A Homily – Christmas, a Holy Day of
Obligation (Year A)
Including:
Readings for the Vigil Mass, in the
afternoon or evening before Christmas Day
Readings for the Midnight Mass,
celebrated during the night before Christmas Day
Readings for the Dawn Mass,
celebrated at dawn on Christmas Day
Readings for the daytime Mass on
Christmas Day
(NJB)
In the first of the first readings for today is
taken from the School of Isaiah, expressing a profound hope for the future of
Israel and by extension for the whole world.
Listen to the word of the prophet, it is
instructive:
We are asked to brandish that hope, to carry
it forward; to Carry it, not only for ourselves but to hold the hope high for
all people…to ask them to share in it.
The prophet sees this as analogous to the hope
of a young couple entering marriage. They do not know what the future will
bring but they are determined to face it together…for together they are
stronger, together they are wiser, together they are better. The love they
share with one another is like a bright and beautiful gemstone adorning the crown
upon their heads, like a beacon on a hill, a guide to the perplexed and those who
are lost…or might just lose their way.
Remember:
God, the creator of the universe, God has put
this in our hands having made the entire creation free, the divine does not
coerce, nor in worldly affairs. God does not pick winners and losers, the whole
of scripture must be read with this in mind…the rain falls on the just and
unjust alike.
What God has done is this: God has promised to
deliver all people from bondage and from the terrors of this world, to deliver
us to a place of safety and a place of joy, of love and rest, to a place of
wellbeing…to salvation, God has promised to deliver us when we are done with
this world and God has plan for everyone
Be patient and live in hope.
Listen!
In
the second of the first readings for today the prophet errs, as the prophet so
often does, when he ascribes divine motive and action to any event transpiring here
on Earth. This is never the case.
God, the
creator of the universe, God made us free; we are radically free as individual,
and the entire creation is free from divine coercion. God made us this way, and
all that is, because these are the necessary conditions for personhood, and
that we be persons who freely love is what God desires that we become.
Know
this:
God
does not confer glory on anyone, not on any tribe or any nation and God does
not seek glory for God’s self.
All
such talk is vanity, springing directly from the hearts of human beings, spoken
through the mouths of men to the ears of other men. The desire for glory is a
form of covetousness that works contrary to the good, even while in pursuit of
it.
The
prophet was wrong to speak this way, but in so doing he demonstrates what it
means to be human, the error of our ambition, and the ordinary limits of our imagination.
And
yet the prophet was wright to speak of this:
To
speak of hope like a light shining in the darkness, which once perceived
gladdens the heart and brings joy.
Hope
is the way of Jesus, hope leads to God.
Therefore
be mindful!
God’s
light shines on us from beyond this world; it is not the light of our mother
star, the sun who brings our days; it is not the light of the stars and the
moon shining through our nights; it is the light of hope that dwells only in
our hearts and minds; it is the luminescence of divinity, the fullness of which
we will not see until we have left the world behind.
Listen
and be joyful!
What
Isaiah says concerning Zion is intended for all of God’s children, which means everyone.
The
savior does not come as a conqueror, but as a healer, the victory is not over
hostile forces, but over death, victory is assured and the assurance is life.
God
loves us, the creator of the university is with us. Wherever we are, in
whatever city we live, there in that place God is with us; you will not be forgotten
or lost.
The creator comes with blessing for all. God’s
messenger is a herald of peace, of joy and well being, not the herald of a
king…while it is wise and good to allow the will of God to be the measure of
your heart and thoughtfulness, always remember that God; the creator of the
universe is not a king.
Remember!
It is a deviation form the
way to use the sacred texts and the Feast of Christmas to promote any form
of nationalism or sectarian jingoism. God does not favor one person over
another, one family, one tribe, one nation over any others.
God
is a God of love and mercy, not a God of palace intrigues and not a God of battles
and war.
