December 25, 2013 - Mass During The Day

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)



Lectionary: 16
Reading 1 IS 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”

Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,
together they shout for joy,
for they see directly, before their eyes,
the LORD restoring Zion.
Break out together in song,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the LORD comforts his people,
he redeems Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will behold
the salvation of our God.

Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. God has made himself visible to his people. He has come to save all who were lost.

Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6

R. (3c) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

The Catholic Church has taught the saving power of Jesus Christ throughout the world. It is by the faith of the saints who preceded us that the gospel has been preached to alter world. We owe them a great debt.

Reading 2 HEB 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways
to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe,
who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.

Christ is the image of God. He is God in the flesh.

When he had accomplished purification from sins,

When he had established the sacraments.  When he had established the sacraments.  When he had shed his blood upon the cross for the forgiveness of sins, he established the sacraments to which the grace which he released by his death upon the cross is applied to the faithful.

he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

And then he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.

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?
And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says:
Let all the angels of God worship him.

And he takes his place upon the throne at the right hand of the Father.   Let all creation worship him.

Gospel JN 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

Jesus is the Word. And from eternity he is at the right hand of the Father. Because Jesus is God, the second person of the holy Trinity.

He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,

All things were created through Christ. He is he in whom we live, move, and have our existence.

and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

Christ is life. He gave us our human life. And extends to us the hope of eternal life.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

St. John the Baptist announced into the world the coming of the Savior. But the world rejected their Savior.

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

But some in the world, we ejected the world, and accepted Jesus Christ. These are they who were born again of the Spirit in the sacrament of baptism.

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.
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.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.

The law was given to Moses for our benefit. The sacraments were given to Jesus for our benefit. It is two sacraments there we receive the grace of eternal life.

 No need for further commentary on the alternate reading which follows. 

Or JN 1:1-5, 9-14

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

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