Do you know when I put up the small Christmas tree in my sitting room? Usually, Christmas Eve in the morning. Maybe the evening before that. I can put that tree up that late Advent day because I don’t have to do all the things you do on Christmas Eve. (And if these words inspire just one young man to consider the priesthood, that’ll be a plus for us all!) You’re travelling. You’re cleaning the house again. You’re getting gifts under the tree. You’re prepping fish or fowl for meals (to say nothing of remembering the allergies that might surround your table). And you’re making time, most importantly, to get to Mass. I admire that commitment. I thank you for keeping Christ and his Mass in Christmas!

And, getting to Mass isn’t always easy. Sometimes the toughest part happens when you drive up to the church. It’s coming on 4 pm on Christmas Eve. Already it’s hard to find a parking space. Already, the seats inside have filled up. Not a whole lot we can do about that. We don’t build churches for a single Mass on Christmas. As you know, we have limits on how many times a priest can celebrate Mass. In our parishes, we have the advantage of having two priests. But with that advantage comes the responsibility to help out if another parish needs a priest—even on Christmas.

So, let’s come back to what we can do.

I want to start by reminding us that not one single part of the Nativity of Christ happened at 4 pm the day before. At 4 pm, Mary was still great with child. At 4 pm, Joseph continued to knock on doors, looking for shelter. At 4 pm, the shepherds had not yet begun their night watch over the flocks.

In recent years—only since Vatican II, which makes up about 3% of all Christian history—we’ve crowded our churches for the earliest Mass possible. Tough to find a parking place, tough to find a seat for that 4 pm. But we do celebrate Christmas at other times. We’ll have parking and a sitting room at midnight and at the Christmas morning Mass. I’m guessing we’ll probably have parking and sitting room at 8 pm.

When I stated above that nothing in the Christmas story really happened at 4 pm on the Eve, I wasn’t quite accurate. 4 pm on the first Christmas Eve, people weren’t making room for the Holy Family. They got there first, they booked ahead! Just no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph!

I’d like to suggest we think carefully about ourselves and our parish communities as we decide to come to Mass for Christmas. If we don’t need (and need is different from want) to be at 4 pm, try one of the other Masses. If 4 pm isn’t something we have to do because we have small children or because we’re travelling, can we give our parking space and our seats to another family who doesn’t have the choices we might have? Remember, we were told on the highest authority that when we welcome the stranger (giving him or her our parking space and our pew, perhaps), we welcome Christ. Can we lay that sacrifice at the manger this Christmas?

~Fr. McCreary