Christmas Morning 2018 - O Come All Ye Faithful

O Come All Ye Faithful was our entrance hymn for Christmas morning's Mass at St. Charles in Brunswick, ME. 

I was reminded about when my husband and I were at Midnight Mass, in Rome.

St. Charles Christmas wreath with candles December 25, 2018

Singing this beautiful hymn reminded me of the occasion when my husband and I were blessed by attending the Vatican's Midnight Mass, when Pope John Paul II (St. John Paul) was the celebrant.

Of course, celebrating Midnight Mass with the Pope was extraordinary. Yet, the moment I remember most was when the 10,000 plus worshipers, who were in St. Peter's Basilica, were joined together while singing Adeste Fideles. 

 As we know, the Adeste Fideles is the Latin verse for the familiar O Come All Ye Faithful.

Midnight Mass at St. Peter's is when the huge sanctuary in the Basilica is absolutely packed with people, who attend from all over the world.  In just the small area where my husband and I were seated, we were among a diverse group of people who were Japanese, German, French and Italian. In fact, we were the only two English speakers in our section of the seating. As a matter of fact, when the Prayer of the Faithful was read from the Basilica's pulpit, the segments were broken down into at least 10 different languages, read by native speakers.

In other words, in the group of at least 10,000 Midnight Mass worshipers, there must have been well over a dozen languages represented and even more different dialects.  

In my opinion, what I have come to believe was a special moment of prayer in the liturgy and a visible unity of faith, was when all in the Basilica, who I could observe, were singing the Latin words to Adeste Fideles. We were in tune, in harmony and one chorus. It was as though we were being directed by the Holy Spirit, with a conductors baton.

Honestly, Adeste Fideles was a summons to the faithful. We are called to be united in the adoration of the Christ Child and the birth of Christianity, on the occasion of the celebration of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem.

Adeste, fideles,
Laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem!
Natum videte,
Regem angelorum
Venite, adoremus!
Venite, adoremus!
Venite, adoramus Dominum!
Venite, adoramus Dominum!
En grege relicto
Humiles ad cunas,
Vocati pastores adproperant,
Et nos ovanti,
Gradu festinemus.
Venite, adoremus!
Venite, adoremus!
Venite, adoramus…

Merry Christmas.