Ember Saturday of Advent.

For centuries this Ember Saturday was the only day in the Church's year for conferring the sacrament of Holy Orders. The ordination on the Ember Saturday in Advent was formerly the only one held in Rome. It was therefore a day of some importance. Indeed, all the parts of today's traditional Mass bear the marks of their ancient origin: the numerous readings interspersed with chants and collects recall the primitive form of the vigil as it was practiced in Rome.

The Church no longer regularly ordains priests during the times of the Quarterly Ember Days, but this is a special time, particularly Ember Saturday, to pray for priests, particularly the ones who are about to be ordained within the year.

It is very difficult for us to sense how important the Ember Vigil services were in the early Roman liturgy. Embertide meant covenant renewal with God, thanksgiving for the gifts of nature and grace, and conferral of Holy Orders (Ember Saturday in December was the Church's official ordination day). Finally, the December series served as the ancient Advent observance, before the four-week season was introduced.

In order to understand today's Mass we must go back to early times when the liturgy was celebrated at night in the Church of St. Peter in Rome. In the previous missal, the two previous Ember Day Masses had an intimate and tender character; today's reflects a universal spirit (Church of St. Peter).

The Mass presents Advent in an abbreviated form; these and topics developed during its four weeks are synthesized in today's formulary. Before us stands Christ who came as Man, who comes through grace, and who will come with power in the end of time. These three "comings" are united into one grace-laden "visitation" in the present. Several times there appears the light-and-darkness motif; for the Mass was celebrated at a very early morning hour, a circumstance that spontaneously occasioned the symbolism: from Advent's night to Christmas Light. Such is the theme of the traditional Mass.