Welcome

25 December/Saturday/ Christmas Mass during Day

Isa 52:7-10/ Psa 98:1-6/Heb 1:1-6/John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5,9-14

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Isaiah 52:7-10

Rejoice, for the Lord is consoling his people

How beautiful on the mountains,

are the feet of one who brings good news,

who heralds peace, brings happiness,

proclaims salvation,

and tells Zion,

‘Your God is king!’

Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices,

they shout for joy together,

for they see the Lord face to face,

as he returns to Zion.

Break into shouts of joy together,

you ruins of Jerusalem;

for the Lord is consoling his people,

redeeming Jerusalem.

The Lord bares his holy arm

in the sight of all the nations,

and all the ends of the earth shall see

the salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 97(98):1-6

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord

    for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

    have brought salvation.

The Lord has made known his salvation;

    has shown his justice to the nations.

He has remembered his truth and love

    for the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

    the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

    ring out your joy.

Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp

    with the sound of music.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn

    acclaim the King, the Lord.

Second Reading       Hebrews 1:1-6

God has spoken to us through his Son

At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

    God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father; or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Again, when he brings the First-Born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

A hallowed day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, worship the Lord,

for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.

Alleluia!

Gospel    John 1:1-18

The Word was made flesh, and lived among us

In the beginning was the Word:

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things came to be,

not one thing had its being but through him.

All that came to be had life in him

and that life was the light of men,

a light that shines in the dark,

a light that darkness could not overpower.

A man came, sent by God.

His name was John.

He came as a witness,

as a witness to speak for the light,

so that everyone might believe through him.

He was not the light,

only a witness to speak for the light.

The Word was the true light

that enlightens all men;

and he was coming into the world.

He was in the world

that had its being through him,

and the world did not know him.

He came to his own domain

and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God,

to all who believe in the name of him

who was born not out of human stock

or urge of the flesh

or will of man

but of God himself.

The Word was made flesh,

he lived among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:

‘This is the one of whom I said:

He who comes after me ranks before me

because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –

yes, grace in return for grace,

since, though the Law was given through Moses,

grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God;

it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,

who has made him known.

Reflection

Although the prologue of the Gospel of John which is the Gospel Reading of the day is not specific about the birth of Jesus Christ, it offers a comprehensive view of the person and mission of the one whose nativity has changed world history. In the prologue, John is intent on presenting Jesus as the Word of God made flesh. The Word that has been made flesh has its origins in God. This origin is not to be considered in the sense of generation because we emphasize in the creed that he was begotten but not made. He is one with the Father and was with the Father from all time.

The incarnation of the Word which was announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel has become a reality in the birth that we celebrate at Christmas. His incarnation initiated a new form of relationship between God and humanity. This is made manifest in the Second Reading where the author of the Letter to the Hebrews affirms that “in our own time, the last days, God has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is”. The birth of Jesus has offered us the opportunity to hear God in his Son. His birth was heralded by the angels who praised God saying Holy, Holy, Holy. A new era has dawned on humanity as we can now see God face to face and live.

The birth of Christ has been proclaimed to us as Good News. Jesus is himself the Good News that he proclaims. He is the Word of God in person and his word is truth indeed. Every word that is proclaimed about him becomes Good News. Thus the prophecy of Isaiah in the First Reading is fulfilled in our own eyes. With the prophet we can say “How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of one who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Zion, ‘Your God is king!’ This is the message that all of us are invited to make known to the world on this day and during the season of Christmas.

The message of Christmas is not so much about a child in a manger but God’s visitation and its implications or consequences for humanity. God’s visitation has reconciled sinful humanity with the all merciful Father. The incarnation of Christ has offered humanity the opportunity to become adopted sons and daughters, thus restoring us to our lost glory; a glory we lost through the sin of Adam. As Paul expresses it in his Letter to the Romans, we too are to make known the Good News that through the fault of one man sin entered the world, but by one man, Jesus Christ we have redemption. Let us rejoice in this great divine favour and make known the joyful message. It is in this way that Christmas would be meaningful to us all.

24 December/Friday

Morning Mass          

2Sam 7:1-5, 8-11,14,16/Psa 89:2-5,27,29/Luke 1:67-79

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading    2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16

Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’

    But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:

    ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 88(89):2-5,27,29

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;

    through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,

    that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

    I have sworn to David my servant:

I will establish your dynasty for ever

    and set up your throne through all ages.

‘He will say to me: “You are my father,

    my God, the rock who saves me.”

I will keep my love for him always;

    with him my covenant shall last.’