It
is right to praise God; the creator of the universe. It is right to treat our
discourse concerning God with respect and honor; God is holy and our discourse
should bear in mind the sacred nature of God’s blessed work. This is wise and
good, but it is wrong to think of God as a Lord.
Be at peace, consider what the psalmist says and
know that God has already judged the world, God has judged the entirety of the
created order; it is written in the first chapter of Genesis: God judged the world
and saw that it was good.
Know that God is not to be feared, but trusted.
Know that there is only one God; there are no others.
There is one God, with as many fase-incorrect-incoherent ideas about who God is
as there are people living on Earth at any given time. God comes to us where we
are, in the language of our time, in the parlance of our place, through images
that are familiar to us, in stories that touch our hearts.
Listen
the psalmist and be reminded:
It
is human beings who are obsessed with questions of kingship; set aside these
fetishes. God is Abba, father; Jesus is brother, teacher and friend. God is the
keeper of a garden, not a palace.
Let
Earth rejoice because of this, and all people in it. Let us understand that God
is a mystery, knowing that all people are God’s children, knowing that God has
no enemies, even among those who see God as such. God loves us all.
God
is the creator of all things and all things obey the will God; in the end God bends
all things toward the good, toward justice and mercy and love.
In
the fullness of the divine there is no dismay; there is understanding. God will
wipe the tears from everyone’s face, all have been invited to the feast,
everyone has a seat at the table. The feast commences when all the invited have
arrived, with all in all God’s presence is real.
Listen
to the psalmist and be mindful!
It
is right and good to praise God as the creator of the universe, because
creation is miraculous and beyond the scope of human comprehension, but do not
praise God as bestower of victory, or for anything produced by human hands,
human craft and human toil.
Know
that all things exist and have their being in God…in God, in whom there is no
conflict.
God
is kind and faithful to all people. God’s power is everywhere, god’s spirit
animates the voices that give God praise.
Consider the writings
of the apostles and know that it was a mistake for them to link Jesus, son of
Joseph the carpenter, to the lineage of David the King, this was an exercise in
shameless propaganda.
Jesus
of Nazareth, who born Joshua son of Joseph, he was a poor man; he came from a
humble village, his father was a craftsman, his friends were shepherds and
fisherman, he was a Jew of the diaspora.
From those
humble origins Jesus became a rabbi, a healer, was a man committed to justice
and mercy; he was a prophet. David was the opposite; a King, a warrior, a
murderer, a vile man, debauched as all kings are and the father of despots.
Be mindful:
The salvific work that Jesus proclaimed did
not begin with his birth, or his death, it begins with God, creator of the
universe, in a mysterious place outside time.
The story of salvation begins with the Word of
God, the Logos, the second person of
the trinity in whom all things are made. The salvation of all people, of all
creation, that work began then,it was built into the foundation of all that is.
Be mindful:
Living a good and restrained life does not
purchase salvation, we do not earn it, neither was it purchased for us. A good
and restrained life, a life of justice and mercy, of love and humility, such a
life merely manifests the reality of God’s salvific will, something already
present in us. These qualities when on display, demonstrate the beauty and
peace of God’s paradise, the expectation of it which we hold in faith while we
sojourn here on Earth.
Remember this:
God loves us. God is the savior of all people,
providing for our salvation from the moment we come into existence; salvation
is wellbeing, both in this world and the next, the reception of it does not
require rituals or rites, or a magical mechanism of justification,
substitutionary sacrifice, or redemption as if we were in hawk at some
spiritual pawnshop.
There are no secret codes that grant us access
to heaven. We are saved and translated into the next world simply because God
wills it. We are saved in this world through our faith in the promise, we are
saved here and now through the simplicity of trust in God, expressed as hope
and manifested as love.
Our
salvation does not depend on us at all; do not boast of it.
Listen!
The apostle tells us that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, through
whom all creation, through whom the entire universe, through whom everything
that is, was, or will ever be-comes to be. He tells us that Jesus of Nazareth
possesses the exact copy of God’s nature, expressing his faith through
philosophical categories of Plato Aristotle.
