Midnight Mass: history, meaning and how it is celebrated in some places

This celebration is linked to the relic of the manger that is kept at the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore of Rome and its origin is very ancient, probably dating back to Pope Sixtus III in the 5th century.

What day is the Midnight Mass celebrated?

Nowadays, the Midnight Mass is not necessarily celebrated at midnight, but the Vatican has changed its schedule, and it is generally celebrated before midnight on Christmas Eve. In any case, the time at which the Midnight Mass is celebrated does not detract from its value, as long as we keep the prayers and the meaning of the Christian Christmas.

What is the Midnight Mass?

The Midnight Mass is one of the most cherished traditions of the liturgy. It takes place in an atmosphere of joy and hope. The liturgy highlights the importance of the birth of Christ as the Savior, bringing with him the promise of redemption and the reconciliation of humanity with God.

During the celebration we read the Gospel of Luke 2:1-14, the passage that narrates the birth in Bethlehem of the Son of God and the announcement to the shepherds, which, together with Matthew's narration, inspired the representation of the Nativity scenes.

In the Midnight Mass we emphasize the symbolism of light in the darkness. The candles that are lit during the celebration represent the light of Christ that dispels the darkness of sin and ignorance. This symbolism reflects our belief in Jesus as the Light of the World.

Also introduced at Mass, celebrated by the Pope at the Vatican and elsewhere, is the custom of singing or reading, in the manner of a Christmas proclamation, the text of the Martyrology for Christmas Day, entitled The song of the Calenda. It traces all of history from the creation of the world to that moment, in the fullness of time, when the Word made his dwelling among us.

In addition to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Midnight Mass is also a time of spiritual preparation for the coming of the Savior. That is why it is advisable to participate in the Sacramental Confession as part of the preparation for receiving the Eucharist during Mass.

Finally, another very important detail, both in the Midnight Mass and in all Christmas celebrations, is the importance of the word today, which underlines that our celebration is a living and present event, and not a mere memory of the past.

Origin of the Midnight Mass

The history of the Midnight Mass goes back to Catholic tradition and has its roots in the liturgy of the Church. Most historians agree that it was Pope Sixtus III who, during the 5th century, instituted the custom of celebrating a midnight vigil Mass at midnight on the day of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. The celebration began with a midnight prayer, mox ut gallus cantaveritThe cock crowing, as this was the time of the beginning of the day for the ancient Romans.

On the other hand, the name of this celebration can also be related to the figure of the rooster, which in the Christian tradition symbolizes vigilance and the light that announces the new day. It is associated with the fact that the rooster crows at dawn, marking the beginning of a new day. In the context of the Mass of the Rooster, this symbolizes the arrival of Jesus as the Light of the World.

During the Middle Ages, the Mass of the Rooster was consolidated as a common practice in the liturgy of the Church. The connection between the rooster and the announcement of Jesus' birth was strengthened, and the Mass was traditionally scheduled in the early morning hours, representing the idea of light entering the darkness.

Over time, the Midnight Mass also became a popular tradition, and Christian communities began to participate in it as part of the Christmas celebrations. It became an opportunity for Christians to gather as a community to celebrate Christmas and reflect on the meaning of Christ's birth.

Today, the Midnight Mass is a fundamental part of Christmas celebrations for many of us. Pope Francis continues to celebrate this Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, just as Sixtus III did, while local churches and parishes maintain the tradition as well.

How is the Midnight Mass celebrated in other countries?

This celebration in Spain and around the world brings together entire communities. It is a time when we come together to collectively celebrate what the Holy Family represents for all Christians. Although the Midnight Mass varies in different places, and local traditions often influence the way it is carried out.

In Spain, the Misa del Gallo is also known as the Christmas Eve Mass. The offering is accompanied by family celebrations and community activities. After Mass, it is common for people to share a special Christmas Eve dinner with family and friends. Others also have dinner before and celebrate Mass at midnight.

In Mexico, to celebrate the Misa del Gallo (Midnight Mass), churches are usually beautifully decorated for the occasion. After Mass, people participate in the Posada, a procession that represents Mary and Joseph's search for an inn. The procession is followed by festive celebrations with music, dancing and food.

In Italy, the Midnight Mass is known as the "Misa del Gallo". la Messa di Mezzanotte (Midnight Mass). The celebration includes traditional music and singing. After the Mass, many Italian families gather for a festive dinner known as la Vigil Dinner which often includes fish dishes.

In Poland, the Midnight Mass is known as the Pasterka. Many people attend Mass in the hope of experiencing a moment of tranquility and reflection. After the Mass, Polish families share the WigiliaThe Christmas Eve dinner begins with the appearance of the first star in the sky.

These are just a few examples, and the Midnight Mass may have variations and particularities in different regions and cultures. The diversity of these celebrations reflects the richness of Christmas traditions around the world.

