Mass Readings for Christmas
We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice.”-Pope Paul VI
My dearest Friends, the long-awaited celebration is here. We have gathered here today because Christ has gathered us together by His Birth. This was His Mission in coming, to bring us together and reunite us with God. (Eph 1:7-20) He became one of us to enter deeply into the fullness of our being to redeem us from the very root of sin that disconnected us from God the Father. God is empathic with humanity.
~His coming was not by accident. It was planned and willingly accepted by Christ the Son. It was part of God’s Eternal Plan for the salvation of mankind, not a consequence of the fall of man. God gave His Son who accepted to be born in the likeness of man. He took up our lowly state, being born in a manger, to model for us the humility that should accompany our relationship with Him. This shows us that our lowly beginning does not define nor limit our destiny. He was born in a manger yet He was King of the Universe.
~His Birth has a purpose just as your and my birth have a purpose. He has a Mission to accomplish for the salvation of man. It was obedience to the Will of His Father that saw Him through on that Mission. So if we are to succeed in our mission in life and actualize our purpose in life, we must be obedient to His commands and surrender our will to His.
~His Birth was a gift to men. A gift born out of selfless and unconditional love for man. He became a gift to men and women that we, in turn, shall be a gift to others. It was a selfless gift to us, to teach us that it is only in selfless service that we accomplish God’s designs and fulfillment of our mission here on earth.
~His Birth inaugurated a new era of Grace. For 400 years no prophetic voice had been heard in Israel. No kings, nor judges, until John appeared in the wilderness to announce Christ’s Coming and to prepare the way for Him. The Birth of Christ was the greatest event in human history. It marks a new dawn in the history of salvation. Israel had waited for the coming of her Messiah and her prophets had prophesied about His Coming. Malachi, as the last prophet of old, brought an end to the Old Testament prophesies about the coming of Christ. All the prophecies of old found their fulfillment in His Birth. He is the long-expected Savior, hence the inspiration of this song:
Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free.
From our fears and sins release us.
Let us find our rest in Thee,
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
The Joy of every longing heart.
~Our generation is so fortunate to witness the Birth and experience the Grace of this Newborn King. Many of old desired to see what we see today, to hear what we hear but never saw or heard Him.(cf. Luke 10:24) He spoke to the people of old through the prophets but in our day through the voice of His Only Begotten Son (cf.Heb.1:2). God is now among us (EMMANUEL). Let us live like people whose God is in their midst.
~Since we are so privileged as a people of the new Israel, shouldn’t we allow His dominion of Grace to make us the good people of God? We are no longer under the old laws. We are now under the dispensation of Grace and this Grace is sufficient in our lives. May the abundance of this Grace, which is unmerited, bring out the best in our lives. Let us not abuse it by sinful living.
~Christ came to bring peace to our troubled world. Israel had many enemies when Christ was born. Contrary to their expectation He was not a political messiah who had come to declare war on Israel’s enemies but a Peaceful Messiah Who came to gather all the scattered children of God into one family of God. Peace and Love were the cardinal points of His Mission. He was non-violent even when earthly forces may have warranted violence. He peached non-violence and peacefully resolved disputes. Let’s learn from Christ and settle all disputes peacefully this Christmas, ranging from family to property disputes. May our gathering together this Christmas be a source of unification among us and not one of disunity.
He came to bring peace to all men…and on earth peace to men of goodwill(credo). Let us be men and women of peace and goodwill in our world which is crippled by the ravages of war, poverty, and sickness. Let’s say no to war and violent rebellion.
Doctrinal Teaching: Christ is the image of the Invisible God and the Firstborn of all creation( Col 1:15-18) Jesus is the Son of God. He is God. He is Divine and Human. These Two natures are hypostatically united. He was never at any point in time human and later became divine nor vice versa. He has no beginning in time even though He was born within a time in history because He existed before the creation of the world. In the prologue of John, he says: “In the beginning was the Word…”( John 1:1ff) He is the Son yet consubstantial with the Father.
~May this Christmas Season fill our hearts with joy and peace. Let this year’s Christmas bring about a transformation that has never occurred in your life nor in our world. Amen
With a heart filled with joy, I wish you, your family and your loved ones a joyful and grace-filled Christmas celebration. You are always in my prayers.
