The following post is largely based on notes written by our Ambrosian writer Nicola de’ Grandi.
Christmas Eve is one of three occasions, along with Epiphany and Pentecost, on which the Ambrosian Mass is celebrated in a special form in the middle of First Vespers of the feast. (An analogous custom is followed on Holy Thursday, but with some significant differences.) This is one of the oldest traditions of the Ambrosian Rite, and long predates its adoption of the Roman custom of having three different Masses for Christmas. Although the service shares some of penitential character of the Roman vigil of Christmas, it is celebrated in white, and was originally the Milanese equivalent of the Roman Midnight Mass.
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| The beginning of the Mass of Christmas Eve in an Ambrosian Missal printed in 1594. |
R. (Psalm 131) Paravi lucernam Christo meo: inimicos ejus induam confusione; * super ipsum autem florebit sanctificatio mea. V. Memento, Domine, David et omnis mansuetudinis ejus: Super ipsum... Paravi lucernam… sanctificatio mea.
(I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one; his enemies I will clothe with confusion, but upon him will my sanctification flourish. O Lord, remember David, and all his meekness.)
There follows the hymn Intende qui regis Israël, which was composed by St Ambrose himself. This is not found in the Breviary of St Pius V or its medieval predecessors, but was sung in many other Uses of the Roman Divine Office, omitting the first stanza (a paraphrase of some verses of Psalm 79.) It is therefore more commonly known by the opening words of the second stanza, Veni, Redemptor gentium. (Full text at this post: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2019/12/st-ambroses-christmas-hymn-veni.html)
A recording of part of the Ambrosian version by the mighty Schola Hungarica:
The hymn is regularly followed by another responsory, call “in Choro”, since in the cathedral it was sung by the clergy standing around the throne of the archbishop, who led the chanting of it. (Many features of the Ambrosian Office are assigned to specific offices within the cathedral chapter.) The text is repeated from parts of the preceding hymn.
R. Praesepe jam fulget tuum, lumenque nox spirat novum. * Veni, Redemptor gentium, ostende partum Virginis. V. Non ex virili semine, sed divino spiramine. Veni…
(Thy cradle already shines, and the night breathes a new light: come, Redeemer of the nations, show forth the Virgin’s childbirth, not from the seed of man, but by the breath of the Spirit.)
At this point, Vespers is interrupted, and four prophecies from the Old Testament are sung, each concerning the promise of the birth of a child. Each of these is followed by a chant called a Psalmellus, similar to a Roman gradual, and then a prayer.
1. Isaiah 7, 10-17; 8, 4 (Emmanuel, i.e. God is with us, the prophecy of the Messiah and the Virgin Birth, cited in the Gospel of this Mass.)
Psalmellus Tui sunt caeli, et tua est terra: orbem terrarum, et plenitudinem ejus * tu fundasti. V. Misericordias tuas, Domine, in æternum cantabo: in generatione, et progenie pronunciabo veritatem tuam in ore me. Tu fundasti.
(Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth; the world and the fullness thereof didst Thou found. V. Thy mercies, o Lord, forever will I sing; to generation and generation I will speak forth Thy truth with my mouth.)
Oratio Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui in Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi Nativitate tribuisti totius religionis initium perfectionemque constare: da nobis, quæsumus, in ejus portione censeri, in quo totius salutis humanæ summa consistit. Qui tecum.
(Almighty and everlasting God, who in the birth of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, did grant that the beginning and perfection of all religion should be established; grant us, we ask, to be counted among His portion in whom the fullness of all human salvation consists, even Him who with Thee…)
2. Judges 13, 2-9 (Sampson, who like Christ is called a “Nazarene”, i.e. one consecrated to God.)
Psalmellus Nascetur nobis parvulus, et vocabitur Deus fortis: * ipse sedebit super thronum David, et imperabit. V. Magnus Dominus, et laudabilis nimis in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto ejus. Ipse sedebit…
(A child shall be born to us, and he shall be called the mighty God: he shall sit upon the throne of David and rule. V. Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God upon his holy mountain. He shall sit…)
Oratio Deus, qui populo tuo integrum præstitisti redemptionis effectum, ut non solum Unigeniti tui Nativitate corporea, sed etiam Crucis ejus patibulo salvaretur: hujus, quæsumus, fidei famulis tuis tribue firmitatem; ut usque ad promissum gloriæ tuæ præmium, ipso gubernante, perveniant. Qui tecum.
