by Sara-Sophia Umali
Each year we are invited to morning masses at 6:45 am for the 12 days of Christmas. It is an opportunity to freshly start your morning in theme with the season, with Christ, before facing the rest of your day. Due to the pandemic, church activities were permanently canceled. But as the world is slowly recovering from the Coronavirus, the 12 days of Christmas have, at last, resumed.
This is the reason why I have decided to attend the morning masses for Christmas for the first time. Indeed, since the end of the lockdown, my desire to go outside of my house developed and I was eager to be active again. I personally am not an early riser. Getting out of bed has always been one of the most difficult tasks of my day, and I’m sure that it is the case for many people. Nevertheless, I took it as a challenge to set my alarm clock and wake up at 5 am and take 1 hour of public transport, so that I could be present for the morning masses, listen to what God has to say to me and get closer to Him. Besides, it was Christmas break and I had no better plans as I didn’t have class, so I took it as an opportunity to finally be present for the occasion.
Living in a city of constant movement and agitation like Paris, it is easy to feel overwhelmed with emotions, stress, and anxiety. Especially during this time of year and for students like me who are about to take their mid-term exams… But morning masses were an opportunity for me to start my day a whole new way. I have put all my problems and distractions on hold so that I could focus on what truly matters, which is to be in communion with Christ. After the mass, we would all eat breakfast which was kindly prepared for us every morning, then we would proceed with innovative and fun games created by brilliant young women, in theme with what we learned during the mass, all accompanied by laughs and Christmas music.
The 12 days of Christmas are as fulfilling as it is resourceful. It is an occasion to remind us of this special event’s essence and meaning and to learn more about Jesus Christ. It is also a moment where you can fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and spend quality time together. And oddly enough, waking up before the sun was not as bad as I imagined because I was too eager to learn more about the Word.
Attending morning masses for the 12 days of Christmas was very fruitful to me, and I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. I encourage anyone who is reading this to come to morning masses and the 12 days of Christmas, especially young people my age. I am grateful for such a heartwarming experience, and I hope and pray that I have convinced you to open your heart and join us and start your mornings with Christ ! 🙂
