Denver Catholic

13 DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 2020 Operating in Denver for 95 years. We have been ranked as one of the Top 250 Private Companies in ColoradoBiz Magazine, as well as a Top 100 Woman - owned business. We pride ourselves in providing a high quality premium sausage product. We hope the next time you're planning a meal, you'll choose our products. WE ARE GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE, EGG AND SOY FREE. NO PRESERVATIVES OR MSG caninosausage.com info@caninosausage.com 303-455-4339 Available at Safeway, Sam's Club, and some Walmart's Merry Christmas www.GoMajorNow.com | (303) 424-1622 Commercial & Residential HVAC • Refrigeration • Geothermal • Controls • Design/Build • Over 50 years of industry experience • A + Rating with the BBB • Premier heating and air conditioning installation and servicing • Free estimates on new equipment • Customized maintenance plans • 24-hour Emergency service • EPA, LEED, and NATE certi�ied technicians • Over 50 years of industry experience • A + Rating with the BBB • Premier heating and air conditioning installation and servicing • Free estimates on new equipment • Customized maintenance plans • 24-hour Emergency service • EPA, LEED, and NATE certi�ied technicians Merry Christmas, from our families to yours! M A S S AT DAW N: B A S K I N G I N T H E L I G H T O F T H E S O N At dawn, we begin with acknowledging the Light of Christ in the Entrance Antiphon proclaim- ing, "Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us." At this Mass, we pray in the Collect: "Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, as we are bathed in the new radiance of your incarnate Word, the light of faith, which illuminates our minds, may also shine through our deeds." We highlight the parallel between Jesus and the dawning sun. As the sun rises and illuminates the world, Jesus' birth brings illumination to our thoughts and actions. The Gospel reading for this Mass continues the story from the previous Mass. After having listened to the announcement from the angel, the shepherds hasten to find Mary and Joseph and to worship the Christ Child. In turn, just as the angel made known the birth of Christ to them, the shepherds make him known to others. The focus here is on the role of the shepherds in proclaiming the goods news of Christ's birth, which is why this Mass is sometimes known as the Shepherd's Mass. M A S S D U R I N G T H E N I G H T: H E A R I N G T H E G O O D N E W S While the Roman Missal titles this as simply Mass during the Night, most Catholics will know this as the Midnight Mass. Here we go from the anticipation of the birth of the Lord found in the Vigil Mass to celebrating the actual birth of Christ. We begin with the Entrance Antiphon telling us: "Let us all rejoice in the Lord, for our Savior has been born in the world. Today true peace has come down to us from heaven." Celebrated at night, the time at which Jesus was born, the Collect contrasts the darkness of the night to the Light of Christ: "O God, who have made this most sacred night radiant with the splendor of true light, grant we pray, that we, who have known the mysteries of his light on earth, may also delight in his gladness in heaven." It is also during this Mass that we hear the well-known story of Christmas in the Gospel from Luke, with the angels making known the birth of the Lord to the shepherds announcing, "I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord." For this reason, this Mass is also known as the Angel's Mass. ⊲

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