The Apostle tells us that the universe itself is sustained by the
power of the godhead, residing in Jesus of Nazareth, and that by this same sin
has been destroyed (which is an odd statement insofar as it is clear to anyone
who observes our world that sin is a constant reality that every human being
struggles with). He tells us that this perfect copy of God sits at the right of
God, and is God per se, the fullness
thereof.
The Apostle begins to express concern that we, his audience, properly
understand the majesty of Jesus, as a majesty above all of the angels, because
he, Jesus has inherited the title, Son of God, a title belonging to no other.
He is making a case for Jesus as a lawyer would make, establishing a claim for
the possession of property.
We must understand that the apostle was winging it here; he did not
know what he was talking about. But he was trying to say that God, the creator
of the universe, dwelt within Jesus of Nazareth in a special way, and as a
result Jesus is a unique being, a being fundamental to God’s sovereignty of the
universe, and whose life was the critical instrument in the resolution of sin
and evil in the world.
The apostle believed he needed such a figure to explain how it is that
God saves people, this having been dictated to him by the philosophical
categories that shaped his world-view. But his message gets muddies with the
incessant commentary on the hierarchy of the angelic hosts, the role of
sonship, qualities of majesty, position and station.
It would have been better for the world if he had spoken plainly, as
such:
Jesus
of Nazareth, Joshua bin Joseph, was a child of the creator, he was our brother.
In Jesus the conflict of sin, inherent in human nature, in him I was resolved,
by following the example of his life we may resolve it for ourselves.
He
might have said that the entirety of the eternal and infinite God dwelt
perfectly within Jesus, as it dwells
perfectly within each of us, whether we know it, believe it or not. The whole
is in the part, God is undivided and always one.
Be
mindful of how the praise of God can lead a person astray. God is not in the
highest heaven, God is everywhere, to be found in all people in all times and
all places and most directly in your neighbor…whoever they might be.
All
of God’s children are beloved by God. God, the creator of the universe finds favor
in all. Do not let the articles of your faith or the categories of your
philosophies, your dogmas and doctrines, decrees and decretals circumscribe God’s
love.
Be
mindful of your creeds.
Listen
to the prayer of the church when it says: I bring you news of great joy: today
a savior has been born to us
Consider
the first gospel reading for today:
Mary
was betrothed to Joseph; Joseph was of the House of David (so they say). Mary became
pregnant before their wedding, according to the design God had put in place for
the propagation of human life.
Joseph
had second thoughts about marriage and about being a father, but in a moment of
conscience, by listening to the spirit of God within him, he choose to do the
just and honorable thing; he chose to raise his son as a father should.
He
took Mary as his wife and brought her into his house. They named their son
Joshua, after the great hero of the Israelites. They pinned their hopes on him,
and by the trust they had placed in each other, through their hope and trust hey
experienced the presence of God, understanding through their child that God,
the creator of the universe, that God was with them.
If
Joseph had succumbed to his fear and weakness, Mary would have been destroyed, a
woman out of wedlock, cast out with no standing in her community, and neither
would her child have. Joseph was humbled by his weakness and doubt. In that
moment, he learned what it means to truly love.
Jesus, son of Joseph of the house of David, was a
Galilean of Nazareth.
These are the essential elements of the
birth narrative present in Luke, along with the historical reference to the
reign of Augustus, and the census conducted under Quirinius.
Everything else in the story is pure-propaganda,
veiled in myth, an expression of the faith of the people who lived a hundred
years after Jesus’ death...not the articulation of a
historical reality.
Nevertheless,
consider the second gospel reading for the day:
There
is a lot packed into this short passage; before we begin to explicate its
meaning we must understand that Luke the Apostle, never met Jesus. Luke was not
one of the disciples, rather, he was a protégé of Paul, and Paul never met
Jesus either.
Luke
and Paul travelled broadly and met many of those that followed Jesus during his
life. They met with James, who was Jesus’ brother, and Peter, and others, but
they never met Jesus, everything they knew about him was hearsay.
