The Nativity of the Lord
Introduction: May the
Incarnation of the Son of GOD continue to empower your life with Love, Light,
and purpose.
Do you feel loved
at this special time of year? Are you receiving signs of love from those whom
you love? GOD has desired for you to know of the divine love. Yet, as humans,
it is sometimes hard to know what love is. We need visible, tangible signs of
love. It is for that very reason that GOD has taken on human flesh and lived
among us in the person of Jesus the Christ – true GOD and true human. Jesus has
shared our human life so that we might accept the greatest gift of all – a
share in the divine life of GOD, not just now but for all eternity. As we
prepare to exchange gifts with those whom we love, remember that the gifts themselves
are only reminders of the love that exists between us and the love that GOD has
for each of us.
For Mass at
Midnight, our First Reading speaks about a Son given to us Who brings light to
those in darkness, and joy to those in sorrow. This Child will be given the
Reign of GOD and be called by the titles Wonder-Counselor, GOD-Hero,
Father-Forever, and Prince of Peace. The Reign that this Son will establish
will be marked with justice and peace. St. Paul, in his letter to Titus,
reminds us that Jesus is the revelation of GOD’s grace to all people. The glory
of GOD has come in and through the Savior of the world.
The Gospel for
Mass at Midnight is the traditional infancy narrative from Luke. We hear the
reason Mary and Joseph end up in Bethlehem – because of their obedience to the
Roman census. The familiar image of the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying
in a feeding trough in a stable is presented to us, along with the announcement
to the shepherds of the birth of the Messiah.
First Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7
A Son is given to us
Commentary: This prophecy
of Isaiah promises a joyful reversal after the threats of the Assyrian invasion
of Jerusalem in 732 BC. The devastating Assyrian armies had plundered the
northern kingdom of Israel and seemed certain to repeat this exploit on Judah
and Jerusalem in the south. Amazingly, they turned away. At the same time,
Isaiah promises a son of the royal line of David, who will bring peace with
justice and righteousness. This son is described in exaggerated terms which we
Christians see to be fulfilled only in Jesus, the Second David, the true Son of
God. He will be Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace, each pair of titles having a marvellous, transcendent air. Such promises
sustained the hopes of the nation through the grim period of Exile and the
succession of foreign rulers that dominated the return from Exile. As the hated
Roman occupation became more burdensome, the hopes of delivery through this
promised heir of David became more and more vivid in Israel, as we see from the
Jewish literature of the years immediately preceding the birth of Jesus. It is
in terms of the heir to David and Son of God that Mary received the message of
the angel at the Annunciation.
Responsorial Psalm 96:1-3,11-13
Today a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
Commentary: Psalm 96 exhorts a global proclamation of God's glory and
salvation. The call to sing a new song reflects the dynamic and ever-fresh
nature of our worship, while the concluding verses depict a cosmic celebration
in anticipation of God's righteous judgment. The psalm encourages believers to
declare and rejoice in the greatness of the Lord among all nations.
Second Reading: Titus 2:11-14
God's grace has been revealed to the whole human race
Commentary: The author of
the letter sees God primarily as the Saviour, who wishes all people to be saved
through Christ, also our Saviour. In the Old Testament God is often called the
Saviour of his people, but in the letters to Timothy and Titus this title is
with equal frequency transferred to Jesus our Saviour, perhaps as a divine
title. This reading is chosen to celebrate Christmas because it speaks twice of
the appearance or manifestation (the same word in Greek) of our Saviour, and
the Church Fathers often consider the moment of this Appearing at the
Incarnation rather than the Resurrection to be the moment of salvation. It is
celebrated as the moment when God became man so that man might be raised to the
divine. Accordingly, the Eastern Church celebrates rather the Epiphany (or appearance)
of the Lord. However, the letter stresses that we must respond to this appearance
of the grace of God by preparing for the final appearance. Thus, the classic
formulation speaks of the threefold coming of Christ: in history (at
Bethlehem), in mystery (coming into our hearts), and in majesty (at the final
coming in glory).
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14
'In the town of David, a saviour has been born to you'
Commentary: Luke’s account
of the birth of Jesus stresses especially the poverty of the family: Christ
comes to the poor and is greeted by the poor. Mary and Joseph are displaced
persons and can find no decent place for the baby to be born. There is no space
in the living quarters, and he has to be put in a feeding trough among the
animals. He is greeted not by the rich presents of the magnificent wise men
from the East, but by impoverished hired shepherds, guarding flocks in the
winter night. He is born to be the patron of the homeless and displaced
persons.
But Jesus is also
the fulfillment of the hopes of the Old Testament. The families both of John
the Baptist and of Jesus are eminently faithful to the prescriptions of the
Law, waiting for the salvation promised to Israel. In the Temple, Jesus will be
greeted by Simeon and Anna, the representatives of fidelity to the Old Law. The
birth of Jesus at Bethlehem shows that he is born as the heir to the promises
to David, that God would build David a house of everlasting sovereignty, whose
king would be the son of God and would call God his Father.
Reflection: 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 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 was not the rulers and religious leaders of
Israel who were robbed of 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 has 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 Bethlehem 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 goodwill 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 that no pain nor sorrow can diminish, and
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, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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 fullness of his glory has filled the earth.
Daily
Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The shepherds are the first proclaimers of the
Gospel, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"The
shepherds did not keep silent about the hidden mysteries that they had come to
know by divine influence. They told whomever they could. Spiritual shepherds in
the church are appointed especially for this, that they may proclaim the
mysteries of the Word of God and that they may show to their listeners that the
marvels which they have learned in the Scriptures are to be marveled at."
(excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.7)
KEEP
CHRISTMAS IN CHRIST
“This enduring
love came through Jesus Christ.” —John 1:17
For hundreds of
years, the coming of the Messiah had been prophesied. “They name Him
Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is
vast and forever peaceful” (Is 9:5-6).
However, when the
Messiah finally was born, “there was in Him no stately bearing to make us look
at Him, nor appearance that would attract us to Him. He was spurned and avoided
by men” (Is 53:2-3). “The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers failed to
recognize Him, and in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets
which we read sabbath after sabbath” (Acts 13:27). “He was in the world, and
through Him, the world was made, yet the world did not know Who He was. To His
own He came, yet His own did not accept Him” (Jn 1:10-11). Jesus was born in a
stable and laid in a manger because there was already no room for Him in the
hearts of many (Lk 2:7).
Jesus, emptied of
His glory (Phil 2:7), all too human, the suffering Messiah, continues to be
easily rejected. He is so easily rejected that over a billion people can
celebrate His birthday without giving Him a present, or even a thought. Will
you be among the shepherds who notice Jesus — or even among the wise men who
worship Him? Will you be like Mary and Joseph and let the Lord totally disrupt
your life — all for the Baby Jesus? Will you put Christ ahead of Christmas?
Reject anything
in Christmas not pleasing to Christ. Accept Him as Lord and Savior of
Christmas.
Prayer: Father, give me a
“Mary” Christmas. May I love Jesus as Mary does? God “has spoken to us through
His Son.” —Heb 1:2. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her
King.” Alleluia!
The
personal action for today: As I celebrate Christmas, how do I bring my appreciation of the
Incarnation of Word/Light/Life (Logos/Phos/Zoe) to others? Am I giving (and
receiving) gifts in the name of the Lord Jesus? Can people experience the Love
(Agape) and Light (Phos) of Jesus as I exchange presents and greet people on
this holy day and during this holy season? How can I extend a greeting for
Blessed Holy Days beyond Christmas and into the whole year?