A short Advent?

[rciadan]

This year, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas eve. Does this mean that Advent is over on the Satuday before, leaving us one Sunday short?

Or do we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent in the morning and have the Christmas vigil that night>

I have told my wife that it is the latter, but she does not believe me…

Anyone have a definitive answer?

 

[SMHW]

This year, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas eve. Does this mean that Advent is over on the Satuday before, leaving us one Sunday short?

Or do we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent in the morning and have the Christmas vigil that night?

I can’t give you a complete answer because I’ve heard various times of day mentioned, but I do know that liturgically, Christmas ‘Eve’ does not begin until some time in the afternoon of December 24. The morning of December 24 may be popularly known as “Christmas Eve” but it is liturgically not so.

 

[Sr_Sally]

My parish calendar has the 4th Sunday of Advent and the vigil of Christmas on the same day. So based on the Mass schedule, I’d say it was the 4th Sunday up until about 5pm when it becomes the vigil.

This year, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas eve. Does this mean that Advent is over on the Satuday before, leaving us one Sunday short?

Or do we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent in the morning and have the Christmas vigil that night>

I have told my wife that it is the latter, but she does not believe me…

Anyone have a definitive answer?

 

[puzzleannie]

Sunday Dec. 24 is the 4th Sunday of Advent, that is the Mass that will be celebrated that morning. Christmas begins at Midnight, with, yup, Midnight Mass. In areas where the bishop has given permission for the Masses of the Vigil of Christmas to satisfay the obligation for the Holy Day, any Masses Sunday evening will be Christmas Masses, so will Midnight Mass, and any Masses on Christmas Day, the 25th. We are obligated to go to Mass on Sunday for the 4th Sun. of Advent (or Saturday evening where the anticipated Mass is permitted), and again for Christmas.

 

[jmcrae]

Our parish priest has neatly solved this dilemma by cancelling our afternoon Sunday Masses altogether. In our case, it will be the Fourth Sunday of Advent from the Vigil on Saturday afternoon until noon on Sunday.

Christmas Vigil will take place at 7:00 pm, and we will have Midnight Mass of Christmas, Dawn Mass at dawn, and Christmas Day Masses until noon of Christmas day.

We will be obligated to attend one of the four available Fourth Sunday of Advent Masses between Vigil of Sunday (which takes place on Saturday afternoon) and noon on the 24th, plus one of the five available Christmas Masses, from the Vigil of Christmas at 7:00 pm on Sunday until noon on Christmas Day.

 

[John_Lilburne]

The Fourth Sunday of Advent is on the Sunday.

 

[rciadan]

Sunday Dec. 24 is the 4th Sunday of Advent, that is the Mass that will be celebrated that morning. Christmas begins at Midnight, with, yup, Midnight Mass. In areas where the bishop has given permission for the Masses of the Vigil of Christmas to satisfay the obligation for the Holy Day, any Masses Sunday evening will be Christmas Masses, so will Midnight Mass, and any Masses on Christmas Day, the 25th. We are obligated to go to Mass on Sunday for the 4th Sun. of Advent (or Saturday evening where the anticipated Mass is permitted), and again for Christmas.

This is what seems the most reasonable to me. Thanks for such a quick response! Praise God for all of you!

 

[Psalm45_9]

See the issue is that Sunday really doesn’t end until nightfall, evening is still considered Sunday, unlike on Saturday where evening is considered Sunday (hence the anticipated Mass). This is why parishes can offer Evening Masses on Sunday that still fullfill the obligation. So in technicallity Christmas doesn’t begin until Midnight this year, other years it begins at Sunset. Like others had said, the Bishop needs to provide permission this year for a Sunday Evening Vigil Mass for Christmas and I’m sure most Dioceses will do this, since most parishes usually have a Vigil Mass for Christmas. Regardless, you’re going to have to go to Mass two times in a row this year, once for the Fourth Sunday in Advent and another for Christmas.

On a side note the same usually applies to Solemnities unless they occur on Saturdays during Advent or Lent. A Solemnity begins on the preceding evening and ends at Midnight on the following day. (Even Compline is altered for the Solemnity.) I had to ask this question in June because the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist fell on a Saturday this year and was preceded by the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.