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Morning star, radiance of eternal light,

sun of justice,

come and enlighten those who live in darkness

and in the shadow of death.

Alleluia!

Gospel    Luke 1:67-79

'You, little child, shall be the prophet of the Most High'

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel

for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue

and he has raised up for us a power for salvation

in the House of his servant David,

even as he proclaimed,

by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,

that he would save us from our enemies

and from the hands of all who hate us.

Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors,

thus he remembers his holy covenant

the oath he swore

to our father Abraham

that he would grant us, free from fear,

to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,

to serve him in holiness and virtue

in his presence, all our days.

And you, little child,

you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord

to prepare the way for him,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins;

this by the tender mercy of our God

who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,

to give light to those who live

in darkness and the shadow of death

and to guide our feet

into the way of peace.’

Reflection

The Gospel Reading presents the Benedictus or Song of Zechariah which he proclaimed after he regained the power of speech at the circumcision and naming ceremony of the son, John the Baptist. It is not only a song of joy at the restoration of his power of speech or the gift of a son. It is an inspired song that proclaims the greatness of God beyond the events unfolding before the eyes of his audience. His song like the Magnificat is theology, social ethics, politics and economy.

Most of what Zechariah says in his song does not focus on John the Baptist. It rather points to the redemption of God’s people. The little he says about John the Baptist presents him as a prophetic figure, filled with the Holy Spirit. He, in the spirit of Elijah would go before Jesus whose birth is imminent and make ready a people prepared for the Lord. The ministry of John the Baptist would confirm the prophecy of Zechariah and point to Christ, the Saviour of the world.

This Gospel Reading serves as a good preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ this night. Zechariah announces the characteristics and mission of the Saviour. He invites us to enter into dialogue with him as we encounter him in his birth in a manger. The greatness portrayed in the song contrasts with the lowly birth but this is the message of Christmas. Christ is king but of a different kind from the kings of the earth. We hail him as our Saviour who ushers us into a new way of life. May we be encouraged to change our lives for the better so that Christ may be born in our hearts this night.

Midnight Mass

Isaiah 9:1-7/ Psalm 95(96):1-3,11-13/ Titus 2:11-14/ Luke 2:1-14

First Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7

A Son is given to us

The people that walked in darkness

has seen a great light;

on those who live in a land of deep shadow

a light has shone.

You have made their gladness greater,

you have made their joy increase;

they rejoice in your presence

as men rejoice at harvest time,

as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.

For the yoke that was weighing on him,

the bar across his shoulders,

the rod of his oppressor,

these you break as on the day of Midian.

For all the footgear of battle,

every cloak rolled in blood,

is burnt,

and consumed by fire.

For there is a child born for us,

a son given to us

and dominion is laid on his shoulders;

and this is the name they give him:

Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,

Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

Wide is his dominion

in a peace that has no end,

for the throne of David

and for his royal power,

which he establishes and makes secure

in justice and integrity.

From this time onwards and for ever,

the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95(96):1-3,11-13

Today a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

    sing to the Lord all the earth.

    O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day,

    tell among the nations his glory

    and his wonders among all the peoples.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,

    let the sea and all within it thunder praise,

let the land and all it bears rejoice,

    all the trees of the wood shout for joy

at the presence of the Lord for he comes,

    he comes to rule the earth.

With justice he will rule the world,

    he will judge the peoples with his truth.

Second Reading     Titus 2:11-14

God's grace has been revealed to the whole human race

God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and would have no ambition except to do good.

Gospel Acclamation Luke 2:10-11

Alleluia, alleluia!

I bring you news of great joy:

today a saviour has been born to us, Christ the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Luke 2:1-14

'In the town of David a saviour has been born to you'

Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census – the first – took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.

In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace to men who enjoy his favour.’

Reflection

The Gospel Reading presents a succession of events which are all narrated in relation to the birth of Christ Jesus. The account of the actual birth is narrated in very few words without much description of how it all happened. The reading begins with an account of why Jesus was born in Bethlehem and not in Nazareth where the parents resided. A decree by a pagan Emperor obliged Joseph to travel to Bethlehem for a census. The decree which may have been ordinary in the eyes of many people brought about the fulfilment of a divine plan that Jesus, the Son of God should be born in Bethlehem the city of David.

It is not always that we take civil or political decrees lightly, especially when they disrupt social harmony. We tend to resist such moves and condemn those who are responsible for the decree. It is rare that in such cases we take time to reflect on the possibility of God’s hand directing events in human history. We may begin to appreciate the need to reflect on such apparently human manipulations if we pause for a moment and think of how different would have been the story of Jesus if he were born in Nazareth in Galilee and not in Bethlehem in Judea. One of the most obvious things that would have happened would have been the difficulty to link Jesus with the house of David. Without this link, his royal nature would not have been very evident.

