In the week before December 25th, there was a flurry of activity inside the cloister at New Clairvaux as the monks set up decorations in preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth. For four weeks of Advent, we waited with only the light of our Advent wreath candles aglow reminding us of the flicker of hope that is to enter into our world when the Messiah is born.
In countries like Mexico with the tradition of Las Posadas and the Philippines with their tradition of Simbang Gabi celebrated over the nine days before Christmas, the sense of anticipation grows as the time of the Lord's coming approaches. In our tradition here at New Clairvaux and in many of our Cistercian monasteries around the world, we sing the "O Antiphons" during the seven days before Christmas. Each "O Antiphon" expresses the urgency and longing for the Messiah to come soon. They reach a crescendo when on the last day we plead in song, "O Emmanuel, come!"
In countries like Mexico with the tradition of Las Posadas and the Philippines with their tradition of Simbang Gabi celebrated over the nine days before Christmas, the sense of anticipation grows as the time of the Lord's coming approaches. In our tradition here at New Clairvaux and in many of our Cistercian monasteries around the world, we sing the "O Antiphons" during the seven days before Christmas. Each "O Antiphon" expresses the urgency and longing for the Messiah to come soon. They reach a crescendo when on the last day we plead in song, "O Emmanuel, come!"
On Christmas Eve, we assembled in our abbey church in darkness for our evening Vespers. While silently waiting in the dark, our abbot spoke of the mystery of God's Incarnation and our readiness to receive the newborn Christ into our lives. And whether we found ourselves ready or not, the time had indeed come. After a few more moments of silent waiting, our head cantor began to sing the Christmas Proclamation announcing the year when God entered into our world to be born of the woman, Mary.
As the Christmas Proclamation was being sung by our head cantor, all our lights in our church flicked on and decorations were lit. Glowing with the knowledge of the birth of Christ in our hearts, we readily entered into the singing of our Psalms for the 1st Vespers of Christmas. Vespers was followed later that night by our Office of Vigils. Vigils took us well into the night as the faithful gathered in our church to attend Midnight Mass. We begun Mass with the solemn chanting of Psalm 2 in Latin: "Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu ego hodie genuite" ("The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son. Today, I have begotten you.'") As the faithful returned to their homes after Mass (probably ready to tear open their presents under the Christmas tree), the monks of New Clairvaux were ready for bed.