In case we cannot attend the Midnight Mass, but we do not want to miss it, it can be followed live on the Vatican's official channel and at Vatican Newswhich broadcasts it live from St. Peter's Basilica.

How to live Christmas?

The meaning of Christmas He brought the truth, the good, the light and the peace that the world needs. He came to free all men and women from the tyrannies that sin brings with it. He offered his life also for his persecutors and for those who hated him, so that they too could attain salvation. So that they could have a happy and lasting life.

That is why today's Christian Christmas

It is party It is a feast of love and freedom, of speaking freely and confidently of the good things that bubble up in the heart, without flinching in the face of adverse environments. A good time to recognize how good and joyful is the reality of marriage and family, how beautiful the smile of a child, how tender the affectionate gaze of a sick grandfather who barely babbles. An opportunity to look at the society in which we live with realism and joy: although there is no lack of difficulties, there is much that can be done to build, with the efforts of all, a world worth living in.

"Jesus, You, lying in a manger, are the bread of my life."
Pope Francis Homily Christmas Mass 2018

Christian Christmas

Bring a invitation to all men of good will so that we may reconsider, so that, respecting the differences, opinions and ways of being of each one of us, let's look for decidedly the important thing: the true good of every human being, above personal selfishness. It is a feast of optimism, light, reconciliation, joy and peace.

"Christmas is you when you illuminate with your life the path of kindness, patience, joy and generosity."
Pope Francis

A few tips

And such optimism, joy and peace will be real if let Jesus be born in our heartsto enlighten them.

These tips are:
a) Put on the nativity scene and explain it to the children, and pray there, reliving the scene.
b) Go to the Midnight Massor take special care of the Mass of that day. Preparing well with a good confession
c) Give something of ourselves to those in need, especially of our time and affection for our family and those close to us.

Mr. Francisco Varo Pineda
Research Director
University of Navarra
Faculty of Theology
Professor of Sacred Scripture

Forum: Benedict XVI, Faith and Reason

What do we talk about in this forum?

On Thursday, December 14, the Omnes Forum "Benedict XVI. La razón y la fe" with the priest Pablo Blanco, winner of the Ratzinger Prize 2023 in November of this year. The colloquium was moderated by Juan Manuel Burgos, president of the Spanish Association of Personalism.

Klinema: enjoy family movies without scares

Parental control of movies

In the digital age, audiovisual entertainment has reached incredible heights, but for parents, trainers, catechists or teachers, the task of filtering inappropriate content can be a challenge, with hardly any parental control tools available. It is against this backdrop that Klinema, an innovative application that offers a filtering solution with values to support entertainment family.

Methos Media

Methos Mediathe company behind Klinema, is dedicated to audiovisual sponsorship and has as its main objective to satisfy the demands of those who are seeking contents and guidance centered on strong and stable family values. With more than a thousand recommended titles, Klinema stands as a beacon for those who want to enjoy a entertainment audiovisual in line with its principles and lifestyle.

Klinema: parental controls how they work

Before diving into a movie, series, or documentary, users explore the catalog of Klinemawhich is constantly updated with the latest news. The application's team of filterers meticulously analyzes each title, classifying them into three levels of intensity and parental control according to their content of violence, sex or profanity.

Three levels of filters

The user has full control by applying one of the three levels of filters offered and setting parental controls. They can enjoy movies or series with "skips" or "silences" in places containing unwanted scenes. In addition, each movie or series tab allows users to add comments on possible filters that might be missing.

Subscription for 24 euros

The annual subscription is priced at 24 euros and allows users to enjoy a wide range of content conveniently screened to exclude inappropriate elements.

Supported systems

It is currently compatible with Google Chrome and Firefoxand works to be compatible with Android TV, giving users more options to enjoy entertainment on their favorite streaming platforms.

For parents looking for a tool to protect their child's account on streaming platforms.

If you subscribe to Klinema, you can watch movies, series and documentaries on your own streaming account (Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, etc.) with the ability to avoid content (violence, sex, profanity) that you do not want thanks to parental controls.

Presentation of the book on the bishop who never took office

Vicente Escrivá SalvadorD. in Humanities (Contemporary History), has conducted a thorough investigation to do justice to a bishop who was never able to take possession of his mitre due to the supporters of Spanish republicanism in the early twentieth century.

A smoking miter

The frustrated appointment of the Dominican friar Bernardino NozaledaThe last archbishop of Manila under Spanish rule, as archbishop of Valencia. Republicans and liberals lit their torches and, shouting "Death to Maura, death to Nozaleda! they inflamed their hosts so that the prelate would neither set foot on Valencian soil nor take possession of his mitre and crosier. And they succeeded.explains Vicente Escrivá in the synopsis of his book: A smoking miter. Bernardino Nozaleda, Archbishop of Valencia. Casus belli for Spanish Republicanism. (EUNSA).

Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated by the author to the CARF Foundation. The general director of the Foundation, Luis Alberto Rosales, presented the author of this story on November 22 at CaixaBank's All in One space in Plaza de Colón, in Madrid, in the presence of His Holiness' nuncio, Bernardito Auza and Cleopaswho, as a Filipino, wanted to tell the story of the last Spanish archbishop of Manila.

The textbook disaster of '98

It is not a religious book, nor about Nozaleda's biography. "It is a book of historical-political themes. It deals with how the instrumentalization of an ecclesiastical appointment served to try to overthrow the so-called 'Short Government' (1903-1904) of Antonio Maura by broad sectors, both of the Liberal Party (Segismundo Moret, the Count of Romanones, José Canalejas...) and of republicanism, both national (Miguel Morayta, Lerroux) and Valencian (Blasco Ibáñez, Rodrigo Soriano). The 'odium against Maura' was channeled through the 'odium' against Nozaleda," explains Vicente Escrivá.

The Disaster of '98 shocked the country, plunging it into a political, moral and cultural pessimism that would mark and give its name to a whole generation of intellectuals and writers of the time. The republicans, through a 'well-armed' press characterized by its Jacobin anticlericalism, mobilizations and rallies held throughout the length and breadth of the Peninsula, attacked the constitutional regime and everything it represented, in particular the monarchy and the Catholic Church.

evento libro mitra humeante — smoking miter book event

Last Archbishop of Manila

"The Disaster of '98 did not overthrow the Government, nor did it give rise to a revolutionary process (as in 1830 or 1848), nor was the monarch executed, nor did he go into exile. This disaster had to find some culprits for that hecatomb that shook the country. And those were the friars, called by the anticlericalism of the time as yugo frailuno. And Bernardino Nozaleda was the last Spanish archbishop of Manila, being present there when the plaza surrendered. He was the perfect scapegoat," says the author of the book, who holds a master's degree in Modern History from the University of Valencia.

There has not been a similar case in the contemporary history of Spain: a bishop who cannot take office for political reasons. "Yes, there were some vacant sees due to various circumstances. But no bishop was prevented from taking possession of his mitre, once his appointment was agreed upon by the Vatican and the Government of the day. And even less with death threats if he dared to step on Valencian soil. In fact, Blasco Ibáñez even exhibited a pistol in the Congress of Deputies warning that if Nozaleda stepped on Valencia blood would be spilled in its streets. This is transcribed in the diary of sessions and anyone can consult it", Vicente Escrivá points out.

Anti-clericalism in Spain

The author intends with this book to make known some facts that as Spaniards and also for the Valencians we should know. In addition, according to his research, Freemasonry had a role in these events. It is given the circumstance that, although the Philippines is the third country in number of Catholics, it also increases the number of Catholics in the world. the number of the faithful in the dioceses who join Masonic lodgesFor this reason, the Dicastery for the Faith has published a brief note recalling the incompatibility between Catholicism and Freemasonry.

"The Masons will embody the first manifestations of anticlericalism in liberal Spain, which will give it a radical character, unlike the British Rite Freemasonry. This meant that in time it became incompatible to be a republican and a Catholic at the same time. Freemasonry became an anti-monarchical, anti-Christian, anti-religious revolutionary force. Its cult of secrecy, its complex rituals and its symbology exerted an unquestionable influence on the liberal elites," explains the author of the book.

Bishop Nozaleda fought against Freemasonry

Bishop Nozaleda fought with the courage and zeal of a pastor against Freemasonry in the Philippines. He sent several communications to the successive governors general of the Philippines in which he denounced the maneuvers orchestrated by Freemasonry and the Katipunan (a secret revolutionary association founded by Andres Bonifacio) to prevent Catholic worship, intimidate rural parish priests and carry out all kinds of activities aimed at de-Christianizing the Filipino people. by means of heterodox printed sheets and pamphlets, in which the mysteries of Religion are attacked in a coarse style, and its ministers insulted in various ways..

The book tells how the Spanish Masons never forgave him and when he was recommended to occupy the prestigious Valentina seat, they decided to settle accounts, accusing him of being a traitor and colluding with the enemy.

Today, the most reliable historiography does not question the The role that Freemasonry played in connection with the independence of the Philippines was prominent. Perhaps it was not the determining factor, but it was one of the main contributing factors. And there are the sources to corroborate it since, as the British historian Eric Hobsbawm said: "bad history is not harmless history. It is dangerous."said Vicente Escrivá.

His defense in the Supreme Court

Nozaleda, despite defending himself in the Supreme Court for all the slander against him, (he won the trial) could not take possession of his title and never got to pastor the archdiocese of Valencia.

