Pastoralia: Christmas Family Mass

I don't often blog about the goings-on in my parish, but I thought that the following might be worth a mention. Like many other parishes, in addition to the 'Midnight' Mass on Christmas eve, we celebrate the Vigil Mass of Christmas at a more family-friendly hour. The placing of the Infant Jesus into the crib is a very special moment during our Midnight Mass, but this means that the children who attend the earlier Mass miss out on this. So, we're encouraging the families who come to the earlier Mass to bring along the figure of the Child Jesus from their cribs at home so that it might be blessed. I don't mind admitting that I shamelessly swiped this idea from the Holy Father who blesses hundreds of crib figures every Gaudete Sunday. Thanks to Rocco Palmo, we also have the text of the blessing used by the Pope.

God our Father,
you loved man so much
to send us your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to you.

We pray that, with your blessing
these images of Jesus, soon to come among us,
might be, in our homes,
a sign of your presence and love.

Good Father,
give your blessing to us, too,
to our parents, our families and friends.

Open our hearts,
that we might know to receive Jesus in joy,
always do what he asks of us
and see him in all those
who need our love.

We ask this in the name of Jesus,
your beloved Son, who came to give peace to the world.

You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.