Note
well, that while the Gospel of Luke bears Luke’s name, it was not written by
Luke. None of the Gospels were written by individuals, each of them were
exercises in collective development, and the writing of them took place over
generations, as the communities who authored them did their best to narrate
their understanding of the life and mission of Jesus in terms their audience
would understand.
The
Gospel of Luke says that Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus were visited by three
shepherds. This is presented in distinction to Matthew’s Gospel which says that
they holy family was visited by three Magi, who were “wise men” and kings; the
magi were priests in the Persian tradition of Zoroastrianism.
The
Gospel of John, which was the last to be written, and that of Mark, which was the
earliest, those Gospels do not treat the subject at all.
However,
the communities of Matthew and Luke were writing to very different audiences, as
such they developed the narrative of the Jesus’ birth in very different ways.
Each in their own way created a fiction that was pleasing to the people to whom
they were preaching.
Be
mindful This is the essence of propaganda.
In
order to understand the Gospels, this must be understood:
The
Gospels contain some legitimate historical data but the facts are difficult to
sift through. The Gospels are the product of artifice, they are fictions, at
best they are allegories, analogies and metaphors dressed in myth. The Gospels
speak to some truths that are universal and relate some true events, but they
cannot be relied on as a true account of anything.
This
is not to say that they are bad, it is to say that they must be seen for what
they are. Because the Gospels are propaganda, they are less reliable as a tool
to teach us about Jesus and more appropriately used to teach us about the
diverse Near Eastern and Mediterranean communities that formed the early
church.
As mentioned, John’s
Gospel was the last to be written, and John’s Gospel is unlike the others. Its
authors were the farthest removed from the life of Jesus, writing the narrative
between 120 and 150 years after his death. The subject matter of this Gospel is
also the furthest removed from the ministry of Jesus, concerning itself with
the cosmic identity of Christ as the Word of God, more so than the lives of
actual people and the ministry of healing, mercy, and justice that was Jesus’
actual occupation during his life on Earth (if you believe it).
The gospels of Mark, Luke
and Matthew are commonly referred to as the synoptic gospels. The events that
they narrate are closely linked to each other and follow the same basic pattern,
even though there are differences.
Luke and Matthew rely
largely on Mark for their structure; Mark being written first. Luke came
second, and took a step a little further back in time than Mark. Whereas Mark
begins with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river by John. Luke begins with
the story of his birth. Matthew, coming third in the sequence goes a little
farther back in time, and tell us of Jesus’ descent from Abraham. While John,
coming last, takes the reader all the way back to the beginning of time.
John narrates some of the
same events as the other gospels do, but with a markedly different character,
all designed to tell us who Jesus is…that is, who John’s community believe
Jesus is…God’s own self.
The historian in me
objects to this treatment of the life of Christ, but it is what it is, and this
fiction having taken hold of the Christian consciousness represents a
historical reality all its own.
John’s prolog tells us
very little about the persons of Jesus and John the Baptist, but a great deal
about what Christians believed about God, the creator of the Universe, and of creation
itself.
Even though it was a
common view in the ancient world that our material condition was essentially
corrupt, as evidenced by our experience of pain, sickness and death, the
Christian community founded by John was articulating a faith in its essential
goodness. It affirms the unity and oneness of all creation; having been brought
into being through the Word or Logos; by
which they mean the rational will of God. Their faith proclaims that life has purpose,
life is not random, life is not the product of chaotic forces. The created
order comes from the goodness, and light of the eternal God, and not one thing
or being exists apart from that.
The Gospel encourages us
in the hope, that no matter how bad things are in the world or seem to be, the
darkness will not overcome the light. It also encourages the faith that the world
and humanity itself are worthy of the love of God, so much so that God becomes
a human being, lives and suffers with us, that God comes to us in the spirit of
compassion, that God exists in solidarity with the universe God created.
This is important.
