Liturgical Information
The Nativity of the Lord – Mass during the Day (ABC)

Liturgical Color: White [Note: "On solemn occasions more precious vestments may be used, even if not the color of the day" GIRM #346]

Themes: mystery of the Word, salvation, good news, God the Father

Entrance Antiphon [Introit]:

A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his scepter of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Messenger of great counsel. See Isaiah 9:6 [Roman Missal]

Puer natus est nobis, et filius datus est nobis: cuius imperium super humerum eius: et vocabitur nomen eius, magni consilii Angelus.
Ps. Cantate Dominum canticum novum: quia mirabilia fecit. [Graduale Romanum, p.47]

One Mass setting is offered in the Graduale simplex for use at any of the Masses of Christmas.
Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu: ego hodie genuite. [Graduale simplex, p.64]
Verses of Psalm 2 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.

Collect:

O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature
and still more wonderfully restored it,

grant, we pray,
that we may share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our hu-manity.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Ho-ly Spirit,
one God, for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.

Lectionary Readings:

Isaiah 52:7-10 [All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. /v.10]
Psalm 98:1 / 2-3 / 3-4 / 5-6 [R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. /v.3]
Hebrews 1:1-6 [God has spoken to us in His Son. /v.2]
Gospel Verse: [A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. For today a great light has come upon the earth.]
John 1:1-18 [And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. /v.14]
See CNP's Book of Sung Gospels – Fourth Edition

Offertory Antiphon:

Yours are the heavens, yours is the earth; the world and its fullness you have founded. Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne. Psalm 89:12, 15a **
Verses of Psalm 96 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.

Tui sunt cæli, et tua est terra: orbem terrarum, et plenitudinem eius tu fundasti: iustitia et iudicium præparatio sedis tuæ. [Graduale Romanum, p.50]

Tui sunt cæli, et tua est terra: orbem terrarum, et plenitudinem eius tu fundasti: iustitia et iudicium præparatio sedis tuæ. [Gregorian Missal, p.200]

One Mass setting is offered in the Graduale simplex for use at any of the Masses of Christmas.
Lætentur cæli et exsultet terra ante faciem Domini, quoniam venit. [Graduale simplex, p.67]
Verses of Psalm 96 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.

Prayer over the Offerings:

Make acceptable, O Lord, our oblation on this solemn day,

when you manifested the reconciliation
that makes us wholly pleasing in your sight
and inaugurated for us the fullness of di-vine worship.

Through Christ our Lord. A-men.

Preface III of the Nativity of the Lord: [The exchange in the Incarnation of the Word]

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For through him the holy exchange that restores our life
has shone forth today in splendor:
when our frailty is assumed by your Word
not only does human mortality receive unending honor
but by this wondrous union we, too, are made eternal.

And so, in company with the choirs of Angels,
we praise you, and with joy we proclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts…

Communion Antiphon:

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. see Psalm 98:3 [Roman Missal]

Viderunt omnes fines terræ salutare Dei nostri. Psalm 98:3cd [Graduale Romanum, p.50]
Psalm 98:1ab,1cd,2,3ab,4,5,6,7,8-9a,9bc can also be sung between repetitions of this antiphon.

Viderunt omnes fines terræ salutare Dei nostri. Psalm 98:3cd [Gregorian Missal, p.201]

One Mass setting is offered in the Graduale simplex for use at any of the Masses of Christmas.
Viderunt termini terræ salutare Dei nostri. [Graduale simplex, p.68]
Verses of Psalm 98 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.

Prayer after Communion:

Grant, O merciful God,
that, just as the Savior of the world, born this day,
is the author of divine generation for us,

so he may be the giver even of im-mor-tality.

Who lives and reigns for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.

Solemn Blessing: [2. The Nativity of the Lord]

May the God of infinite goodness,
who by the Incarnation of his Son has driven darkness from the world
and by that glorious Birth has illumined this most holy night,
drive far from you the darkness of vice
and illumine your hearts with the light of virtue.
Amen.

May God, who willed that the great joy
of his Son's saving Birth
be announced to shepherds by the Angel,
fill your minds with the gladness he gives
and make you heralds of his Gospel.
Amen.

And may God, who by the Incarnation
brought together the earthly and heavenly realm,
fill you with the gift of his peace and favor
and make you sharers with the Church in heaven.
Amen.

** An official, approved English translation of the Offertory Antiphon has never been published. The offertory antiphon used here is from the New American Bible, a Scripture translation approved for liturgical use in the United States.

The English translation of the Entrance Antiphon [Introit], Collect, Psalm Refrain, Gospel Verse, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, Communion Antiphon, and Prayer after Communion from The Roman Missal, © Copyright 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corp. All rights reserved.

Liturgical InformationThe Nativity of the Lord – Mass during the Day (ABC)