The Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity
Dies Sexta infra Octavam Nativitatis
On the thirtieth of December the Church continues to keep the great mystery of Christmas, repeating the Mass of the Nativity on this day within its Octave when no other feast falls.
The Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity is not the feast of a saint but a continuation of the celebration of Christmas itself. So great is the mystery of the Word made flesh that the Church does not let it pass in a single day, but prolongs it through an octave of eight days, returning again and again to adore the Child born for our salvation. On this day, the thirtieth of December, when it is not displaced by another feast, the Church takes up once more the Mass of Christmas Day.
The grace of the Octave
An octave is the Church’s way of dwelling upon her greatest mysteries, keeping the feast for eight days as though it were one long festival. The Octave of the Nativity is among the most ancient and venerable, gathering within it the feasts of Saint Stephen, Saint John, the Holy Innocents, and Saint Thomas of Canterbury, each shedding its own light upon the newborn King. On the days when no such feast intervenes, the Church simply continues the joy of Christmas, that the faithful may not hurry past the manger but linger there in wonder and thanksgiving.
On this sixth day, the liturgy repeats the third Mass of Christmas, with its sublime opening from the Gospel of Saint John, “In the beginning was the Word,” and its proclamation that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The same prayers and chants that resounded on the feast itself are heard again, so that the mystery may sink ever more deeply into the heart of the Church.
Abiding at the manger
The collect, drawn from the Mass of Christmas Day, prays that the new birth in the flesh of God’s Only-begotten Son may set us free, whom the old bondage holds beneath the yoke of sin. In these days the Church invites the faithful to remain in spirit at Bethlehem, contemplating the humility of God made man, and to let the light of the Nativity shape the year that is drawing to its close. The Octave teaches that the feasts of the Lord are not moments quickly spent but wells of grace to be drawn from again and again.
The Collect
Grant, we beseech thee, almighty God: that the new birth in the flesh of thine Only-begotten Son may set us free, whom the old bondage doth hold beneath the yoke of sin.
Concéde, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut nos Unigéniti tui nova per carnem Nátivitas líberet; quos sub peccáti jugo vetústa sérvitus tenet.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar 30 December is observed as the Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity, or, where it falls on a Sunday, as the Feast of the Holy Family.
Common Questions
What is the Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity?
It is one of the days of the Octave of Christmas, the eight-day prolonging of the feast of the Nativity. On 30 December, when no other feast falls, the Church continues the celebration of Christmas and repeats the Mass of Christmas Day.
Why does the Church keep an octave for Christmas?
An octave allows the Church to dwell upon her greatest mysteries for eight days rather than one. The Octave of the Nativity, one of the most ancient, gives the faithful time to contemplate the mystery of the Word made flesh and to celebrate the saints whose feasts fall within these days.
What Mass is offered on this day?
On this day the Church repeats the third Mass of Christmas, the Mass of Christmas Day, which opens with the words of Saint John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word.”
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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