The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Dawn
Dawn
Lectionary: 15
Reading 1
Is 62:11-12
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.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12.
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.
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.
Alleluia
Lk 2:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to those
on whom his favor rests.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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 Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Mass During the Day
Lectionary: 16
Reading 1
Is 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”
Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,
together they shout for joy,
for they see directly, before their eyes,
the LORD restoring Zion.
Break out together in song,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the LORD comforts his people,
he redeems Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will behold
the salvation of our God.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6.
R. (3c) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Reading 2
Heb 1:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways
to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe,
who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say:
You are my son; this day I have begotten you?
Or again:
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?
And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says:
Let all the angels of God worship him.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
For today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jn 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
We have been facing a challenging year that I can find absolutely no other in comparison to in my lifetime. 2020 and 2021 can arguably go down in history as one year that we would all agree could have been lived a lot better than it was. Even so, this is the perfect time to reflect upon what we have all faced together and bring it into perspective with the day that we celebrate today: The Birth of Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. The world is gripped with fears, anxiety, and resentments. Society is divided: upended with violence and rage. The threat against our churches, institutions, and way of life are very real. The darkness feels darker. We being in the throes of winter do not make it any better. The days are shorter and the landscape desolate. No one can fault those individuals who feel lost, hopeless, and helpless. I think that we can all agree that we have had these feelings at one time or another during this past year. It must be understood that, even though it might not appear this way, there is nothing new that we are presented with in our experiences that make it unique in comparison to what has been experienced throughout the history of humanity. What we have is a replay of the brokenness of humanity and the hopeless conditions that we face. There has been and will always be some sort of suffering which we all will experience. It is how that suffering is approached and how we react to it that defines the experience. As Christians we can find comfort from any suffering through our relationship with Jesus Christ. The Church offers a variety of seasons and celebrations within the Church Calendar throughout the year that can strengthen us and enrich our relationship with Jesus so as to confront these crises with full confidence that, whatever may be before us, we will overcome them; being better because of it.
The words of the Apostle John can give us comfort during the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) and help us understand it in relation to our own relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is described as the light of the world and through Him life is brought to all of creation. He is the life-giver through and with the Father. We, as part of His creation are bearers of the light. In other words we are Christ-bearers and by us being a part of his creation means that He dwells within us. We cannot be separated from Him because He is an integral part of us. This fact is the foundation in which we are encouraged to build our relationship with Jesus on. The power of Jesus Christ is what brought everything into existence and He has authority over everything. The light that He is always overpowers the darkness which represents the corporal powers of this world which have seeped in and corrupted that which was indeed perfect before the exercise of our free will and the act of Original Sin.
The Word Becoming Flesh is Jesus Christ’s entrance into the world fully human and fully divine. He came as a little child born unto a virgin defining His perfection and defining Mother Mary as the God Bearer (Theotokos); one who was to be revered and honored in a very specific way forever. He was unblemished; unaffected by the brokenness and darkness around Him. Simplicity, humility, and innocence were the perfect contrast to anything that the world could offer in comparison. Surrounded by animals and squalor; He stood out in comparison to everything around Him. Wrapped in swaddling cloth and laid in a manger brings about the iconic scene which has been recreated by artists and writers for thousands of years. What society defines as strength and power is not how God sees strength and power. God’s power is as such that He can reveal His Son in the most understated and beautiful terms that nothing could or would ever withstand it. The power of that moment becomes an offering to us from God. The Infant Jesus is easily approachable and offers no threat to us. We are encouraged to approach Him and receive Him in our arms; to be comforted by His warmth and to love Him as a parent should love their own child. Holding a child disarms the one holding it and we too should be disarmed by the presence of the Christ-Child. There is no need for defense and no need for ill-begotten feelings. There is only that moment with that child. What more can matter than that singular moment with a child in our arms? The night has no power over the light that is the child. Everything is perfect in that moment because Christ has the ability to bring about that perfection.
Just as Jesus Christ was once a child we too must become like children again to bring ourselves back to that moment in the manger and that moment of perfection where He was revealed to the entire world. There were no fears, anxieties, or resentments. There was just Jesus. That is where He wants us to meet Him: in the safety and security of that moment. When we approach Jesus all that is defined by darkness is forced out and remains on the outside while only goodness remains within. The only time we can be affected by that which is negative is when we allow ourselves to be. In the presence of Jesus everything has the capability of being transformed into a positive just by including Jesus. The power of our God is revealed when we let it be revealed. It is never God who hides Himself. It is us who cover Him up through our own decisions and the welcoming in of the darkness. Jesus revealed Himself to the world and He wants us to continue revealing Him instead of hiding Him away. As Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 1Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
The light is Christ that brings us to life. It then goes out into the world. We are directly unified with Jesus from the moment of our creation. What a wonderful relationship that is to be so close to our God! That relationship will be brought to perfection on that fateful day when we see Him face to face. Until then we are engaged in a continual process of renewal and perfection urged on by the presence of the light. One of the keys to this is to recognize the light, examine the light, and embrace the light.
Jesus Revealed Himself completely to the world on this day. This had been a process that began at the moment of creation and continued throughout all of time until that fateful day that the Child Jesus was born. This marks the beginning of the Last Age: The Christian Age. The Kingdom of God is being built up on this earth and we are the workers. We are commissioned to go forth and build this new heaven and new earth that Jesus Spoke of, for the kingdom of God is within all of us. Its presence starts with the Light of Christ and then continues with our actions which are in direct reaction to its presence. We have a great responsibility as believers here. It cannot be ignored if we truly believe we are Christians and believe in Jesus Christ being the Son of God. These beliefs and our actions that proceed from them are inseparable. Once we recognize this it will be easier to discern if we are doing the right or the wrong thing in our lives. Right choices become more obvious. Jesus is seen and felt more readily. This is what the Child Jesus promises us: we become children ourselves; innocent and clean once again.
The Birth of Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ becomes a celebration of our own rebirth and the beginning of our own Salvation Story. God is with us. God is inside of us. God is here to guide us to eternal life and eternal glory. Nothing is impossible with God. He has conquered all things including death itself. Because of this there is really nothing left to fear in this world. As long as we keep our focus on the Christ-Child and our relationship with Jesus all problems, issues, and controversies will disappear because all can and will be conquered through Jesus Christ. Armed with this knowledge we can act accordingly. We can act as Children of the Light; Children of God.
Deacon Tom