This teaching is at the
same time both remarkably esoteric and deeply personal. While encouraging the
believer to have hope, it also reminds the reader that they must be prepared to
persevere in the face of rejection and violence.
Many people do not want
to hear the truth. They prefer their own cozy view of the world, their tribal
and national gods, their family and village totems, their neat philosophies,
and their magical realities; they prefer those to the sober understanding of
what it means to be a child of God. If you believe the Gospels then you believe
that God’s own self was taken and killed for suggesting that there was a
different way to live in the world than to simple follow the ways of the
world, such as we find them.
1st First
Reading – Isaiah 62:1-5 ©
The bridegroom rejoices in his bride
About Zion I will not be silent, about Jerusalem I
will not grow weary, until her integrity shines out like the dawn and her
salvation flames like a torch.
The nations then will see your integrity, all the
kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, one which the mouth of
the Lord will confer.
You are to be a crown of splendour in the hand of
the Lord, a princely diadem in the hand of your God; no longer are you to be
named ‘Forsaken’, nor your land ‘Abandoned’, but you shall be called ‘My
Delight’ and your land ‘The Wedded’; for the Lord takes delight in you and your
land will have its wedding.
Like a young man marrying a virgin, so will the one
who built you wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will
your God rejoice in you.
2nd First Reading – Isaiah 9:1-7 ©
A
Son is Given to Us
The
people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a
land of deep shadow a light has shone.
You
have made their gladness greater,you have made their joy increase; they rejoice
in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are
dividing the spoils.
For
the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his
oppressor,
these
you break as on the day of Midian.
For
all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt, and consumed
by fire.
For
there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor,
Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Wide
is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his
royal power, which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity.
From
this time onwards and for ever, the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do
this.
3rd
First Reading – Isaiah 62:11-12 ©
Look, Your Saviour Comes.
This
the Lord proclaims to the ends of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look,
your saviour comes, the prize of his victory with him, his trophies before
him.’
They
shall be called ‘The Holy People’, ‘The Lord’s Redeemed.’
And
you shall be called ‘The-sought-after’, ‘City-not-forsaken.’
4th First
Reading – Isaiah 52:7-10 ©
Rejoice, for the Lord is consoling
his people
How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of one
who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation,
and tells Zion, ‘Your God is king!’
Listen!
Your watchmen raise their voices, they shout for joy
together, for they see the Lord face to face,
as he returns to Zion.
Break into shouts of joy together, you ruins of
Jerusalem; for the Lord is consoling his people, redeeming Jerusalem.
The Lord bares his holy arm in the sight of all the
nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
First Responsorial Psalm –
Psalm 88(89):4-5,16-17,27,29
Let the Lord's glory shine upon us
In the morning, Lord, you fill us
with your love.
Lord,
you have been our refuge
from generation to generation.
Before
the mountains were born,
before earth and heaven were conceived,
from all time to all time, you are God.
You
turn men into dust,
you say to them “go back, children of men.”
A
thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday, that has passed;
like a short watch in the night.
When
you take them away, they will be nothing but a dream;
like the grass that sprouts in the morning:
in
the morning it grows and flowers,
in the evening it withers and dries.
For
we are made weak by your anger,
thrown into confusion by your wrath.
You
have gazed upon our transgressions;
the light of your face illuminates our
secrets.
All
our days vanish in your anger,
we use up our years in a single breath.
Seventy
years are what we have,
or eighty for the stronger ones;
and
most of that is labour and sadness –
quickly they pass, and we are gone.
Who
can comprehend the power of your wrath?
Who can behold the violence of your anger?
Teach
us to reckon our days like this,
so that our hearts may be led at last to
wisdom.
Turn
to us, Lord, how long must we wait?
Let your servants call on you and be
answered.
Fill
us with your kindness in the morning,
and we shall rejoice and be glad all the days
of our life.
Give
us joy for as long as you afflicted us,
for all the years when we suffered.
Let
your servants see your great works,
and let their children see your glory.
