There’s no Mass like Midnight Mass

Catholics are noted for their tendency to fill up the church from the back. Obscured behind other parishioners, it’s easier to lose oneself in the peace of one’s own thoughts and prayers – still part of the congregation but separate and relatively unobserved.

Christmas Eve Mass is, however, a different story. The church will be crowded well before the advertised start time. It’s a difficult judgement call as to when to get there; arrive too early and incur the wrath of one’s children and possibly have them recruited to fill the role of a shepherd or angel who hasn’t shown up to the rehearsal. Arrive too late and incur your own wrath as you search in vain for a piece of wall to lean against for the next hour because all the seating is filled.

Seating complications aside, Christmas Eve Mass is a celebration. Most attendees will dress festively and whole families will attend. Much loved Christmas carols, known far beyond the walls of churches, like Silent Night and The Little Drummer Boy, will be sung, and old friends living in the parish will reconnect. Catholics who may not be in the habit of attending weekly Mass will be there for Christmas.

Mary is at the centre of my thoughts at Christmastime. She is particularly loved in Catholic culture, admired for her personal qualities, her faith in God, her care of Jesus and her strength in times of personal suffering. Her anguish at the foot of the Cross at the crucifixion brings a certain solace to Christians going through their own personal trials, as there is often a sense of Mary’s reassuring presence in such times.

Christmas is a time of hope and joy, the remembrance of an intensely private occasion (a birth) which is nonetheless celebrated throughout the world and throughout history. It is the fulfilment of prophecy, a moment that changed everything, an event marked by the supernatural – an unusual star over Bethlehem – and later by the visit of wise strangers, the magi, there to pay homage to Jesus. It is a time of wonder and a sharp reminder that the most precious things in life are not material things. After all, the son of God was laid to rest in a simple manger. It is a time for family and reflection and for seeking the restorative peace offered by Christ and Mary that calms the heart and mind.

The story of Jesus is referred to as the greatest story ever told. At the heart of the story is love, a love so great that God gave his only son to the world so that anyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Melissa Coburn is a Melbourne writer.