Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
(Christmas) - Mass at dawn
Lectionary: 15
Lectionary: 15
See, the LORD proclaims
to the ends of the earth:
say to daughter Zion,
your savior comes!
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
They shall be called the holy people,
the redeemed of the LORD,
and you shall be called "Frequented,"
a city that is not forsaken.
to the ends of the earth:
say to daughter Zion,
your savior comes!
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
They shall be called the holy people,
the redeemed of the LORD,
and you shall be called "Frequented,"
a city that is not forsaken.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12.
R. A
light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
Reading 2 Ti 3:4-7
Beloved:
When the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
He saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
When the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
He saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Gospel Lk 2:15-20
When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
www.usccb.org
Meditation:The
shepherds glorified God for all they had seen
Have you read the news today – the “good
news” of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and son of Mary who was born for us and
for our salvation. The word gospel literally means good news! Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfilled the
prophecy that the Messiah would descend from David and be born in David's city,
Bethlehem (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-2; Micah 5:2-4).
The first to hear the good news of the
savior's birth were not the rulers and religious leaders of Israel who were
robed in riches and power. The angels first came to those who were humble
and ready to receive the newborn king who was born in poverty and was now lying
in a manger made for animals. Just as God had chosen and anointed David, a
lowly shepherd of Bethlehem to become the shepherd king of Israel, so Jesus,
likewise chose the path of humility and lowliness in coming to Israel as the
good shepherd king who would lay down his life for their sake and salvation.
After the angels had sung their hymn of glory in the presence of the shepherds,
the shepherds made haste to adore the newborn king and sing their hymn of glory
as well.
Many of the early church fathers have
written hymns and homilies in praise of the Incarnation. John the Monk, an 8th
century writer, in his Hymn
of the Nativity, sings of
the great exchange in the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation - God becoming
man in order to bring man to heaven:
Heaven and
earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon earth, and
humankind gone up to heaven. Today, for the sake of humankind, the invisible
one is seen in the flesh. Therefore let us glorify him and cry aloud: glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace bestowed by your coming, Savior: glory
to you! Today in Bethlehem, I hear the angels: glory to God in the highest!
Glory to him whose good pleasure it was that there be peace on earth! The Virgin
is now more spacious than the heavens. Light has shone on those in darkness,
exalting the lowly who sing like the angels: Glory to God in the highest!
Beholding him [Adam] who was in God’s image and likeness fallen through
transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and came down, without change taking up
his dwelling in a virgin womb, that he might refashion Adam fallen in
corruption, and crying out: glory to your epiphany, my Savior and my God! [Stichera (hymn) of the Nativity of the
Lord]
Why
was it necessary for the Word of God to become flesh? We needed a savior who
could reconcile us with God. Throughout the ages Christians have professed the
ancient Nicene Creed: "He became man for our sake and for the sake of our
salvation." The eternal Word became flesh for us so he could offer his
life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world through the shedding of
his blood on the cross. The Word became flesh to show us the infinite love and
tender mercy of God for us sinners. In the feast of Christmas we celebrate
present realities – Jesus Christ our redeemer who reigns in heaven and who also
lives and reigns in our hearts through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit.
And we commemorate past events – the birth of the newborn Messiah King and his
manifestation to Israel and to the gentile nations. We thank and bless God for
the way in which he has saved us from the power of sin and the curse of death
and destruction by sending his son to ransom us and give us pardon and abundant
life through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the
birthday of our King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God wants to fill our hearts anew with joy
and gratitude for the greatest gift he could possibly give us – his beloved son
Jesus. What can we give thanks for in this great feast of the Incarnation? We
can praise and thank God our Father for the fact that the Son of God freely and
joyfully assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it.
Jesus came to release the captives from slavery to sin and to open the gates of
paradise once again. This day the Holy Spirit invites us to make haste – as the
shepherds of Bethlem did – to adore Jesus our King and Messiah. The Lord Jesus
Christ is our eternal good shepherd who guides and cares for us unceasingly
and who gives us abundant everlasting life and union with the triune God –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This day the whole community of heaven joins with
all believers of good will on earth in a jubilant song of praise for the good
news proclaimed by the angels on Christmas eve: Behold, I bring you good news of a great
joy which will come to all the people, for to you is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).
The joy of Christmas is not for a day or a
season. It is an eternal joy, a joy that no one can take from us because it is
the joy of Jesus Christ himself made present in our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who dwells within us (see Romans 5:2-5). The Lord gives us a
supernatural joy which no pain nor sorrow can diminish, and which neither life
nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of your salvation in Jesus Christ?
"Lord
our God, with the birth of your Son, your glory breaks on the world. As we
celebrate his first coming, give us a foretaste of the joy that you will grant
us when the fulness of his glory has filled the earth."
www.dailyscripture.net
December 25
Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord
Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord
On this day the Church focuses
especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the
hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to
Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph, caring for his
foster-Son, help round out the scene.
But if we were
to select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine
an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even
disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic choir, promising
peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be
too unbelievable to chase after, and yet compelling enough to leave behind the
flocks in the field and search for a mystery.
On the day of
the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed, “un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd
model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between
skepticism and wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the
shepherds, let us treasure that discovery in our hearts.
Comment:
The precise dating in this passage sounds like a textbook on creationism. If we focus on the time frame, however, we miss the point. It lays out the story of a love affair: creation, the deliveranceof the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, the rise of Israel under David. It climaxes with the birth of Jesus. From the beginning, some scholars insist, God intended to enter the world as one of us, the beloved people. Praise God!
The precise dating in this passage sounds like a textbook on creationism. If we focus on the time frame, however, we miss the point. It lays out the story of a love affair: creation, the deliveranceof the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, the rise of Israel under David. It climaxes with the birth of Jesus. From the beginning, some scholars insist, God intended to enter the world as one of us, the beloved people. Praise God!
www.americancatholic.org
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