Mother Church celebrates Friday, the 25th day of December 2020, as Christmas, the birthday of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the Entrance Antiphon we pray: “A child is born for us, a son given to us; dominion is laid on his shoulders, and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor. Amen.”
On this day, God has acted on his promise of old and given us a Saviour. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah sings a hymn of praise to God who has brought salvation to the city of Jerusalem. The messenger is seen running along the mountain ridges to the Holy City with the news of the return of the exiles. The watchman takes it up and proclaims it to the ruined Zion.
In the Second Reading, the sacred writer of the Letter to the Hebrews recalls how throughout the Old Testament, God revealed his plan of redemption to the forerunners and ancestors of the Christian faith. But now, God has revealed and achieved all he promised through his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel, we hear the Prologue of Saint John, which is the traditional Gospel of Christmas Day. In it, Saint John tells us that the Word shares the Father’s divine being and his creative activity. Through him comes the communication and revelation of true and eternal life. Let us pray for the grace to receive Emmanuel, God-with-us, as he comes into our world and into our lives this day.
First Reading: Isaiah 52: 7-10.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Comment
Over the Advent period, many of the first readings were from the prophecy of Isaiah. It is perhaps worth recalling that Isaiah, often considered the greatest of the prophets, was born in about 765 BC of a Jerusalem aristocratic family. He received his prophetic vocation in 740 BC and his long ministry spanned a period of over forty years.
The Book of Isaiah covers three distinct periods of Israel’s history. The first part, chapters 1-39, was written by the prophet himself; the second and third parts were written by other prophets when the people of Israel were in exile in Babylon and after their return from exile.
The passage for our meditation this Christmas day is the climax to a long poem of Second Isaiah. The prophet sings a hymn of praise to God through which he praises the eternal city of Jerusalem which now receives the good news of God’s salvation. Salvation is approaching; it has reached the gates of Zion. A messenger is seen running along the mountain ridges, proclaiming that the Lord is returning to his holy city, like a victorious king coming back with his men, having redeemed them from their captors.
This victory parade includes the songs of joy extolling the salvation brought about by the Lord. It is also a pressing call for purification so that those who welcome the Lord are worthy to form part of his holy company. These verses form the famous poem of the “messenger of peace” who “brings good tidings”. The messenger’s feet are praised – a symbol of his speed as he crosses the mountain ridges with the important news of the return of the exiles and of God’s message of salvation to the Holy City of Jerusalem.
His is a message of peace that will characterize life in Israel after the hardships of life in exile. The core of this message is the enthronement of God: “Behold your God!” God has now taken control of Zion. God’s kingdom has now come to his people. This message will be more fully developed in the New Testament when Christ will preach a gospel centered on the kingdom of God.
What do I take out of this message on this day of Christ’s birth? The arrival of the messenger of peace to the city of Jerusalem raises shouts of joy that resound across the city. In the political context in which we find ourselves today, we also dream of the day a messenger of peace shall also be seen running along the ridges of the Fako mountain, or the Manenguba hills, or the hills of the northwest region of our country, bringing the exhilarating good news that the guns have at last been silenced in our land and that peace is finally at the doorsteps of our martyred land.
The coming of the Messiah, Emmanuel – God with us – brings joy to our hearts and souls. Let us in turn be messengers of peace as we take the news of Christ’s birth into our families, especially to those of our brothers and sisters – and there are many of them – who are still to hear this good news of Christ’s birth. Some have heard the news but Satan has picked it out of their souls, leaving them deserts of despair. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to make us messengers of true peace at home, in our parish community and in our work places. We make our prayer through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Second Reading: Hebrews 1:1-6.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to 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; today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
Comment
The Letter to the Hebrews is one of the most imposing and important books in the New Testament. It was written principally to show the superiority of Christianity over the Old Covenant. It focuses on the idea that Christ's priesthood and sacrifice are superior to those of the priests of old. The sacred writer uses this teaching as the basis for encouraging his readers to persevere in the faith despite the difficulties they may be facing in their Christian life.
