The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Vigil Mass
Lectionary: 13
Reading I
For Zion’s sake I will
not be silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines forth like the dawn
and her victory like a burning torch.
Nations shall behold
your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
you shall be called by a new name
pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,
a royal diadem held by your God.
No more shall people call you “Forsaken,”
or your land “Desolate,”
but you shall be called “My Delight,”
and your land “Espoused.”
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his spouse.
As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2a) For ever I will sing the
goodness of the Lord.
I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
He shall say of me, “You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.”
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Reading II
When Paul reached Antioch in Pisidia and
entered the synagogue,
he stood up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the
land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out of it.
Then he removed Saul and raised up David as king;
of him he testified,
‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.’
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Tomorrow the wickedness of the earth will be destroyed:
the Savior of the world will reign over us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The book of the genealogy of Jesus
Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile,
fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ
came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
OR:
Matthew
1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came
about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
God is indeed with us. This evening, in the silence of this moment, we are gathered together with the majority of the world to celebrate a cataclysmic event; one that transformed all of creation, including this world and ourselves. It is through the birth of Jesus Christ, that the entire human race is restored, how our birthright is reclaimed, and how we can encounter pure joy in this life and the next. The darkness that surrounds us surrounded the Holy Family in much the same way, bringing about a deafening silence upon the scene, almost demanding that our eyes become transfixed upon the central figure of this event: the infant Jesus. And here we are now. Our hearts should be filled with joy and our souls bursting forth with unrestrained celebration.
What could counteract such things as the Word becoming Flesh and entering this world for our salvation. What could prevent us from understanding the impact of this night and what it means to us as the Christian Faithful? Indeed, there are powers at work that are doing just that. There are distractions that prevent us from fully experiencing the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives, even now during this most glorious day. We may find ourselves in a place where we do not want to be, separated from our families and friends during a time where we feel that we should be with them. We might find ourselves facing challenges that overwhelm us or cause us not to be in a celebratory state of mind. There is so much that is relied upon to bring about a certain reaction to this celebration: colors, music, food, customs, and rituals. All these are used to stimulate the senses and bring about a deeper connection; a profound experience. When these things are taken away or not partaken of, the same response to the celebration is difficult to have. There also can be an opposite effect because of this. Sadness and disappointment can set in when different times of celebration are compared over the years.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Even though all of these things can add to a spiritual experience and bring joy to those who participate, there is no necessity of having these things. In fact, having less can be profoundly better. Taking away things that been added to our celebration and worship over the years, encourages us to focus on the central meaning of Christmas and the implications the birth of Jesus Christ has for the entirety of God’s creation. Simplicity brings us back to the quietness of that beloved night where we can fully contemplate the Christ Child with the Holy Family. We can become participants in the event, instead of busying ourselves with all of the things around the event. With simplicity comes the realization that event is what is important and the spiritual experience it can bring us, since the spiritual experience is what we are forced to focus on, since everything else has been taken from us. This then becomes a blessing instead of something to be looked at through a negative glance. Christmas truly can become a time of renewal and rebirth for us all.
It is amazing when the beauty of something is realized when it is stripped down to its simplest form. It is very much like the Catholic Mass, where its beauty can be seen in its complexity, organization, and ritual. In the same way, when all of that is taken away and only the words and purposeful functions are left, its beauty shines evermore in its simplicity. Gathering in community, as Jesus instructed us to do, we bring forward ourselves in our present state and offer ourselves before God to worship Him and love Him. We seek forgiveness and renewal. It is through these acts that the Christian Community and the Christian Family is realized. We can be lifted up and free from the prisons that we have put ourselves in mentally and spiritually. Physically we might be restrained, but our mind belongs to us and our spirituality to God.
Into the night and into a new day we too can be born into a new way of thinking and a new life with our thoughts intensively focused on the birth of our savior and the implications of the Word Becoming Flesh.
DEACON TOM
