The
Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Mass at Midnight
Reading
1
1The
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in
the land of gloom a light has shone.
2You
have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you
as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils.
3For
the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their
taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
4For
every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned
as fuel for flames.
5For
a Child is born to us, a Son is given us; upon His shoulder dominion rests.
They name Him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.[1] 6His
dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over his
kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and
forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
Responsorial
Psalm
1Sing
to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands. 2Sing to the LORD;
bless His name.
R.
Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
2Announce His salvation, day after day. 3Tell His glory among the nations; among all
peoples, His wondrous deeds.
R.
Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
11Let
the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it
resound; 12let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then shall all the
trees of the forest exult.
R.
Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
13They
shall exult before the LORD, for He comes; for He comes to rule the earth. He
shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with His constancy.
R.
Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Reading 2
11Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all[2] 12and
training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately,
justly, and devoutly in this age, 13as
we await the blessed hope, the
appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,[3] 14who
gave Himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people as His
own, eager to do what is good.
Alleluia
Luke 2:10-11
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
I
proclaim to you good news of great joy: today a Savior is born for us, Christ
the Lord.
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
1In
those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should
be enrolled.[4][5] 2This
was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3So
all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. 4And Joseph too went up from
Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,[6] 5to
be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6While
they were there, the time came for her to have her Child, 7and she gave birth
to her Firstborn son. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.[7]
8Now
there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night
watch over their flock.[8] 9The
angel of the Lord appeared to them and
the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
10The
angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news
of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For today in the city of David a
Savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.[9] 12And
this will be a sign for you: you will find an Infant wrapped in swaddling
clothes and
lying in a manger.”
13And
suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the Angel, praising
God and saying: 14“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on
whom His favor rests.”
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Notes on Readings:
[1] Isaiah 9:5 - A child: the Immanuel of Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8; compare with Isaiah 11:1, 2, 9. In Christian tradition and liturgy, this passage is
used to refer to Christ. Upon His shoulder dominion rests: authority.
Wonder-Counselor: remarkable for His wisdom and prudence. God-Hero: a warrior
and a defender of His people, like God himself. Father-Forever: ever devoted to His people. Prince of Peace: His reign will be characterized by peace.
[2] Titus 2:11-15 - Underlying the
admonitions for moral improvement in Titus 2:1-10 as the moving force is the constant appeal to God's revelation of salvation in
Christ, with its demand for transformation of life.
[3] Titus 2:13 - The blessed hope, the appearance: literally, "the blessed hope
and appearance," but the use of a single article in Greek strongly
suggests an epexegetical, that is, explanatory sense. Of the great God and of our
savior Jesus Christ: another possible translation is "of our great God and
savior Jesus Christ."
[4] Luke 2:1-2 - Although universal
registrations of Roman citizens are attested in 28 B.C., 8 B.C., and A.D. 14
and enrollments in individual provinces of those who are not Roman citizens are
also attested, such a universal census of the Roman world under Caesar Augustus
is unknown outside the New Testament. Moreover, there are notorious historical
problems connected with Luke's dating the census when Quirinius was governor of
Syria, and the various attempts to resolve the difficulties have proved
unsuccessful. P. Sulpicius Quirinius became legate of the province of Syria in
A.D. 6-7 when Judea was annexed to the province of Syria. At that time, a
provincial census of Judea was taken up. If Quirinius had been legate of Syria
previously, it would have to have been before 10 B.C. because the various
legates of Syria from 10 B.C. to 4 B.C. (the death of Herod) are known, and
such a dating for an earlier census under Quirinius would create additional
problems for dating the beginning of Jesus' ministry (Luke 3:1, 23). A previous legateship after 4 B.C. (and before A.D. 6)
would not fit with the dating of Jesus' birth in the days of Herod (Luke 1:5; Matthew 2:1). Luke may simply be combining Jesus' birth in Bethlehem
with his vague recollection of a census under Quirinius (see also Acts 5:37) to underline the significance of this birth for the whole
Roman world: through this child born in Bethlehem peace and salvation come to
the empire.
[5] Luke 2:1 - Caesar Augustus: the reign
of the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus is usually dated from 27 B.C. to his death
in A.D. 14. According to Greek inscriptions, Augustus was regarded in the Roman
Empire as "savior" and "god," and he was credited with
establishing a time of peace, the pax Augusta, throughout the Roman world
during his long reign. It is not by chance that Luke relates the birth of Jesus
to the time of Caesar Augustus: the real savior (Luke 2:11) and peace-bearer (Luke 2:14; see also Luke 19:38) is the child born in Bethlehem. The great
emperor is simply God's agent (like the Persian king Cyrus in Isaiah 44;28- 45:1) who provides the occasion for God's purposes to be
accomplished. The whole world: that is, the whole Roman world: Rome, Italy, and
the Roman provinces.
[6] Luke 2:14 - On earth peace to those
on whom His favor rests: the peace that results from the Christ event is for
those whom God has favored with His grace. This reading is found in the oldest
representatives of the Western and Alexandrian text traditions and is the
preferred one; the Byzantine text tradition, on the other hand, reads: "on
earth peace, good will toward men." The peace of which Luke's gospel
speaks (Luke 2:14; 7:50; 8:48; 10:5-6; 19:38, 42; 24:36) is more than the
absence of war of the pax Augusta; it also includes the security and well-being
characteristic of peace in the Old Testament.
[7] Luke 2:7 - Firstborn son: the description of Jesus as firstborn Son does not
necessarily mean that Mary had other sons. It is a legal description indicating
that Jesus possessed the rights and privileges of the firstborn son (Genesis 27; Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:12-13; 18:15-16; Deuteronomy 21:15-17). See the footnotes on Matthew 1:25; Mark 6:3. Wrapped Him in swaddling clothes: there may be an
allusion here to the birth of another descendant of David, his son Solomon, who
though a great king was wrapped in swaddling clothes like any other infant (Wisdom 7:4-6). Laid him in a manger: a feeding trough for animals. A
possible allusion to Isaiah 1:3 LXX.
[8] Luke 2:8-20 - The announcement of
Jesus' birth to the shepherds is in keeping with Luke's theme that the lowly
are singled out as the recipients of God's favors and blessings (see also Luke 1:48, 52).
[9] Luke 2:11 - The basic message of the
infancy narrative is contained in the angel's announcement: this child is
savior, Messiah, and Lord. Luke is the only synoptic gospel writer to use the
title savior for Jesus (Luke 2:11; Acts 5:31; 13:23; see also Luke 1:69 ; 19:9; Acts 4:12). As savior, Jesus is looked upon by Luke as the one who
rescues humanity from sin and delivers humanity from the condition of
alienation from God. The title christos, "Christ," is the Greek
equivalent of the Hebrew masiah, "Messiah," "anointed one."
Among certain groups in first-century Palestinian Judaism, the title was applied
to an expected royal leader from the line of David who would restore the
kingdom to Israel (see Acts 1:6. The political overtones of the title are played down in
Luke and instead the Messiah of the Lord (Luke 2;26) or the Lord's anointed is the one who now brings
salvation to all humanity, Jew and Gentile (Luke 2:29-32). Lord is the most frequently used title for Jesus in
Luke and Acts. In the New Testament it is also applied to Yahweh, as it is in
the Old Testament. When used of Jesus it points to his transcendence and
dominion over humanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.