its crescendo this morning? Today’s Gospel, the Canticle of Zechariah, captures it: the Lord “has come to his people to set them free.” To liberate us from whatever holds us captive, especially our sins. Hence the words of Mother Seton: “Of the past, nothing should remain but sorrow for sin; of the future, nothing anticipated but the hope of heaven.” To bring salvation. “To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” To Jesus, so named because God “will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Yes, “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us.” This is the joy of Christmas eve day.
