Christmas Readings 

The Christmas season, which begins with the Vigil Mass for Christmas Day and ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, offers in the Catholic lectionary an extraordinary richness of biblical readings to accompany and deepen our prayer during this time.

There are four Masses of Christmas Day (the Vigil Mass, the Night Mass, the Dawn Mass and the Day Mass), with three readings each, culminating in the reading of the Prologue of John at the Day Mass.

The octave of Christmas contains the feasts of Stephen, John the Evangelist and the Holy Innocents. The Feast of the Holy Family usually falls on the Sunday in the octave. The octave day itself is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Throughout the Christmas season the weekdays allow us to hear passages from the First Letter of John, with its remarkable connections with the Gospel of John. We also continue to read from the infancy narratives of the gospels, which we began to read during Advent, and the whole of John chapter 1. The length of the season varies, which means some of the weekdays will be omitted.

The Solemnity of the Epiphany falls on January 6th, unless for pastoral seasons it is celebrated on a Sunday. Selected gospel passages are read between Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, which usually falls on the final Sunday.

The translation used here is the Revised New Jerusalem Bible, published in 2019 and edited by Dom Henry Wansbrough. The commentaries are by Fr Adrian Graffy.

Christmas Vigil Mass
Christmas Night Mass
Christmas Dawn Mass
Christmas Day Mass

Sunday in the Christmas Octave – Feast of the Holy Family – Year A
Sunday in the Christmas Octave – Feast of the Holy Family – Year B
Sunday in the Christmas Octave – Feast of the Holy Family – Year C

26th December – Feast of St Stephen
27th December – Feast of St John
28th December – Feast of the Holy Innocents
29th December
30th December
31st December

1st January – Solemnity of Mary Mother of God
Second Sunday after Christmas
2nd January
3rd January
4th January
5th January
6th January – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

7th January or Monday after the Epiphany
8th January or Tuesday after the Epiphany
9th January or Wednesday after the Epiphany
10th January or Thursday after the Epiphany
11th January or Friday after the Epiphany
12th January or Saturday after the Epiphany

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Year A
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Year B
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Year C