"Behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy!"

Brothers and sisters, the day of salvation is at hand! For this very night in our church, and in every church around the world, we will celebrate the Nativity of our Lord. As we approach this most holy night, please see below for our Christmas and New Year's Day Mass schedules. Outside of these Masses, the rest of our weekday and weekend Mass schedule continues as normal.

In the Church calendar, when there is one of the high holy days we have what is called an octave, or an eight day celebration. During this eight day period the Church celebrates each day as if it were still the holy day itself! So, from December 25 - January 1 the Church celebrates each day as if it were still Christmas Day. 

The Sunday within the Octave of Christmas is when we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The significance of this feast falling within the octave is that it allows us to continue to unpack the mysterious reality of Christmas and the Incarnation. Most specifically, it reminds us that somehow the God of the Universe, who is eternal and existed before time itself, has a human family, with a mother and a father and with a history containing scandals and hardships. In the genealogies that the Bible places before us, Jesus' family is filled with both good people as well as sinners, from terrible kings and liars to prostitutes. But despite all of that, through the good times and the bad times, the Son of God was still able to come forth!

So, as we prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to celebrate the birth of the Lord and all of the things that come along with that celebration, let us not forget the good news that no one is beyond the reach of God. He came to dwell among us; he inserted himself into a complicated family history; he lived in a nation filled with turmoil and injustice. So, let us pray that this Christmas, despite our own failures and those of our families, God's love may be born anew within us and that we may be his loving embrace to those most in need of it.

Want to prepare your heart and mind for the upcoming celebrations?

Click here to see the readings that will be used at the Christmas Masses.

Click here to find the readings for Sunday's Mass celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family.