Q. 1. Why does every priest say three Masses on Christmas Day?

A. 1. The priest celebrates three Holy Masses on Christmas Day to:

1.1 Give thanks to the ever-blessed Trinity, Who co-operated in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

1.2 Honor the threefold birth of Jesus Christ;

1.2.a. His eternal birth in the bosom of His heavenly Father;
1.2.b. His temporal birth of His virgin Mother;
1.2.c. and His spiritual birth in our hearts, which he occupies by his grace.

Q. 2. Why is the first Mass celebrated at midnight?

A. 2. The first Mass is celebrated at Midnight to remind us that before Jesus Christ was born, the world was without the true light, and lay in darkness and the shadow of death. Again, it was in the night that He was born; and both His temporal and eternal births are mysterious truths, incomprehensible to our understanding.

Q. 3. Why is the second Mass celebrated at day break?

A. 3. The second Mass is celebrated at daybreak because the birth of Christ brought light to the gentiles, whose salvation was then nigh, and because, according to tradition, it was about that hour that the shepherds came to see and adore the new-born Saviour.

Q. 4. Why is the third Mass celebrated at daylight?

A. 4. The third Mass is celebrated at daylight because Christ dispersed the darkness of ignorance, and appeared as the Light of the world (John 1:9-13; Isaiah 9:1-7).

[Comment: The 3 reasons given in # 2 to 4 for the 3 Holy Masses may vary from website to website.]