The Christmas Season

 

For millennia, across the earth, peoples have gazed up at the sky, giving names to the silent stars, and seeing images therein. In their imaginative yearning, they tried to read the future in the heavens, seeking on high for a truth that was absent below amidst their homes. Yet, as if grasping in the dark, they remained lost, confounded by their own oracles. On this night, however, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:2).

- Pope Leo XIV, Homily for Christmas Eve Mass, December 24, 2025

Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church's liturgical year, second only to Easter itself. Celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is the culmination of the mystery of the incarnation, the feast of God becoming flesh (the Latin "in carne" means "enfleshment"). It is a uniquely Christian teaching, the Divine choosing to become one of us. While remaining transcendent (meaning we must rise above our present condition to reach Him), Jesus is at the same time immanent (meaning He is with us as we rise toward Him). Every Eucharist encapsulates the mystery of Christmas where the bread and wine are transformed into His flesh, His Body and Blood, born anew on the altar. 

The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Christmas tree and the Nativity scene are popular symbols of the season and a tradition in many Christian homes. It is also traditional to exchange Christmas gifts with family and friends to honor God the Father's gift of his only son to the world. Having received the gift of Christ, we naturally want to pass that gift along to our loved ones (courtesy of the USCCB website).

Read Pope Leo's Homily for Christmas Eve Mass 2025

Read Pope Leo's Homily for Christmas Mass During the Day 2025

Page last updated December 25, 2025