Immersed in Christ: December 25, 2020
(Vigil Mass) Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 98; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25
(Midnight Mass) Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11–14; Luke 2:1–14
(Mass at Dawn) Isaiah 62:11–12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4–7; Luke 2:15–20
THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (Christmas Mass during the Day)
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace... who says to Zion, ‘Your God is King!’”
They see directly, before their eyes, the Lord restoring Zion... For the Lord comforts his people, he redeems....
“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.”
Earthly victories are nothing compared to the power inherent in the Incarnation. What has been revealed to us is truth literally beyond all telling:
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.
“In times past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our ancestors through the prophets. In this, the final age, he has spoken to us through his Son.... the exact representation of the Father’s being.”
In Jesus “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of an only son, coming from the Father, filled with enduing love.”
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.
“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.”
This was the ultimate revelation of God’s power: “For while the law was a gift through Moses, this enduring love came through Jesus Christ.”
In the baby we contemplate in the crib resides all power that is truly power: the power of love.
God is love. “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, ever at the Father’s side, who has revealed him.”
God is love. And this love we find present, revealed, and available to us in Jesus Christ.
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Insight
How can we, how could anyone, absorb this message? The readings present Jesus, inviting us to “Sing to the Lord” for his goodness; for his birth; for his light; for his saving power. How many “thoughts within thoughts,” and “mysteries within mysteries,” do these four phrases contain?
Christmas is not once a year; Christmas is all year long. Just as birth is not a one-time act; birth is the beginning of a lifetime. To celebrate the birth of Christ is to make his life our life all year long and until he comes again.
The key to Christmas is an entrance into awareness. Celebrations end; awareness stays and grows. If we cultivate it.
Initiative:
In Jesus the Word was made flesh. Became visible. Touchable. Speaking to our human ears. Christianity is God perceptible to the senses. God as a participant in human interactions. We need to use our senses to keep us aware of him.Use your eyes to read his words, your ears to hear him spoken about, your tongue to praise him. “Sing to the Lord.” And hear the Spirit singing and speaking from your heart. Reach out your hand and receive Christ in Communion. “Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.” Inhale the incense, the fragrance of the flowers.
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