To avoid further political complications, Nozaleda presented his resignation on May 15, 1905 and it was immediately accepted. Pope St. Pius X, praised his gesture and named him titular archbishop of Petra, and the Dominican priest was able to teach at the Convent of St. Thomas of Avila and later at the Convent of the Rosary in Madrid, where he died as archbishop of Petra. He was senator for the Archdiocese of Valencia in the legislature of 1922-1923.

Set foot on Valencian soil

Escrivá's book also tells how he had the opportunity to visit Valencia on the occasion of the festivities held in 1923 for the canonical coronation of the Virgin of the Forsaken, without the slightest protest against his presence in the city.

Years later, the Count of Romanones himself wrote: "As the years went by, I often saw Nozaleda strolling through the most solitary fronds of the Retiro; upon discovering his haughty bearing and his white stole, I remembered those days of parliamentary tempest where he was so badly treated".

The ring of Alfonso XIII

When he died in 1927, at the age of eighty-two, he was wearing the ring that Alfonso XIII gave him as a gift when he was proclaimed Archbishop of Valencia. One of the first to visit his mortuary chapel was the former military governor of the Philippines, Captain General Valeriano Weyler, accompanied by his sons.

He could not even rest in peace. Misfortune followed him to his grave. He wanted to be buried next to his beloved and venerated master, Cardinal Ceferino González, in the convent of Ocaña. At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War his tomb was desecrated, his mortal remains were lost and the convent was converted into a garage and workshop.

Prologue of the book by Don Antonio Cañizares

The book is prefaced by the Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, Don Antonio Cañizares, who says: "The biography of the Dominican Fr. Bernardino Nozaleda Villa (San Andrés de Cueña, 1844 - Madrid, 1927), like that of other ecclesiastical figures between the 19th and 20th centuries, is a constant story of personal and pastoral self-improvement in the service of the Church.

In 1889 Leo XIII appointed him archbishop of Manila, where he carried out a great pastoral work visiting the diocese, counteracting the attacks on the Church by the anticlerical press and carrying out an important humanitarian action, especially during the siege of Manila by the American army. This delicate situation that the island was living led him to ask for his resignation, which was accepted by Rome in 1902 and, although he was proposed as archbishop of Valencia, a fierce campaign against his appointment and the unjustified accusations of having collaborated with the Americans in the loss of the Philippines, led him to resign again in 1905, and the Pope named him titular archbishop of Petra in compensation. The protests and the support of the Cardinal of Toledo, Blessed Ciriaco Maria Sancha, Archbishop of Valencia, were of no avail".

Marta SantínJournalist specializing in religious information.

A solidarity fashion show in a Seville store

The solidarity fashion show, in favor of the CARF Foundation, was held in the boutique of Aurora Viu. The event was attended by the mayor of the city of Seville, José Luis Sanz Ruiz, who wanted to accompany the businesswoman in celebrating her thirtieth anniversary in the world of fashion.

At half past eight in the evening, Gustavo Gallardo Street, 12 was a hive of people animated by the youth of the students who had to parade and who had spent a few hours rehearsing so that everything would go as planned.

Fashion and solidarity came together in this event. "Throughout my professional career I have organized many charity fashion shows, but this one, for the benefit of the CARF Foundation, is very special. Today, the training of priests is essential and we must all support it," says Aurora Viu, organizer of the fashion show that commemorated her 30th anniversary in the world of fashion.

This creative and supportive event was attended by the mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz Ruiz, as well as professionals in the field of fashion and business. The capacity was very limited to the capacity and space of the store that had to leave enough space for the models to parade comfortably. The solidarity fashion show could be followed live through the Instagram account, @auroraviumoda.

A fashion show with a lot of tradition

The fashion show was held at the Aurora Viu store, which offers women's and men's clothing, decorative objects, perfumes, classic shoes, trendy accessories, etc.

For years, Aurora has been organizing charity fashion shows, which have already acquired fame and tradition in the city. The businesswoman combines her love of fashion with the organization of events that can help and improve the lives of her clients and non-profit institutions.

The space of the store has several rooms, with a careful decoration. In one of them is located the area for events where all kinds of presentations that go with the profile of the boutique, from protocol classes to styling sessions, automatic makeup, etc. are held.

More than 20 young people in solidarity

The entire infrastructure for the solidarity parade was organized by the students of the Centro de Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores de Diseño (Center for Higher Artistic Design Education). Music, lighting, the audiovisual production and work plan, the streaming in the social networks, and, of course, the models who walked around with all the clothes. More than twenty boys and girls were in charge, gratis et amoreThe work was done with great professionalism, despite his youth, so that the solidarity fashion show came out with a high level of quality.

At the end of the three shows, they received a great applause and the mayor encouraged everyone to participate in the raffle by buying ballots and to enjoy the Spanish wine.

The creativity and support of the benefactors of the CARF Foundation knows no bounds. Thanks to all of them.