tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042631582742408864.post170049085951849692..comments2017-12-31T09:21:27.153+00:00Comments on Holy Family Guild: Light the Christmas candle, The Holy One is Bornall_4_gzushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01815114731224885181noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8042631582742408864.post-47806974064347994032010-12-29T21:45:32.259+00:002010-12-29T21:45:32.259+00:00We used to love being able to attend Midnight Mass...We used to love being able to attend Midnight Mass (and enjoyed the build-up towards it during the evening). Now that we've got a baby and another on the way, the 6pm Vigil Mass is our only option, but this does have the advantages of being packed with young children and of all participants being sober, and also of us being able to get enough sleep before Mass at 9am or 10am on Christmas Day.<br /><br />The main problem we've found with the 6pm Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve is that because almost everyone in the parish attends it, the Christmas Morning Mass is eerily deserted. On the plus side, the silence at this Mass really helps one to reflect on the Incarnation.<br /><br />What would be wonderful at Christmas is if parishes could do what the Neocatecumenate Way do at Easter, i.e. start with a Mass at sunset on the night before, and then pray through the night, finishing with another Mass at sunrise. The opening of presents and the big meal with the family could be deferred until the evening of Christmas Day in order to give people a chance to get a few hours' sleep after the all-night vigil.all_4_gzushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815114731224885181noreply@blogger.com