«Christmas» means by definition «death of Christ». The word Christmas comes from «Cristes Maesse», an early English phrase that means «Mass of Christ.»
In respect to this, what is the mass in Christianity?
Mass (in Christianity) Mass, religious service of the Roman Catholic Church, which has as its central act the performance of the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is based on the ancient Latin liturgy of the city of Rome, now used in most, but not all, Roman Catholic churches.
What does the word mass mean in math?
A measure of how much matter is in an object. This gold bar is quite small but has a mass of 1 kilogram (about 2.2 pounds), so it contains a lot of matter. Mass is commonly measured by how much something weighs. But weight can change for different locations (such as on the moon) while the mass stays the same.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Celebrating the Nativity of Jesus, many Christians gather on Christmas Eve for Midnight Mass
In many Western Christian traditions Midnight Mass is the first liturgy of Christmastide that is celebrated on the night of Christmas Eve, traditionally beginning at midnight when Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day. This popular Christmas custom is a jubilant celebration of the mass or service of worship in honour of the Nativity of Jesus; even many of those Christian denominations that do not regularly employ the word mass uniquely use the term «Midnight Mass» for their Christmas Eve liturgy as it includes the celebration of Holy Communion.[citation needed]
History[edit]
The tradition of a midnight Vigil on the eve of Christmas began in the East, and was observed in the late fourth century in Jerusalem by a Christian woman named Egeria on the night of January 5. The tradition reached the Western world in the year 430 under Pope Sixtus III in the Basilica of St Mary Major.[1]
By the twelfth century, the practice of midnight Mass had become more widespread as all priests had been granted the faculty of celebrating three Masses on Christmas Day (previously reserved to the Pope), provided the three different propers were celebrated at their appropriate times of midnight, dawn and day.[1]
Traditions[edit]
Roman Catholicism[edit]
Roman Catholics have traditionally celebrated Midnight Mass with church services beginning at midnight. Since 2009 the Vatican has conducted a liturgically similar Christmas Eve Mass earlier in the day, first at 10:00 pm,[2] designated a Mass during the Night, then subsequently earlier in the evening.
In Splendoribus Sanctorum is used for the Communion chant during traditional Catholic midnight mass.
Lutheranism[edit]
Lutherans often observe midnight Mass in addition to Christmas Vespers and Matins. In his famous work, Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde, Bernard Picart describes the Lutheran Midnight Mass:
In some Lutheran Countries, the People go to Church on the Night of the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour with lighted Candles, or Wax-Tapers in their Hands. The Faithful who are met together in the Church, spend the whole Night there in singing, and saying their Prayers by the Light of them. Sometimes they burn such a large Quantity of Incense, that the Smoke thereof ascends in the Form of a Whirlwind, and their Devotees may properly enough be said to be wrapt up in it.[3]
Anglicanism[edit]
Churches of the Anglican Communion also traditionally celebrate Midnight Communion for Christmas at 11 or 11:30 pm.
Methodism[edit]
Methodist observations vary as many hold services at 11 p.m. which involve the ringing of church bells when the stroke of midnight is reached.
Presbyterianism[edit]
The Church of Scotland observes a service just before midnight which involves the singing of carols, although it does not include Mass and is called a Watchnight service (held elsewhere on New Year’s Eve).
Eastern Christian traditions[edit]
While Midnight Mass is not observed in Eastern traditions, All-Night Vigil is common on Christmas Eve and involves the celebration of Matins, the hour which is traditionally observed at midnight.
See also[edit]
- Misa de Gallo, a version of the Midnight Mass in many Spanish-speaking countries
- Pasterka, a Midnight Mass celebrated in Poland
- Plygain, a Welsh service of worship taking place on Christmas morning
- Watchnight service, a service of worship observed on New Year’s Eve
- Messe de minuit pour Noël H.9 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier
References[edit]
- ^ a b «The Tradition of Midnight Mass». Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
- ^ Rome, By Nick Squires in. «Pope to hold Midnight Mass at 10 pm».
- ^ The Ceremonies and Religious Customs of the Various Nations of the Known World with Additions and Remarks Omitted by the French Author, London: 1741, p. 511
For the X Mass worshippers who love to redefine the word, Mass, an exerpt:
…If you are an honest, sincere and discerning Christian, please read on; if not, you might as well stop right here. The World Book Encyclopedia defines “Christmas” as follows: “The word Christmas comes from “Cristes Maesse”, an early English phrase that means “Mass of Christ.” (1) It is interesting to note that the word “Mass”, as used by the Roman Catholics, has traditionally been rejected by the so-called Protestants, such as Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and so on. The word “Mass” is strictly a Catholic word and thus, so is “Christ-Mass.”