 

[LuxAurumque]

This is what my parish’s schedule looks like:
**
2006 Christmas Mass Schedule:**
**
Saturday 23 December 2006**
(Normal weekend Mass Schedule)
3:30 pm Confessions
5:00 pm Sung Mass
Fourth Sunday of Advent, 24 December 2006
7:30 am Low Mass
9:00 am Sung Mass
11:00 am Solemn Mass
11:00 am Maronite Divine Liturgy* (Gallivan Hall)*
1:00 pm Spanish Mass
Christmas Eve, Sunday 24 December 2006
4:30 pm Youth Choir Carol Program in the gym
5:00 pm English Mass in the gym for families with children
5:00 pm English Mass in the church
7:00 pm English Mass in the church
11:00 pm Office of Readings
12 midnight Solemn English Mass in the church
12 midnight Maronite Divine Liturgy in Gallivan Hall
Christmas Day, Monday 25 December 2006
9:00 am English Mass in the church
11:00 am Solemn English Mass in the church
1:00 pm Spanish Mass in the church

 

[cathsem]

See the issue is that Sunday really doesn’t end until nightfall, evening is still considered Sunday, unlike on Saturday where evening is considered Sunday (hence the anticipated Mass). This is why parishes can offer Evening Masses on Sunday that still fullfill the obligation. So in technicallity Christmas doesn’t begin until Midnight this year, other years it begins at Sunset. Like others had said, the Bishop needs to provide permission this year for a Sunday Evening Vigil Mass for Christmas and I’m sure most Dioceses will do this, since most parishes usually have a Vigil Mass for Christmas.

Strictly speaking, this is incorrect. According to the liturgical books (I am looking at my breviary), the rubrics for the Fourth Sunday of Advent say to take everything from December 24th if this Sunday falls on the 24th, as it does this year. Therefore, Evening Prayer II for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is trumped by Evening Prayer I of Christmas Day, which as a major solemnity of the Lord takes precedence over it. As a result, the Fourth Sunday of Advent concludes the around 4 pm on Christmas Eve, and Christmas begins.

 

[Digitonomy]

In areas where the bishop has given permission for the Masses of the Vigil of Christmas to satisfay the obligation for the Holy Day

There may be permission needed for Christmas masses to be offered on the vigil, I’m not sure what the rules are on that. However, no permission is required from the bishop in order to fulfill your Holy Day obligation at any mass Christmas eve, as that is specified in Canon Law (1248).

The obligation of assisting at Mass is satisfied wherever Mass is celebrated in a catholic rite either on a holyday itself or on the evening of the previous day.

 

[Chatter163]

No permission is needed for Christmas Vigil Masses; the missal specifically provides for them.

 

[JMJDevotee]

My priest has stated thus:

Attend Sat Vigil or Sun am (8:30) for 4th Sunday in Advent on 12/23-24.

Attend Christmas Eve Vigil 4:30-(childrens liturgy) or 7pm

Attend Midnight Mass or Christmas Day (11am)

So my weekend will be busy. I am taking my kids to 8:30 am ofor Advent Sunday, 4:30 pm Vigil (Children’s liturgy for my toddler), 7 pm Vigil-teens in belle choir, 11 am Christmas Day.

Is this wrong??

Pax vobiscum

 

[Digitonomy]

So my weekend will be busy. I am taking my kids to 8:30 am ofor Advent Sunday, 4:30 pm Vigil (Children’s liturgy for my toddler), 7 pm Vigil-teens in belle choir, 11 am Christmas Day.

Is this wrong??Pax vobiscum

Nothing wrong with that. Sounds like a busy but holy weekend. Keep in mind that you may not receive the Eucharist more than twice on Sunday, even though you’ll be attending three masses that day.

 

[JMJDevotee]

Thanks, I did not know that. I think we can forgo the Children’s liturgy for the Blessed Sacrament. My 4 y/o can’t have it and the mass is geared for the kids.

Pax Vobiscum

 

[Mommyof02green]

This is what the bulletin for my parish said regarding
Sunday Dec 24.

Mass times:
Sunday Dec 24: 9:00 Am Mass and 11:00 Am Mass- 4th Sunday of Advent.

Sunday Dec 24: 5:00 pm Mass: Christmas Vigil
Monday Dec 25: Midnight Mass; 9:00 Am and 11:00 Am: Christmas

That means that on Sunday Dec 24 the 9:00 Am and 11:00 Am are for Advent and ONLY Advent.