In the succession of events in the story, we note the lack of a suitable accommodation for the parents of Jesus in Bethlehem. The nature of the census might have been such that relatives from all over the region flocked to Bethlehem ahead of Joseph and Mary so they could not find a suitable lodging place. When we read that Jesus was laid in a manger, we have the impression it might have been an abandoned place or a place where usually animals were kept. It may have been a cave as tradition suggests but it could also have been otherwise. Judeo-Palestinian houses of peasants are constructed in such a way that at times farm animals and their fodder are often kept in the same building where the family lives. 

Considering the crowds that may have flocked to Bethlehem for the census, the use of the eating trough or manger could have been ideal because of its shape. It could serve adequately as a baby couch. Such a consideration dispels the emotional interpretations of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus. It dispels the sensation that Mary and Joseph were not welcome in Bethlehem or Jesus was born under inhuman conditions. We may have to consider the account of Luke as his way of indicating the socio-political circumstances that compelled Joseph and Mary to be in Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Jesus. Consequent to the socio-political circumstances was also the condition in which Jesus was born. It is relevant to note that the central message of Luke was to point to the lowly nature of the birth of Jesus. He was a king who was not born in a palace but in the dwelling place of peasants.

The difficult situation so far described contrasts with the experience of the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem. The birth of a child that would have gone unnoticed in the confusion surrounding the census decreed by Caesar Augustus takes the centre place thanks to the intervention of an angel of the Lord who announced to the shepherds news that they may never have imagined. He told them: “Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”. This message transformed the quasi lonely birth into a world event. God knew how to bring the birth of his Son into the centre of human history. The proclamation by the angel of God continues to echo in our ears today as we celebrate the birth of Christ. We know that his nativity has changed human history. Christ has become the central point of our world even for those who either reject or ignore him. We are privileged to share in the good news of his birth and to affirm that his birth has brought us salvation. May we be bold in making this known to the world around us.

23 December/Thursday

 Mal 3,1-4,23-24/Psa 25:4-5ab,8-10,14/Luke 1:57-66

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading     Malachi 3:1-4,23-24

Before my day comes, I will send you Elijah my prophet

The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.

    Know that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great and terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the hearts of children towards their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24(25):4-5,8-9,10,14

Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.

Lord, make me know your ways.

    Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

    for you are God my saviour.

The Lord is good and upright.

    He shows the path to those who stray,

He guides the humble in the right path,

    He teaches his way to the poor.

His ways are faithfulness and love

    for those who keep his covenant and law.

The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;

    to them he reveals his covenant.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

King of the peoples

    and cornerstone of the Church,

come and save man,

    whom you made from the dust of the earth.

Alleluia!

Gospel  Luke 1:57-66

'His name is John'

The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.

Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

Reflection

The Gospel Reading speaks about the circumcision and naming of John the Baptist. Circumcision among the Jews marked the incorporation of a male child into the covenant relationship between God and his people, Israel. It was also the ceremony that established an obligation to live under the demands of the law. It is for these two reasons that only those Jews who were circumcised on the eighth day could consider themselves unblemished Jews. It was therefore important that John the Baptist was circumcised with the relatives and neighbours in attendance as witnesses to the act.

The story also speaks of the naming of the child on the same day. There is little evidence that this was the practice because in the time of the Patriarchs, the naming took place at birth. Naming of children at the moment of circumcision is a late Jewish practice. We also note that while there is precedence for a son to be named after the father, the more common practice was to name the male child after the grandfather. If those present at the naming ceremony wanted the child to be named after his father, it was probably because of the affliction of Zechariah. The objection of Elizabeth did not go down well with the audience. In their objection, they sought the support of Zechariah only to realise that the name he wrote down on the tablet was the same as the one the wife had proposed.

The convergence of the decisions of Elizabeth and Zechariah showed that only a name outside the range of all that people would expect would mark a decisive discontinuity in human affairs with the advent of John the Baptist. The net cut that his birth was to introduce in human history is already manifested in the ceremony narrated in the story.  As the precursor of Jesus, John the Baptist’s life was to be a sign of the new era of salvation in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist did not have to proclaim it by word of mouth. The many signs from his conception to his circumcision and naming are enough to inform the person who knows how to read the signs of the time. We pray that we may not lose sight of all that John the Baptist is telling us about Jesus so that we may be ready to welcome him when he comes.