Let
the glory of the Lord God be upon us:
make firm the work of your hands.
Make firm the work of your hands.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
In the morning, Lord, you fill us
with your love.
Second Responsorial Psalm –
Psalm 95(96):1-3,11-13
The Lord, the universal King and
judge
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the
Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
day after
day, proclaim his saving power.
Proclaim his glory to the nations,
proclaim to
all peoples the wonders he has done.
For the Lord is great; great is the praise we owe
him,
he is to be
feared above all gods.
The gods of the nations are foolishness,
but the Lord
made the heavens.
Majesty and splendour are all about him,
power and
honour in his holy place.
Bring to the Lord, clans of the peoples,
bring to the Lord glory and power,
bring to the
Lord the glory that belongs to his name.
Bring your offerings, enter his courts,
worship the
Lord in holy attire.
Tremble at his presence, all the earth.
Say to the
nations: “The Lord reigns!”
For he has set the world firm, so that it cannot be
shaken,
and he will
judge the peoples with fairness.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad,
let the sea
and its fullness resound.
The fields will rejoice, and all that is in them,
all the
trees of the woods will rejoice
at the
Lord’s presence – for he comes,
for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge all the world with justice.
He will
judge all the peoples with fairness.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Third
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 96(97):1, 6, 11-12 ©
This day new light will shine upon
the earth: the Lord is born for us.
The
Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
The
skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
This day new light will shine upon
the earth: the Lord is born for us.
Light
shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice,
you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.
This day new light will shine upon
the earth: the Lord is born for us.
Fourth Responsorial Psalm –
Psalm 97(98):1-6
The Lord has brought salvation
Acclaim the King, the Lord.
Sing
a new song to the Lord,
for he has worked wonders.
His
right hand, his holy arm,
have brought him victory.
The
Lord has shown his saving power,
and before all nations he has shown his
justice.
He
has remembered to show his kindness
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.
The
farthest ends of the earth
have seen the saving power of our God.
Rejoice
in God, all the earth.
Break forth in triumph and song!
Sing
to the Lord on the lyre,
with the lyre and with music.
With
trumpets and the sound of the horn,
sound jubilation to the Lord, our king.
Let
the sea resound in its fullness,
all the earth and all its inhabitants.
The
rivers will clap their hands,
and the mountains will exult at the presence
of the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He
will judge all the world in justice,
and the peoples with fairness.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Acclaim the King, the Lord.
1st Second
Reading – Acts 13:16-17,22-25
Paul's witness to Christ, the son of
David
When Paul reached Antioch in Pisidia, he stood up in
the synagogue, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:
‘Men of
Israel, and fearers of God, listen! The God of our nation Israel chose our
ancestors, and made our people great when they were living as foreigners in
Egypt; then by divine power he led them out.
‘Then he
made David their king, of whom he approved in these words, “I have selected
David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will carry out my whole
purpose.” To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s
descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he
proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John
ended his career he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is
coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.”’
2nd Second Reading
– Titus 2:11-14 ©
God's grace has been revealed to the
whole human race
God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made
salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to
do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions;
we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this
present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come
with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus. He
sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to
purify a people so that it could be his very own and would have no ambition
except to do good.
3rd Second Reading – Titus 3:4-7 ©
It Was No Reason Except His Own Compassion
that He Saved Us
When
the kindness and love of God our saviour for mankind were revealed, it was not
because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done
ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by
means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit
which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our saviour. He
did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking
forward to inheriting eternal life.
4th Second
Reading – Hebrews 1:1-6 ©
God
has spoken to us through his Son
At
various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our
ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has
spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit
everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant
light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the
universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement
of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine
Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has
inherited is higher than their own name.
God has never said to any angel: You are my
Son, today I have become your father; or: I will be a father to him and he a
son to me. Again, when he brings the First-Born into the world, he says: Let
all the angels of God worship him.
First Gospel Acclamation –
A Prayer of the Church
Alleluia, alleluia!
