December 24
Vigil of Christmas
Commemoration of the feria on Thursday in the Fourth Week of Advent
Today the Church observes the Vigil of Christmas, a day of profound anticipation and recollection in preparation for the solemn feast of the Nativity of the Lord. This vigil holds a place of the highest rank, setting it apart from other ferias and vigils throughout the year, and its liturgy is marked by a spirit of watchfulness, penance, and hope. Traditionally, the day is kept with fasting and abstinence, inviting the faithful to unite their hearts with the longing expressed by the patriarchs and prophets for the coming of the Messiah.
In the history of Christian worship, vigils—meaning periods of night watch or prayerful waiting—have always surrounded the Church’s greatest feasts, but the Vigil of Christmas is especially cherished as it marks not only the eve of the birth of Christ but also a spiritual crossing from the longing of Advent to the joyous realization of God’s Incarnation. The liturgical texts used on this day are characterized by somber tones and sense of expectation, culminating in the celebration of first Vespers, which shifts the mood from anticipation to joy as Christmas itself draws near.
Spiritually, the Vigil of Christmas recalls the silence and hiddenness of Bethlehem, and the readiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to receive God’s greatest gift. It encourages Christians to cultivate an interior silence and a humble, watchful heart, so as to be ready to welcome Christ anew. The liturgical customs of this day, including the Gospel readings and prayers, are focused not on the completed mystery of the Incarnation, but on the imminent arrival of the Redeemer. By keeping this vigil, the faithful are drawn more deeply into the mystery of salvation and the dawning light that dispels the darkness of a fallen world.
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Questions about Vigil of Christmas (Vetus Ordo Missae)
The liturgical day
IntroitPs 23:1
Latin
Exod 16:6; 16:7
Hódie sciétis, quia véniet Dóminus et salvábit nos: et mane vidébitis glóriam eius.
Ps 23:1
Dómini est terra, et plenitúdo eius: orbis terrárum, et univérsi, qui hábitant in eo.
℣. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
℟. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Hódie sciétis, quia véniet Dóminus et salvábit nos: et mane vidébitis glóriam eius.
English
Ex 16:6-7
This day you shall know that the Lord will come, and save us: and in the morning you shall see His glory.
Ps 23:1
The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
This day you shall know that the Lord will come, and save us: and in the morning you shall see His glory.
Collect
Latin
Deus, qui nos redemptiónis nostræ ánnua exspectatióne lætíficas: præsta; ut Unigénitum tuum, quem Redemptórem læti suscípimus, veniéntem quoque Iúdicem secúri videámus, Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum:
Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.
℟. Amen.
English
O God, You Who gladden us year after year with the expectation of our redemption, grant that we, who now welcome with joy Your only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may also gaze upon Him without fear when He comes as our judge, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who livest and reignest with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen
LessonRom 1:1-6
Latin
Lectio Epístolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Romános
Rom 1:1-6
Paulus, servus Iesu Christi, vocátus Apóstolus, segregátus in Evangélium Dei, quod ante promíserat per Prophétas suos in Scriptúris sanctis de Fílio suo, qui factus est ei ex sémine David secúndum carnem: qui prædestinátus est Fílius Dei in virtúte secúndum spíritum sanctificatiónis ex resurrectióne mortuórum Iesu Christi, Dómini nostri: per quem accépimus grátiam, et apostolátum ad obœdiéndum fídei in ómnibus géntibus pro nómine eius, in quibus estis et vos vocáti Iesu Christi, Dómini nostri.
℟. Deo grátias.
English
Lesson from the letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans
Rom 1:1-6
Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which He had promised before-hand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Who was born to Him according to the flesh of the offspring of David; Who was foreordained Son of God by an act of power in keeping with the holiness of His spirit, by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through Whom we have received the grace of apostleship to bring about obedience to faith among all the nations for His name’s sake; among whom are you also called to be Jesus Christ’s, our Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
GradualPs 79:2-3
Latin
Exod 16:6; 16:7
Hódie sciétis, quia véniet Dóminus et salvábit nos: et mane vidébitis glóriam eius.
Ps 79:2-3
Qui regis Israël, inténde: qui dedúcis, velut ovem, Ioseph: qui sedes super Chérubim, appáre coram Ephraim, Béniamin, et Manásse.
English
Exod 16:6-7
This day you shall know that the Lord will come and save us: and in the morning you shall see His glory.
Ps 79:2-3
℣. O Shepherd of Israel, hearken, O Guide of the flock of Joseph! From Your throne upon the Cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasse.
GospelMatt 1:18-21
Latin
℟. Glória tibi, Dómine.
Matt 1:18-21
Cum esset desponsáta Mater Iesu María Ioseph, ántequam convenírent, invénta est in útero habens de Spíritu Sancto. Ioseph autem, vir eius, cum esset iustus et nollet eam tradúcere, vóluit occúlte dimíttere eam. Hæc autem eo cogitánte, ecce, Angelus Dómini appáruit in somnis ei, dicens: Ioseph, fili David, noli timére accípere Maríam cóniugem tuam: quod enim in ea natum est, de Spíritu Sancto est. Páriet autem fílium, et vocábis nomen eius Iesum: ipse enim salvum fáciet pópulum suum a peccátis eórum.
English
℟. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Matt 1:18-21
When Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. But Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wishing to expose her to reproach, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Do not be afraid, Joseph, son of David, to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.
OffertoryPs 23:7
Latin
Ps 23:7
Tóllite portas, principes, vestras: et elevámini, portæ æternáles, et introíbit Rex glóriæ.
English
Ps 23:7
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the King of glory may come in.
Secret
Latin
Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.
℟. Amen.
English
Who livest and reignest with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen
CommunionIsa 40:5
Latin
Isa 40:5
Revelábitur glória Dómini: et vidébit omnis caro salutáre Dei nostri.
English
Isa 40:5
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all mankind shall see the salvation of our God.
Post Communion
Latin
Da nobis, quǽsumus, Dómine: unigéniti Fílii tui recensíta nativitáte respiráre; cuius cœlésti mystério páscimur et potámur.
Per eúndem Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.
℟. Amen.
English
Grant us, we beseech You, O Lord, to begin a new life with this commemoration of the birth of Your only-begotten Son, Who gives us food and drink in His heavenly sacrament.
Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.
Vetus Ordo texts: Divinum Officium