The Twelfth Day of Christmas

Happy twelfth day of Christmas! This evening is called Twelfth Night, traditionally the vigil of the Epiphany. In my Monastic Diurnal, Epiphany begins with tonight’s Vespers.

This was traditionally a time of feasting and festivity (all of which seem to include various varieties of enormous pastries) marking the end of Christmastide and the beginning of Epiphanytide¹. This year, that celebration is tempered by the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, which occurred earlier today.

These days, of course, the calendar has been moved around a bit and the Christmas Season ends … well, when exactly does the Christmas Season end? I’ll post about that perhaps next week, but for now, there’s no reason to not have the pastries!

One of the great Epiphany traditions is the Epiphany house blessing. More on that tomorrow.

Earlier today, I watched the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI and later attended a Mass at my local parish, which was officially a “Commemorative Mass for the Dead for Pope Benedict XVI” according to the current rubrics. That’s kind of a mouthful, and I wish they would bring back the old term of “Requiem Mass”, which is a lot easier to remember and to say. I note that a lot of folks continue to use the older language, so perhaps it will be officially re-adopted some day.

While Francine and I attended the funeral of Pope Saint John Paul II while we were in Rome many years ago now, we did not have the opportunity to fly to Rome this time.

There was something quite moving in our humble parish Mass today, though, and I confess I welled up with tears at one point. I don’t think it’s a secret that the writings and example of Pope Benedict XVI are a large part of the reason that my Catholicism intellectually “stuck”. Pure grace was, of course, the primary reason I became Catholic and have remained so – but I wouldn’t have been the first person in their pride to think themselves out of their faith.

So amidst our Christmas celebrations, let us take a moment to pray for the soul of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI.

Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Prayer for a Deceased Pope (from the Roman Missal)

O God, immortal shepherd of souls,
look on your people’s prayers
and grant that your servant Pope Benedict XVI,
who presided over your Church in charity,
may, with the flock entrusted to his care,
receive from your mercy
the reward of a faithful steward.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Twelve Days of Christmas, 2022-2023

Day	Date	Ordinary Calendar (Most of the USA and Canada)	Ordinary Calendar (Most of the World)	Traditional Calendar (1962)	Benedictine Ordo
1	Dec. 25 (Sun)	CHRISTMAS	CHRISTMAS	CHRISTMAS	CHRISTMAS
2	Dec. 26	St. Stephen	St. Stephen	Sunday in the Octave of the Nativity / Commemoration of St. Stephen	Sunday in the Octave of the Nativity / Commemoration of St. Stephen
3	Dec. 27	St. John, Apostle	St. John, Apostle	St. John, Apostle	St. John, Apostle
4	Dec. 28	Feast of the Holy Innocents	Feast of the Holy Innocents	Feast of the Holy Innocents	Feast of the Holy Innocents
5	Dec. 29	St. Thomas Becket	St. Thomas Becket	Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity (St. Thomas Becket, Comm.)	St. Thomas of Canterbury
6	Dec. 30	Holy Family	Holy Family	Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity	Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity
7	Dec. 31	St. Sylvester I	St. Sylvester I	Seventh Day within the Octave of the Nativity (St. Sylvester I, Comm.)	St. Sylvester I
8	Jan. 01 (Sun)	MARY, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD	MARY, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD	The Octave of the Nativity (Circumcision of the Lord)	Octave Day of the Nativity
9	Jan. 02	Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen	Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen	The Most Holy Name of Jesus	The Most Holy Name of Jesus
10	Jan. 03	The Most Holy Name of Jesus	The Most Holy Name of Jesus	Feria in Christmastide	Feria in Christmastide
11	Jan. 04	St. Elizabeth Ann Seton	Wednesday of Christmas Time	Feria in Christmastide	St. Titus
12	Jan. 05	St. John Neumann or: Mass for the Dead for Pope Benedict XVI	Thursday of Christmas Time or: Mass for the Dead for Pope Benedict XVI	St. Telephorus or: Requiem Mass for Pope Benedict XVI	Feria in Christmastide or: Requiem Mass for Pope Benedict XVI
	Jan. 06	St. André Bessette	EPIPHANY	EPIPHANY	EPIPHANY

1. Epiphanytide was originally the Octave of Epiphany, running to 13 January. After various reforms, this vanished as an official (sub)season, but certainly this last week of Christmas has a different character than the previous twelve-ish days even still. I see no reason that one couldn’t refer to the time between the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord as Epiphanytide. At least unofficially.