(God, who granted to Thy people the complete effect of redemption, so that it might be saved not only by corporeal Birth of Thy only-begotten Son, but also by the gibbet of his cross; grant, we ask, to thy servants constancy in this faith, that they may come unto the promised reward of Thy glory, under the governance of Him who with thee…)
3. Genesis 15, 1-10 (Isaac)
Psalmellus Salvator noster descendit de coelo, per Mariæ Virginis uterum: ab Angelis collaudatur, * et vocatur admirabilis Deus. V. Regnum teneo virginitatis, et Regem genui. Et vocatur admirabilis Deus.
(Our Savior has come down from heaven through the womb of Mary the Virgin; He is praised by the angels, and is called the wonderful God. V. I hold the kingdom of virginity, and I have begotten the king, and he is called…)
Oratio Exaudi nos, Domine Redemptor noster, beata tempora celebrantes, quibus tua caelestis æternitas humanis infusa pectoribus assumpsit hominem liberandum. Qui cum Patre.
(Hear us, o Lord our Redeemer, as we celebrate these blessed times, in which Thy heavenly eternity, poured forth upon the breasts of men, took up the liberation of man. Who with the Father…)
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| Hannah Presents Samuel to Eli, 1665, by the Dutch painter Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621-74). |
4. 1 Samuel 1, 7-17 (Samuel)
Psalmellus Obsecro, Domine, ut Angelus, quem misisti, veniat iterum, et doceat nos, quid operemur in puerum, * qui nasciturus est nobis. V. Tollite portas Principis vestri, et elevamini, portæ æternales; ut introeat Rex gloriæ, qui nasciturus est nobis.
(I beseech Thee, o Lord, that the Angel whom Thou sent they come again, and teach us what we should do for the boy who is to be born unto us. V. Lift up the gates of your Prince, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, that the king of glory may come in who is to be born unto us.)
While this last psalmellus is being sung, the celebrant changes from cope to chasuble, and approaches the altar for beginning of the Mass, the first prayer of which serves as the prayer to this last prophecy.
The Mass is celebrated in a form which is particular to these vigils, in which all the antiphons are omitted, with the exception of a brief chant called a cantus between the Epistle (itself only two verses long, Hebrews 10, 38-39) and the Gospel, Matthew 1, 18-25. The Ambrosian Mass has no Kyrie or Agnus Dei, and the Gloria and Creed are omitted, so the Sanctus is the only part of the Ordinary which is used.
Oratio super populum (the equivalent of the Roman Collect) Deus, qui hunc diem sacratissimum per Incarnationem Verbi tui, et partum Mariæ Virginis consecrasti, da populis tuis in hac celebritate consortium : ut, qui tua gratia sunt redempti, tua sint protectione securi. Per eundem…
(God, who consecrated this most sacred day through the incarnation of Thy word and the childbirth of the Virgin Mary; grant to thy peoples a share in this celebration, that they who have been redeemed by Thy grace maybe safe under Thy protection. Through the same…)
Cantus Qui regis Israel, intende: qui deducis, velut ovem, Joseph. (Thou who rulest Israel hearken, who leadest forth Joseph like a sheep. Ps. 79, 1)
Oratio super sindonem (i.e. ‘over the shroud’ said after the deacon has spread the corporal on the altar at the beginning of the Offertory rite.) Deus, qui humanæ substantiæ dignitatem mirabiliter condidisti, et mirabilius reformasti: da nobis, quæsumus, Jesu Christi Filii tui divinitatis esse consortes, qui humanitatis nostræ dignatus est fieri particeps. Qui tecum…
(O God, who did wonderfully create human nature, and more wonderfully reform it; grant us, we ask, that we may have a share in the divinity of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who deigned to become a partaker of our humanity. Who with Thee…)
This very ancient prayer for Christmas is found in the oldest surviving collection of Roman liturgical texts, the so-called Leonine Sacramentary, and was, of course, later added to the Offertory prayers of the Mass.
Oratio super oblatam (i.e. the Secret, but sung out loud in the Ambrosian Rite.) Præ cæteris solemnitatibus gloriantes, hodie tibi, Domine, vota persolvimus: quia ipse, cujus corpus immolamus, immaculatus Agnus est editus Jesus Christus Dominus noster. Qui tecum.
