The Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord
and Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Traditionally, January 1 is the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord - the Octave Day after the Nativity of our Lord. The Latin Rite of the Catholic Church changed this in 1960 to the celebration of the Maternity of Mary, Mother of God. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God initially was celebrated on October 11 (started in 1914). In 1960 Pope John XXIII removed all mention of the circumcision from the antiphons and rubrics of January 1. In 1969, Pope Paul VI reiterates the celebration of Mary but also mentions that it is a time to celebrate the Newborn Prince of Peace, listening to the song of the angels one more time (though the ChristMass Season lasts at least until January 6, with Epiphany - or even until February 2, with CandleMass - which is where the last mentioning of the Nativity is made for the liturgical year.
The lectionary of the Extraordinary Rite still celebrates the Circumcision of our Lord on January, 1.
This year January 1 is a Friday, which, being a solemnity we are not obliged to our Friday penance... for those who still observe abstaining from meat, don't have to! It's a "Cheeseburger Friday!"
At Mass on Friday, which I attended in the extraordinary rite, I read through the readings ahead of time - and it struck me that the Collect was all about Mary and the Motherhood of God. The Feast Day is still the Circumcision of our Lord, but there is this (ancient) focus on the maternity of Christ too.
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O God, it was through the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary that You bestowed the gift of eternal life upon mankind. Grant that we may feel the powerful intercession of Mary, through whom we were privileged to receive the giver of life, Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord; who lives and rules with You . . .
The Postcommunion is also about the Blessed Virgin:
POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may this Communion cleanse us from sin, and bestow on us spiritual health from heaven through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .
In the sermon for that day too, Father taught on the same ancient reality of recognizing the Blessed Virgin and her role in our salvation too. Just as baptism has replaced circumcision, and a parent must consent to the baptism of an infant, so too Mary consented to the circumcision of Jesus.
Readings courtesy: http://tridentine-mass.blogspot.com/2016/01/octave-day-of-nativity-circumcision-of.html
Hello Vicki, welcome to the CathApol Blog. I took a look at your website and I see that you are of the sede vacantist camp, believing there has been no pope since December 8, 1965. While I do not disagree with Pope Paul VI (a pope you do not recognize as such) that the "smoke of Satan" has entered into the Church, I do disagree with your position that "the Catholic Church has had no physical properties or personnel hierarchy (no Priests or Bishops) since 8 December 1965." That position puts you in a place of believing that the gates of Hell have prevailed against the Catholic Church - which is something our Lord promised would never happen. If you wish to continue this discussion, I would be happy to start a new article/response to you in which your responses would be "on topic." Let me know that you're not just a "drive-by" by responding to this comment and I'll do that and move our discussion there.
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Scott<<<