Nativity of the Lord or Christmas, During the Day

Title

Your God is King

Outline

I have just finished listening to the second half of the biography of Pope Benedict XVI

In the first half I found a man I could identify with

A man who as a boy did not enjoy nor was good at sports

A man who loved his books and walks

A man with two united sides, deep piety and deep scholarship

Of course, he is the giant in these things and I the pigmy, but I understand those perspectives and have lived more or less in his world

In the second half I found a man with a great vision for the church

A man who removed the symbols of secular power from the papacy because his vision was grander and deeply rooted in theology

He was also a man unjustly pilloried in the press (by both right and left) who nevertheless stayed the course of reaching out to the world

Our readings must delight his heart.

The focus of our readings is the Word or the Reason

That Word who always was

That Word through which God made the world - in both John 1 and Hebrews 1.

That Word who reached out to fallen humanity through the prophets - as Benedict insisted, the Bible is not the Word of God, but the record of revelation of the Word, since there is only one Word spoken by the Father

The Word who was rejected again and again in the history of Isreal (including in John the Baptist) but did not retaliate by throwing Israel or creation or humanity in the trash. “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.”

But in the climax of history that Word “changed” in that he became what he was not, flesh

As flesh he could reveal the Word in a way he could not while speaking through and into human beings: We could not see God, including the Word, but “The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.” because he became one of us.

Because he is one of us we cry, “Your God is King!”

Because God “leads the first-born into the world” we know “in these last days, he spoke to us through a son.”

Because of this we can see the unseen, for “we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

Sisters, our response must be to join the angels, “Let the angels of God worship him.!”

A cosmic event has taken place, and world does not notice

All other kings, presidents, emperors, and the like are relativized, confined to a part of the sphere that the Word created, and they try to think that they are in control.

Even ecclesial groups sometimes think that gaining political power is a way forward when, as Dante pointed out, it is a step down

And even we are at times tempted to see the apparent weakness of the incarnate Word as something less that worldly power, when it is, as C. S. Lewis has said, “Deeper magic.”

In the light of this reality and our poor eyesight, we call out to God at Christmas, “Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see the wonders of your Word.”

Readings

Catholic Daily Readings 12-25-2021: Nativity of the Lord or Christmas

FIRST READING

Isaiah 52:7–10

7 How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of the one bringing good news,

Announcing peace, bearing good news,

announcing salvation, saying to Zion,

“Your God is King!”

8 Listen! Your sentinels raise a cry,

together they shout for joy,

For they see directly, before their eyes,

the LORD’s return to Zion.

9 Break out together in song,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the LORD has comforted his people,

has redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The LORD has bared his holy arm

in the sight of all the nations;

All the ends of the earth can see

the salvation of our God.

Catholic Daily Readings 12-25-2021: Nativity of the Lord or Christmas

RESPONSE

Psalm 98:3c

3 He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness

toward the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the victory of our God.

PSALM

Psalm 98:1–6

1 A psalm.

Sing a new song to the LORD,

for he has done marvelous deeds.

His right hand and holy arm

have won the victory.

2 The LORD has made his victory known;

has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,

3 He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness

toward the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the victory of our God.

4 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth;

break into song; sing praise.

5 Sing praise to the LORD with the lyre,

with the lyre and melodious song.

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn

shout with joy to the King, the LORD.

Catholic Daily Readings 12-25-2021: Nativity of the Lord or Christmas

SECOND READING

Hebrews 1:1–6

CHAPTER 1

1 In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; 2 in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,

3 who is the refulgence of his glory,

the very imprint of his being,

and who sustains all things by his mighty word.

When he had accomplished purification from sins,

he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

4 as far superior to the angels

as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say:

“You are my son; this day I have begotten you”?

Or again:

“I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”?

6 And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says:

“Let all the angels of God worship him.”

Catholic Daily Readings 12-25-2021: Nativity of the Lord or Christmas

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Text

GOSPEL

Option A

John 1:1–18

CHAPTER 1

1 In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came to be through him,

and without him nothing came to be.

What came to be 4 through him was life,

and this life was the light of the human race;

5 the light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world,

and the world came to be through him,

but the world did not know him.

11 He came to what was his own,

but his own people did not accept him.

12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13  who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory as of the Father’s only Son,

full of grace and truth.

15 John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ” 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, 17 because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

Notes

Catholic Daily Readings 12-25-2021: Nativity of the Lord or Christmas

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2021 | CHRISTMAS

NATIVITY OF THE LORD OR CHRISTMAS

DURING THE DAY

YEARS ABC | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

On the same date: Nativity of the Lord, Midnight; Nativity of the Lord, Dawn

First Reading Isaiah 52:7–10

Response Psalm 98:3c

Psalm Psalm 98:1–6

Second Reading Hebrews 1:1–6

Gospel Acclamation Text

Gospel John 1:1–18 or John 1:1–5, 9–14

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