The passage selected for our meditation is the prologue or the introduction to this letter. The entire letter develops the main message in this prologue, that is, that Christ is the sublime, natural and eternal Son of God, the universal Mediator and eternal High Priest. It speaks of Christ whose mission is to save mankind, a mission appropriate to the Word who created all things.
By speaking to us through his Son, God reveals to us his saving will from the moment of the Incarnation. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Christ Jesus, has come into the world to redeem us by dying on the cross to open us the way to heaven. He thus completes and perfects God’s merciful revelation.
What is this passage telling us? This letter is very much an epistle of fulfillment. In it, the sacred writer shows us that God's final word is preached to those of us who are in danger of falling away from our faith. Christ, who is born today, is the co-creator of the universe with his Father. We should therefore welcome him into our hearts, as he lies in the manger, for he has come that we may have life and have it in abundance. We call on the Holy Spirit to fortify our faith and give us the courage to proclaim his word in season and out of season, whether we are listened to or not. Amen.
Gospel acclamation: “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. Alleluia.”
Gospel: John 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 into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he 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 into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
Comment
In his beautiful book, Living the Word, Father Antony Kolencherry says, among other things, that Christmas is both a community and a family feast. One of the most remarkable features of Christmas, he tells us, is its family character. It brings us together, friends and relatives and indeed the whole community of the faithful. Together, we experience the love and warmth of our near and dear ones. This helps to break the monotony and feeling of loneliness. It brings a spirit of reconciliation where relationships had been hurt or bruised over the year. It enables the community to dwell in peace and happiness and harmony as members greet each other, share gifts and good wishes as a sign of community belonging.
The reason for the joy of Christmas is explained in this verse from Saint John’s Gospel passage of this day. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1: 14). Yes, Christ has taken human nature to make us partners worthy to be called “the children of God”.
Saint John has summed up in these words the whole content of God’s mission of salvation for us all. God the Father loved us so much that he has sent his only begotten Son to be born on this day for our salvation. Jesus is the image of the unseen God (Col. 1:15). God dwells among men. He is everywhere, through him everything is made, in him is life (Heb 2:14).
What message should Christmas bring to us? First and foremost, a Christian community is only possible where people are open and lead a just and righteous life. It is possible only where God is at work, where people share and help one another to become truly mature Christians. Christmas should therefore be a period of reconciliation in our Christian community and in our families. Is there acceptance between husband and wife, parents and children, members of the same Christian community? Do we keep aside gossiping and back biting so we can mingle with one another as true children of the same God, accepting even those who openly hate us, or are indifferent to us? God accepts them, so should we.
Christmas is the festival of love, involving families and whole communities. God has shown us how to love one another, accept even those who do not care about us, and pray for those who hate us. Jesus himself has said that what we do to the least of his brothers, we do unto him. As Pope Francis recently advised, we Catholics should not waste time complaining about coronavirus restrictions, but we should rather focus our attention on opening the doors of our homes and hearts to helping those in need. “Instead of complaining in these difficult times about what the pandemic prevents us from doing, let us do something for someone who has less: not the umpteenth gift for ourselves and our friends, but for a person in need whom no one thinks of!” There is no pandemic or crisis that can turn off the light of Christmas,” he concludes.
Christmas reminds us to be open to all as God is open to us. It exhorts us to go out of ourselves to the community, to the needy, to the poor and the hungry because God identifies himself with them. If we do not do that, then we will be like those in Bethlehem who did not open their doors to Joseph and Mary. Our homes however beautiful they may be, our churches however grandiose and spectacular, our celebrations however solemn, will be empty without Christ, the incarnation of love. Jesus is already here, and he is knocking at the door to our hearts, minds and souls. Do we hear him? Do we let him in?
Let us say this prayer for Christmas that Saint John XXIII gave to the Church:
O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas. Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately, and which You alone can give them. Help them to know one another better, and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for Your infinite goodness. Join them all together in Your love. And give them Your heavenly peace,
Amen
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