The 5:00 pm on Sunday Night “counts” for Christmas and ONLY Christmas.

We are going to Church 9:00 Am Sunday Morning (4th Sunday of Advent); and then we are going again on Christmas Morning (Dec 25) at 9:00 Am.

OP, check with your parish. They will be happy to tell you what Mass times are for what: if it is Christmas Mass or 4th Sunday of Advent Mass. That might help you with your wife God Bless.

 

[Digitonomy]

This is what the bulletin for my parish said regarding
Sunday Dec 24.
The 5:00 pm on Sunday Night “counts” for Christmas and ONLY Christmas.

With all due respect to the editor of your bulletin, he’s wrong. You may fulfill your Sunday obligation anytime between midnight Saturday night and midnight Sunday night. And that’s not even mentioning the Saturday evening option. See the text of Canon 1248 quoted in my post #11 above.

I do, however, sympathize with parishes trying to minimize enormous crowds at the Christmas vigil mass by trying to discourage people from using it for their Sunday obligation.

 

[Mommyof02green]

I do, however, sympathize with parishes trying to minimize enormous crowds at the Christmas vigil mass by trying to discourage people from using it for their Sunday obligation.

Well that could every well be the case, seeing we also have a 5:00 pm Mass Saturday Night.

My home parish is the Cathedral and it draws huge numbers of people at Christmas, because of the Bishop being present.

I know for a Cathedral we are on the smaller side our church seats 900 people. So at Christmas and Easter it becomes standing room only, actually any time the Bishop is present it becomes standing room only.

 

[Mommyof02green]

With all due respect to the editor of your bulletin, he’s wrong. You may fulfill your Sunday obligation anytime between midnight Saturday night and midnight Sunday night. And that’s not even mentioning the Saturday evening option. See the text of Canon 1248 quoted in my post #11 above.

I do, however, sympathize with parishes trying to minimize enormous crowds at the Christmas vigil mass by trying to discourage people from using it for their Sunday obligation.

I read this in another thread:

The answer to the question at the link is confusing. It says that going to Sunday Mass in the evening (after 4pm) of the 24th would not fullfil the Christmas Obligation. Yes it would because any Mass after 4 PM on the 24th would be required to be a Christmas Vigil Mass and use the Christmas Vigil readings. A person could fullfil their Sunday obligation at an evening Christmas Vigil Mass. Because the Sunday obligation only requires that it be a valid Mass begun in any Rite after Midnight Sunday morning (12:00:00am) and completed before 11:59:59pm Sunday night.

They would then need to return to either Christmas midnight, a Christmas Morning or a Christmas daytime Mass to fullfil their Christmas obligation.

This may also explain why things were written the way they were in our parish bulletin.

If the person went to the Christmas Vigil it could count for the Sunday Obligation, but then they should come back again at Midnight or Christmas Morning to fullfil the Christmas obligation.

Space is limited in the bulletin. So it may of been a short way to say that ONE Mass should not fulfil both obligations. That you should to go to 2 Masses: One for Sunday and One for Christmas.
Rev. Mark J. Gantley:

The 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas are both holy days of obligation. There are two distinct obligations. The obligation to attend Mass for the Sunday can be fulfilled either Saturday evening after 4:00 p.m. and/or Sunday during the day. The olbigation to attend Mass for Christmas can be fulfilled either Christmas eve after 4:00 p.m. or on Christmas day at any time.

One must go to Mass twice. One may fulfill both obligations by going to Mass Sunday morning for Sunday and Sunday evening for Christmas.

Source: ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=488407&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2006&Author=&Keyword=Christmas&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=14&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=
Q and A from EWTN:

Is it proper for Catholics to attend mass Sunday night December 24,2006, this year, to count for both Sunday and Christmas Obligation?

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis:

Bob, Yes, it is the minimal legal satisfaction for what the Church asks. But I surely don’t recommend nor commend it. Almighty God sent his only Son to live and die for us sinners; we ought to be more generous with Him. Fr. Bob Levis

Source: ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=487359&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2006&Author=&Keyword=Christmas&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=46&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

My parish might be tellings us to do something beyond the “MINIMAL”… Refreshing, in my opinion!