With Christmas on a Monday, the 2023 calendar provides us with the shortest possible Advent season and a very busy day on Sunday, Dec. 24. On that date, we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent in the morning and the Vigil of Christmas in the evening. To answer the question on everyone’s mind: Yes, you go to church twice — once for the Sunday of Advent and once for Christmas.
This is not an additional obligation; they are just squished together in the tightest possible arrangement this year.
The Church’s usual calculus for days of obligation is to avoid having them back-to-back. This is why, sometimes, the obligation is lifted when a holy day falls on a Saturday or Monday. For example, the upcoming Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Jan. 1, 2024, is not obligatory for the faithful because it’s on a Monday. But Christmas and a Sunday of Advent are both feasts of extremely high liturgical importance, so consecutive obligations are necessary.
Ours is a hierarchical church. I’m not referring here to popes and bishops, but to days and seasons. Some liturgical days are more important than others, and when the calendar presents a situation where two feasts conflict with one another, there is an intricate system for determining what to do.
There are multiple “levels” of feasts, ranking from the most solemn and important (the Paschal Triduum) to least (weekdays in Ordinary Time). In between are all of the various solemnities, memorials, saint days, anniversaries and special observances of the liturgical calendar.
If this sounds a bit complicated, it is.
The liturgical calendar can get messy, but it provides the framework in which we encounter the drama of salvation year after year — the life of Jesus and the unfolding story of the Church and her saints throughout the ages.
Through the various feasts of the year, the Christian community sanctifies time — makes it holy. There are times for feasting and times for fasting. There are particular ritual texts, hymns, images and prayers associated with each day and season.
We cannot make substitutions or anticipate what is to come. There is a megachurch in town where you can go to Christmas services beginning on Thursday, Dec. 21. Unapologetically, we don’t do that.
The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and the highest holy days of the year is not meant to be burdensome. Rather, it is the Church’s way of making sure that the whole community gathers to witness the most important mysteries of our faith. The obligation is not for the Church. It is for you, so that you don’t miss something truly wonderful.
As you prepare for the Advent/Christmas mega-weekend, be sure to plan for two Masses (and check your parish calendar, since there may be adjustments to the regular Mass schedule). In so doing, let us practice the sanctification of time, recognizing the unique holiness of each day and feast.
And let us appreciate the beauty of the liturgical year and its many twists and turns that shape our Christian living.
