Have you noticed that in the Advent Masses we do not sing the Gloria after singing the Lord have mercy? The Gloria is inspired by the song of the angels on the night of Jesus' birth, as told to us in the Gospel of Luke: “Suddenly, around the angel, there appeared a legion of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to men of good will” (Lk 2:13-14). Therefore, by omitting the Gloria during Advent, the Church seeks to create an expectation or, if you prefer, a certain anxiety, so that when singing it at Christmas Mass we experience a joy similar to that felt by the shepherds of Bethlehem when they received the message of the birth of the Child.
During the Mass, the Gloria is sung before the Collect prayer and the Bible readings. In this way we prepare to receive the Word of God; and Jesus is the Word, the Word of God who becomes flesh and dwells among us. Let us continue to prepare for his coming this Christmas, let us continue to receive him in the message of the Gospel that we hear in every Eucharistic celebration.
P. Tarcisio
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