Does Christmas Eve Mass Fulfill the Christmas Day Obligation?

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catholic03

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Hello

I will be on holiday over Christmas. My parents have said that they will not go to Mass on Christmas Day, only Christmas Eve. I do not yet have my own car so it will be impossible to go alone.

Does the Christmas Eve Mass fulfill the Christmas Obligation?

God Bless.
 
Yes. Generally speaking, any Mass 4:00 pm or afterwards fulfills the obligation of the next day. There are isolated cases of Masses even earlier in the day fulfilling the obligation by indult (e.g., the cathedral in Las Vegas).
 
“Christmas Eve” is not, strictly speaking, the liturgical name of a day, but the Mass for Tuesday of the IV Week of Advent (which will be celebrated on the morning of the 24th) would not fulfill your Christmas obligation. The Christmas Vigil, which is celebrated before or after Evening Prayer I on the 24th, would do so.

And I expect that is what your parents mean, and that you will be fine.
catholic03 said:
I do not yet have my own car so it will be impossible to go alone.
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In the event that plans change somehow, your will not be obligated to do the impossible.
 
The Vigil Mass of the Nativity of the Lord is the liturgical name.

Of course, without special dispensation, mass in the morning of the 24th is not considered a vigil.
 
catholic03 said:
My parents have said that they will not go to Mass on Christmas Day, only Christmas Eve. I do not yet have my own car so it will be impossible to go alone.

Does the Christmas Eve Mass fulfill the Christmas Obligation?
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On Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts of our Lord (like Christmas), the Church follows the ancient custom of starting the liturgical day at sunset (codified as 16:00), rather than at midnight. So mass on Christmas eve falls during the Feast of the Nativity, and thus fulfills the obligation.
 
GordonP said:
On Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts of our Lord (like Christmas), the Church follows the ancient custom of starting the liturgical day at sunset (codified as 16:00)
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No.
GordonP said:
rather than at midnight. So mass on Christmas eve falls during the Feast of the Nativity, and thus fulfills the obligation.
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Reiterate: If the Mass is late enough in the day.
 
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If it´s vigil Mass then it fulfills the obligation because you´ll be celebrating the Liturgy of the next day. But if it´s not a Vigil then it doesn´t fulfill the obligation.
 
Kima said:
If it´s vigil Mass then it fulfills the obligation because you´ll be celebrating the Liturgy of the next day. But if it´s not a Vigil then it doesn´t fulfill the obligation.
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Any Mass at or after the approved hour fulfills the obligation. If the approved hour is 4pm, a 5pm nuptial Mass would fulfill the obligation even if the readings aren’t those for next day.

In 2017, Christmas Day fell on a Monday. One could have attended the Vigil on Sunday evening to fulfill the obligation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (but would then have needed to go to another Mass on Monday to fulfill the obligation for Christmas).
 
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catholic03 said:
Hello

I will be on holiday over Christmas. My parents have said that they will not go to Mass on Christmas Day, only Christmas Eve. I do not yet have my own car so it will be impossible to go alone.

Does the Christmas Eve Mass fulfill the Christmas Obligation?

God Bless.
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Yes when not in the morning.

CIC (Canon Law)
Can. 1248.1 A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.
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http://www.canonlaw.info/2008/11/time-period-for-fulfilling-sunday.html
 
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Kima said:
If it´s vigil Mass then it fulfills the obligation because you´ll be celebrating the Liturgy of the next day. But if it´s not a Vigil then it doesn´t fulfill the obligation.
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While going to the Christmas Vigil Mass satisfies the Holy day obligation, it should be noted that the Christmas Vigil Mass is not the same Mass as Christmas Day. It is one of the feasts with a true Vigil. Whereas a Sunday Mass on Sunday evening isn’t really a Vigil Mass -it is just the Sunday Mass celebrated on Sunday evening- the Christmas Vigil Mass is different than the day Mass, with different readings and propers.

There are in fact 4 distinct Christmas Masses, all of which fulfill the obligation, but which are all different:
  1. Mass in the evening, any time after 1st Vespers;
  2. Mass in the night aka Midnight Mass:
  3. Mass at dawn;
  4. Christmas Mass.
There is also Vigils of Christmas, the Office of Readings (or Vigils in monasteries) celebrated in the evening. It does not fulfill the obligation as it’s not a Mass, but is usually celebrated just prior to Midnight Mass. You’ll only likely encounter it in religious communities though.
 
It may. Remember Christmas Eve is the name commonly given to 24th December. This year it falls on a Tuesday so everything before Vespers is Tuesday in 4th week of Advent, which is a feria. Therefore, going to a 10am Mass on Christmas Eve would not fulfil the obligation. However, with first Vespers the Nativity of the Lord starts and so a Mass in the evening would fulfil the obligation. The Church provides four* Masses for the Nativity. On 24th December there is a Mass that can be celebrated in the late afternoon or early evening before or after Vespers called the Vigil Mass. Then there is one for late evening called Midnight Mass although many places celebrate it earlier than midnight. The same rule applies to Christmas Day (the Nativity of the Lord) as to any holy day of obligation: the obligation is fulfilled if you go to a Eucharist in any rite in any Catholic sui iuris church on the day itself or the evening before.

(*The other two are Dawn Mass for early morning use on Christmas Day and the Day Mass for the rest of Christmas Day.)
 
Perhaps, I haven’t checked in my missal; but. that was not the main point: the main point is that there are 4 different Masses for Christmas, though all fulfill the obligation.
 
OldCAFMember said:
Another Christmas tradition, the annual Christmas Mass obligation question.
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To be followed next Spring by the annual Easter Vigil Mass obligation question. I do not understand how someone who knows about and comes to CAF can be confused about such prominent liturgical practices.
 
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