Читать книгу Celebrating the Seasons - Robert Atwell - Страница 14

The readings for the Twelve Days of Christmas focus upon the mystery of the incarnation. The various authors chosen, both Eastern and Western, meditate not only upon the wonder of Christ’s birth, but the scandal of its particularity. The significance of Bethlehem, the crib, the roles of Mary and Joseph, the sheer poverty and vulnerability of the Holy Family, are themes that recur throughout Christian literature.

Proper readings for the Feasts of St Stephen, St John the Evangelist and The Holy Innocents which, depending on where Christmas Day falls in the week, may or may not have to be transferred, are provided separately in the companion volume Celebrating the Saints, pp. 477–83.

At the end of the section, readings are provided for the Sundays of Christmastide. If for pastoral reasons the Feast of the Holy Family is observed on another date, the reading provided for First Sunday of Christmas should be used.