(Glorying more than on the other solemn feasts, today, o Lord, we offer Thee our prayers, because He himself whose body we sacrifice, the immaculate Lamb, is brought forth, Jesus Christ our Lord, who with Thee…
The Preface Per Christum, Dóminum nostrum: Cuius hodie faciem in confessióne praevenímus, et voce súpplici exorámus, ut superventúrae noctis officiis nos ita pervígiles reddat: ut sincéris méntibus eius percípere mereámur Natále ventúrum. In quo invisíbilis ex substantia tua, visíbilis per carnem appáruit in nostra. Tecumque unus non témpore génitus, non natúra inferior, ad nos venit ex témpore natus. Per quem maiestátem tuam…
Truly... Through Christ our Lord. Before whose presence we come today in thanksgiving, and pray with humble voice, that by the offices of the coming night, He may make us ever watchful, such that we may merit to receive the feast of His Birth that is to come with all our heart. On which feast, though of Thy substance invisible, through the flesh He appeared as one visible in ours; and being one with Thee, begotten, but not in time, nor less than Thee in nature, was born in time and came to us. Through whom the Angels praise Thy majesty etc.
Oratio post Communionem Sacrosancti Corporis et Sanguinis Domini nostri Jesu Christi refectione vegetati, supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus: ut hoc remedium singulare ab omnium peccatorum nos contagione purificet. Per eundem…
Quickened by the refreshment of the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly ask Thee, almighty God, that this singular remedy may purify us from the contagion of all sins. Through the same…
When the Mass is completed, Vespers resumes with the psalms and Magnificat, which are arranged in a very ancient manner unique to the Ambrosian Rite. The first psalm is verses 2-7 of Psalm 84 (verse 1 is the title), to which are attached psalms 133 and 116, all sung together as if they were a single psalm, with the following antiphon, “Veniet ex Sion qui eripiat et avertat impietatem ab Iacob.” (He shall come from Sion to deliver and turn away impiety from Jacob. ~ It begins at 4:42 in this recording.)
This is followed by a prayer: “Tribue nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus: ut, qui Unigenitum tuum manentem in tua gloria Deum, in carne nostri corporis natum per sacrosanctam Mariam Virginem confitentur, nulla possint adversa schismaticorum opinione perverti. Per eundem...” (Grant to us, we ask, almighty God, that they who confess that Thy only-begotten Son, God abiding in Thy glory, was born in the flesh of our body through the most holy Virgin Mary, may not be able to be led astray by any contrary opinion of schismatics. Through the same Christ our Lord...).
Next is the rest of Psalm 84 (verses 8-14), with the antiphon “Veni, Redemptor gentium, ostende partum Virginis”, and another prayer in a very similar vein to the previous one. “Da, quaesumus, Domine, populo tuo inviolabilis fidei firmitatem: ut, qui Unigenitum tuum in tua gloria tecum sempiternum, in veritate nostri corporis natum de Matre Virgine confitentur, et a praesentibus liberentur adversis, et mansuris gaudiis inserantur. Per eundem...” (Grant to Thy people, we ask, o Lord, the firmless of inviolable faith, that they who confess that Thy only-begotten Son, everlasting with Thee in Thy glory, was born in the reality of our body from the Virgin Mother, may be delievered from present adversities, and be brought unto abiding joys. Through the same Christ our Lord...)
Finally, the Magnificat is sung (7:08 in the video above), followed by yet another prayer. The antiphon is one of a handful of Ambrosian “double” antiphons, which are sung in full before and after their psalm or canticle. The text is the same verses of Exodus (16, 6 and 17) used for the invitatory and Mass Introit of Christmas Eve in the Roman Rite, and the concluding prayer is that of the Roman vigil Mass.
Aña Hodie scietis, quia veniet Dominus, et mane videbitis Gloriam Dei. (Today ye shall know that the Lord will come, and in the morning, ye shall see His glory.)
Oratio Deus, qui nos redemptiónis nostrae ánnua exspectatióne laetíficas: praesta; ut Unigénitum tuum, quem Redemptórem laeti suscípimus, venientem quoque Júdicem secúri videámus, Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum... (O God, Who dost gladden us with the yearly expectation of our redemption, grant that we, who now welcome with joy Thy only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may also gaze upon Him without fear when He comes as our judge, even our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son...)
