The Rorate Mass of Our Lady

Fr. Scott A. Haynes

Isaiah 7:10-15

In those days the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above. And Ahaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord. And He said: Hear ye therefore, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His Name shall be called Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that He may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.

Luke 1:26-38

At that time: The Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the Angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying: and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the Angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God: behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His Name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father: and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the Angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the Angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.

 

The Advent votive Mass in honor of Our Lady takes its name from the first words of the Introit: “Rorate coeli, désuper et nubes pluant justum,” which is translated: “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One.” Like heavenly dew Jesus descended from heaven into the womb of Our Lady to become our Messiah.

As we offer the Rorate Mass before sunrise by candlelight, it is a reminder that the world was in darkness before the coming of the True Light of the World, Jesus Christ. The readings and prayers of the Rorate Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel and call on all to raise the gates of their hearts to let this Messiah King enter.

In the nine months between Mary’s Annunciation and the birth of Christ. Our Lady teaches us the spirit of Advent as she teaches us to long for the coming of the Lord. When Mary was the Tabernacle of the Lord for nine months, she lived the hidden life with Christ, in the spirit of silence and in the intense intimacy with Jesus whom she carried in her womb.

In the darkness and cold of winter, Our Lord Jesus humbly came to us as a Babe and He chose to come through Our Lady. Let us imitate Mary’s silence by listening attentively to God's message and by obedience to His word. Amen.