Tomorrow there will be an end to the sin of the
world and the saviour of the world will be our king.
Alleluia!
Second Gospel Acclamation – Luke 2:10-11
Alleluia,
alleluia!
I
bring you news of great joy: today a saviour has been born to us, Christ the
Lord.
Alleluia!
Third
Gospel Acclamation – Luke 2:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.
Alleluia!
Fourth Gospel Acclamation –
A Prayer of the Church
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord, for today a
great light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!
First Gospel Reading – Matthew 1:1-25 ©
The
ancestry and birth of Jesus Christ, the son of David
A
genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:
Abraham
was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah
and his brothers, Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their
mother, Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram was the
father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of
Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother, Boaz was the
father of Obed, Ruth being his mother, Obed was the father of Jesse; and Jesse
was the father of King David.
David
was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon was the
father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa
was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the
father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the
father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah; and Josiah was the father of
Jechoniah and his brothers.
Then
the deportation to Babylon took place. After the deportation to Babylon:
Jechoniah
was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel was
the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor
was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud
was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar
the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob; and Jacob was the father of
Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
The
sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from
David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian
deportation to Christ.
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His
mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she
was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a
man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her
informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the
Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because
he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took
place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The
virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and
they will call him Emmanuel,
a
name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’
When
Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took
his wife to his home and, though he had not had intercourse with her, she gave
birth to a son; and he named him Jesus.
Second Gospel Reading – Luke 2:1-14 ©
'In
the town of David a saviour has been born to you'
Caesar
Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This
census – the first – took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and
everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town
of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called
Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered
together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there
the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first
born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because
there was no room for them at the inn.
In the countryside close by there were
shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks
during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the
Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be
afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole
people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ
the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel there was a great
throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:
‘Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.’
Third
Gospel Reading - Luke 2:15-20 ©
The Shepherds Hurried to Bethlehem
and Found the Baby Lying in the Manger
Now
when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the
Lord has made known to us.’ So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and
the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they
had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the
shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered
them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for
all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.
Fourth Gospel Reading –
John 1:1-18 ©
The
Word Was Made Flesh, and Lived Among Us
In
the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God and the Word was
God.
He
was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came to be, not one thing
had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him and that
life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness
could not overpower.
A
man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, as a witness to
speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the
light, only a witness to speak for the light.
The
Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the
world. He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did
not know him.
He
came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him. But to all who
did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in
the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or
will of man but of God himself.
The
Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is
his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John
appears as his witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me ranks before me because
he existed before me.’
Indeed,
from his fullness we have, all of us, received – yes, grace in return for
grace, since, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come
through Jesus Christ.
No
one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s
heart, who has made him known.
Christmas, a Holy Day of Obligation
(Year A)
1st First Reading – Isaiah
62:1-5 ©
2nd First Reading – Isaiah
9:1-7 ©
3rd First Reading – Isaiah
62:11-12 ©
4th First Reading – Isaiah
52:7-10 ©
First Responorial Psalm – Psalm
88(89):4-5,16-17,27,29
Second Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 95(96):1-3,11-13
Third Responsorial Psalm – Psalm
96(97):1, 6, 11-12 ©
Fourth Responsorial Psalm –
Psalm 97(98):1-6
1st Second Reading – Acts 13:16-17,22-25
2nd Second Reading – Titus
2:11-14 ©
3rd Second Reading – Titus
3:4-7 ©
4th Second Reading –
Hebrews 1:1-6 ©
First Gospel Acclamation – A Prayer
of the Church
Second Gospel Acclamation – Luke 2:10-11
Third Gospel Acclamation – Luke 2:14
Fourth Gospel Acclamation – A Prayer
of the Church
First
Gospel Reading – Matthew 1:1-25 ©
Second
Gospel Reading – Luke 2:1-14 ©
Third Gospel Reading - Luke 2:15-20 ©
Fourth Gospel Reading – John 1:1-18 ©
