Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The meaning of the celebration

+ Since the fourth century, Christians in the West have celebrated the feast of the Nativity of Christ on the 25^th day of December.

+ Marking the beginning of the Christmas Season, the Church celebrates the three comings of Christ: in history in his birth in Bethlehem, in mystery as he is born within us each day, and in majesty as we celebrate that he will come again at the end of time.

+ The Christmas Season begins at sundown on December 24 and continues until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday following the Epiphany.

For prayer and reflection

“The Christmas manger, the first message of the divine Child, tells us that God is with us, he loves us and he seeks us. So take heart! Do not allow yourself to be overcome by fear, resignation or discouragement. God was born in a manger so that you could be reborn in the very place where you thought you had hit rock bottom. There is no evil, there is no sin, from which Jesus does not want to save you. And he can. Christmas means that God is close to us: let confidence be reborn!”—Pope Francis

Spiritual Bonus

On December 25, the Church also remembers the martyr Saint Anastasia. According to tradition, Anastasia cared for Christians who were in prison during the persecution of Diocletian, she eventually traveled to Aquileia to minister to the persecuted Christians there; for this reason she is honored as “Anastasia the Healer” by the Eastern Churches. She was eventually arrested and executed around the year 304.  Devotion to Saint Anastasia dates back to the time of her martyrdom and she is mentioned in the Roman Canon (the First Eucharistic Prayer). For centuries, the Pope sang the second Mass of Christmas in the Roman Church dedicated to her memory.

Religious Life

To learn about communities named for the Savior and the mystery of the Lord’s Nativity, visit the links below.

For men:

-The Society of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorian Priests and Brothers): www.salvatorians.com

For women:

-The Sisters of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorian Sisters): www.sistersofthedivinesavior.org

-The Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus: www.hhcj.org

-The Society of the Holy Child Jesus: www.sjch.org/american

-The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus: www.fmijusa.org

-The Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of the Infant Jesus of Prague: www.carmeloftraverscity.org

-The Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of the Infant Jesus of Prague and Our Lady of Guadalupe: www.carmelsanantonio.org

-The Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of the Infant Jesus: www.lufkintxnuns.org

-The Benedictine Sisters of Emmanuel Monastery (Lutherville, MD): www.emmanuelosb.org

- The Carmelite Community of the Word: www.ccwsisters.org

Prayer

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, as we are bathed in the new radiance of your incarnate Word,
the light of faith, which illumines our minds,
may also shine through in our deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Christmas Mass “at Dawn”)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.