Thursday, December 24, 2009

in the year seven-hundred and fifty-two from the foundation of the city of rome

My favorite part of the Christmas Midnight Mass (which obviously I'm not at right now): the Solemn Proclamation of the Birth of Christ.



In the twenty-fourth day of the month of December;
In the year five-thousand one-hundred and ninety-nine from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;
In the year two-thousand nine-hundred and fifty-seven from the flood;
In the year two-thousand and fifty-one from the birth of Abraham;
In the year one-thousand five-hundred and ten from the going forth of the people of Israel out of Egypt under Moses;
In the year one-thousand and thirty-two from the anointing of David as king;
In the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
In the one-hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
In the year seven-hundred and fifty-two from the foundation of the city of Rome;
In the forty-second year of the reign of the Emperor Octavian Augustus;
In the sixth age of the world, while the whole earth was at peace —
JESUS CHRIST
eternal God and the Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate the world by His gracious coming, having been conceived of the Holy Ghost, and the nine months of His conception being now accomplished, (all kneel) was born in Bethlehem of Judah of the Virgin Mary, made man. The birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the flesh.

3 comments:

Patty said...

I like that! I haven't attended a midnight mass, and I also haven't managed to attend my own church's Christmas Eve service these past few years.

Maybe next year ... I do miss it. Sigh.

Christmas blessings to you!

me said...

The quote about "the one-hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad" has always been a head scratcher for me.

At our parish, the cantor usually chants it at Midnight Mass. This year we went to the earlier Christmas Eve children's mass, and they had someone just read it . . . not quite as cool.

Merry Christmas!

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