It would stand to reason, that since all of these denominations love and embrace “Christ-Mass”, that December 25th is the great homecoming day, when all of the Protestants become Catholic for a day. It would seem that all of the so-called “wayward daughters” of the Romish church return to their mother, the scarlet harlot. Thus, all of the so-called Protestant churches could sing to the Pope that popular song “I’ll be home for Christmas.”…
…In essence, the Mass is the ceremonial slaying of Jesus Christ over and over again, followed by the eating of his flesh and the drinking of his blood. The Mass is the death sacrifice, and the “Host” is the victim. This is official Roman Catholic doctrine, and “Christmas” is a word that they invented. Again, I ask, what is so merry about the pain, bleeding, suffering and death of Jesus Christ? Satan has done quite a job of getting millions of so-called “Christians” to blaspheme. What a deceiver he is. Now you know the true meaning of the word “Christmas” or Mass of Christ. There is much more to know about this pagan holiday, and we will be glad to provide you with plenty of evidence that Jesus was not born on December 25th, and that Christmas is not only a lie, but is actually a witches’ sabbat called “Yule” in clever disguise. Please contact us at the address below, and for the sake of your soul, flee from idolatry!
http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract4.html
Researching the Scriptures against world history and finding truth on every page of God’s Word; how remarkably blessed we are to have a God who knows the end from the beginning, knows the number of hairs on our heads! He knows our times and we should as well seek to find what He would have us to know in this day at the End of Days. He knew we would need the entire writings to research where we are on His plan for mankind. This time in particular is one of cataclysmic importance. We are on the threshold of an event of which the earth has never experienced in the history of mankind. The Great Tribulation comes followed by the wrath of God; it will be accomplished and completed for it is written in His word.
Jesus taught:
«But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.» ~ Matthew 12:36-37
«Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [the pagans in their customs] . . . that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Eternal, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods» (Deuteronomy 12:30-31).
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Do we truly know what we are saying when we express «Merry Christmas«? Most of us have said it over and over in December every year from the time we could speak. It seems harmless enough but what does it truly mean? It refers to the LORD Jesus Christ so we had better know what is we are saying!
It would not be considered far fetched that most people believe the word, «Christmas» means «the birth of Christ» yet most tragically most do not know the truth. It was not instituted by Christ or the apostles. It came about through the movement of Catholicism engaging itself with Roman paganism. Mass is a ritual for the dead.
The word Christmas is in essence Christ-mas which is: Death of Christ
Merry: Merriam Webster defines:
1: full of gaiety or high spirits : MIRTHFUL eat, drink, and be merry
2: marked by festivity or gaietya merry holiday time
3: QUICK, BRISK a merry pace
4: archaic : giving pleasure : DELIGHTFUL
Christ: From the Greek (Chrs-tos) word meaning Messiah or the Anointed One in Hebrew who is written throughout both the Jewish Tanakh (Christian Old Testament) and the Br’it Hadasha (Christian New Testament)
Mass: «The Mass, known more fully as the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the central liturgical ritual in the Catholic Church where the bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, «The same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, is present and offered in an unbloody manner.»[1] The Church describes the Holy Mass as «the source and summit of the Christian life».[1] It teaches that through consecration by an ordained priest the bread and wine become the sacrificial body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ as the sacrifice on Calvary made truly present once again on the altar.» ~ Wikipedia — Mass in the Catholic Church
- «Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ). . . . Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church. . . .» ~ Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition
- «Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church . . . the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.» «Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.» ~ Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition under the category»Christmas,»
- «Christmas» as «Cristes Maesse», meaning «Mass of Christ.» The word «Mass» used only by the Roman Catholics means a «death sacrifice.» — The World Book Encyclopedia
- «Christmas. . . . It was, according to many authorities, not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth. . . .» (The «Communion,» which is instituted by New Testament Bible authority, is a memorial of the death of Christ.) «. . . A feast was established in memory of this event [Christ’s birth] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed.» ~ Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 edition
Other fourth-century Christian writers say that in the Eucharist there occurs a «change»,[1] «transelementation»,[2] «transformation»,[3] «transposing»,[4] «alteration»[5] of the bread into the body of Christ.
Transubstantiation (Latin: transubstantiation; Greek: μετουσίωσις metousiosis) is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, the change of substance or essence by which the bread and wine offered in the sacrifice of the sacrament of the Eucharist during the Mass, become, in reality, the body and blood of Jesus Christ. In this teaching, the notions of substance and transubstantiation are not linked with any particular theory of metaphysics.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharistic offering bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ.[6] The reaffirmation of this doctrine was expressed, using the word «transubstantiate», by the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215.[6][7]
The belief that the bread and wine that form the matter of the Eucharist become the body and blood of Christ appears to have been widespread from an early date, with early Christian writers referring to them as his body and the blood. They speak of them as the same flesh and blood which suffered and died on the cross.[8][9]
- Gregory of Nyssa, Oratio catechetica magna, 37 (PG 45:93): μεταστοιχειώσας
- John Chrysostom, Homily 1 on the betrayal of Judas, 6 (PG 49:380): μεταρρύθμησις
- Cyril of Alexandria, On Luke, 22, 19 (PG 72:911): μετίτησις
- John Damascene, On the orthodox faith, book 4, chapter 13 (PG 49:380): μεταποίησις
- Fay, William (2001). «The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions and Answers». United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
the Catholic Church professes that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost and the instrumentality of the priest.
John Damascene, On the orthodox faith, book 4, chapter 13 (PG 49:380): μεταποίησις - The Canons of the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215, canon 1
- Encyclopædia Britannica, «Lateran Council»
- «CHURCH FATHERS: Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans». www.earlychristianwritings.com. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- «CHURCH FATHERS: On the Mysteries (St. Ambrose)». www.newadvent.org.