by L'équipe de publication | Dec 29, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
Saint Anysia
White
Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor. A soldier accosted her in the street and tried to drag her to a pagan sacrifice. Anysia resisted and was killed when the soldier attacked her with his sword.
Entrance Antiphon: Wis 18: 14-15
When a profound silence covered all things and night was in the middle of its course, your all-powerful Word, O Lord, bounded from heaven’s royal throne.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the newness of the Nativity in the flesh of your Only Begotten Son may set us free, for ancient servitude holds us bound beneath the yoke of sin. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 1 John 2:12-17
I am writing to you, my own children, whose sins have already been forgiven through his name; I am writing to you, fathers, who have come to know the one who has existed since the beginning; I am writing to you, young men, who have already overcome the Evil One; I have written to you, children, because you already know the Father; I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who has existed since the beginning; I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and God’s word has made its home in you, and you have overcome the Evil One. You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world. The love of the Father cannot be in any man who loves the world, because nothing the world has to offer – the sensual body,
the lustful eye, pride in possessions – could ever come from the Father but only from the world; and the world, with all it craves for, is coming to an end; but anyone who does the will of God remains for ever.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95(96):7-10
R/ Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.
Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and power; give the Lord the glory of his name.
Bring an offering and enter his courts, worship the Lord in his temple. O earth, tremble before him.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’ The world he made firm in its place; he will judge the peoples in fairness.
Gospel Acclamation: Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia! 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. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 2:36-40
There was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive with favour, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your people, that what they profess with devotion and faith may be theirs through these heavenly mysteries. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 1: 16
From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who touch us through our partaking of your Sacrament, work, we pray, the effects of its power in our hearts, that we may be made fit to receive your gift through this very gift itself. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Anna, another of the ancients! Another who knew how to grow old. We meet Anna and Simeon every year at this time. Their peaceful presence is a comfort; they are ‘grandparent’ figures. It is very appropriate that they should make their appearance just now. Saintly people always know when to arrive and when to leave: “She came up to them at that very moment…” (another translation says). Grandparents are vital people, as any culture that sidelines them soon learns. Their existence is a reassurance that life is not a rat race but a long voyage towards a calm haven. They have much to do with the rearing of children. Simeon and Anna, grandparent figures, hover near the Crib, protecting the Child for the moment from the menace of Herod and others like him.
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 28, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
The Holy Family
White
Entrance Antiphon: Lk 2: 16
The shepherds went in haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the Infant lying in a manger.
Collect
O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family, graciously grant that we may imitate them in practising the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, and so, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 1 Samuel 1:20-22,24-28
Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and called him Samuel ‘since’ she said ‘I asked the Lord for him.’ When a year had gone by, the husband Elkanah went up again with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfil his vow. Hannah, however, did not go up, having said to her husband, ‘Not before the child is weaned. Then I will bring him and present him before the Lord and he shall stay there for ever.’ When she had weaned him, she took him up with her together with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 127(128):1-5
R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive, around your table.
Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life!
Second reading: Colossians 3:12-21
You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful. Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. Children, be obedient to your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord. Parents, never drive your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.
Gospel Acclamation:
cf.Ac16:14
Alleluia, alleluia! Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.
Prayer over the Offerings
We offer you, Lord, the sacrifice of conciliation, humbly asking that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mother of God and Saint Joseph, you may establish our families firmly in your grace and your peace. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Bar 3: 38
Our God has appeared on the earth, and lived among us.
Prayer after Communion
Bring those you refresh with this heavenly Sacrament, most merciful Father, to imitate constantly the example of the Holy Family, so that, after the trials of this world, we may share their company for ever. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today the Church celebrates the Holy Family of Nazareth: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. One central message of Christmas is the Gift of God to our broken humanity. We are glad God wanted to be born and grow up in a human family. In this way, he consecrated the family as the first and most ordinary means of his encounter with humanity. God instituted marriage and the family when He created the first man and woman (Gen 1:27; 2:21-24). He blessed marriage and the family and endowed both with their necessary function for its members’ common good and society’s benefit, giving us the family as a refuge in a hostile world. The family of Nazareth, which the Church, especially in today’s liturgy, puts before the eyes of all families, really constitutes that culminating point of reference for the holiness of every human family. This family’s history is concisely described in the pages of the Gospel. We get to know only a few events in its life. However, what we learn is sufficient to be able to involve the fundamental moments in the life of every family and to show that dimension, to which all men who live a family life are called: fathers, mothers, parents, children, The Gospel shows us, very clearly, the educative aspect of the family. “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” (Lk 2:51).
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 27, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
The Holy Innocents,
Martyrs – Feast
Red
The Holy Innocents are the children who were slaughtered at the orders of King Herod, in the hope that by killing every boy born in Bethlehem at the same time as Jesus, he would succeed in killing the new-born King of the Jews.
Entrance Antiphon
The innocents were slaughtered as infants for Christ; spotless, they follow the Lamb and sing for ever: Glory to you, O Lord.
Collect
O God, whom the Holy Innocents confessed and proclaimed on this day, not by speaking but by dying, grant, we pray, that the faith in you which we confess with our lips may also speak through our manner of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : 1 John 1:5-22
This is what we have heard from Jesus Christ, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; there is no darkness in him at all. If we say that we are in union with God while we are living in darkness, we are lying because we are not living the truth. But if we live our lives in the light, as he is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth; but if we acknowledge our sins, then God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and purify us from everything that is wrong. To say that we have never sinned is to call God a liar and to show that his word is not in us. I am writing this, my children, to stop you sinning; but if anyone should sin, we have our advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is just; he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 124
R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose against us, then would they have swallowed us alive when their anger was kindled.
Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us; over our head would have swept the raging waters.
Indeed the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! We praise you, O God, we acknowledge you to be the Lord. The noble army of martyrs praise you, O Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 2:13-18
After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt. Herod was furious when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled: A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we pray, the offerings of your devoted servants, and purify us as we faithfully serve these your mysteries, by which you grant justification even to those who lack understanding. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Rev 14: 4
Behold those redeemed as the first fruits of the human race for God and the Lamb, and who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O Lord, abundant salvation to your faithful as they receive your holy gifts on the feast day of these your Saints, who, though still unable to profess your Son in speech, were crowned with heavenly grace on account of his birth. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
Who are the modern innocents? Those who uphold the cause of God’s benevolence without attempting to acquire God’s equality. The Blood of his Son Jesus, however, cleanses us from all sin if we walk in the light as he does. As a result, we enjoy fellowship with one another. Even at the expense of our own fortune, today’s innocents will protect creation. Today’s innocents are those who recognise their siblings in every human being, regardless of colour or voice. Today, innocents defend the weak from those who would hurt them out of hatred for them or out of fear of their helplessness. Truth is spoken by innocents, and they live simply and justly. Because of this, innocent people will perish today, living in fear of the power of love because of some Herod somewhere.
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 26, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
Saint John, Apostle, Evangelist
Feast
White
John is involved in many of the central events of Jesus’ life, including the Transfiguration, the Crucifixion, and the discovery of the Resurrection. He is “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and the one to whom he confided the care of his mother Mary. He wrote a Gospel, three Epistles, and the Apocalypse.
Entrance Antiphon
This is John, who reclined on the Lord’s breast at supper, the blessed Apostle, to whom celestial secrets were revealed and who spread the words of life through all the world.
Collect
O God, who through the blessed Apostle John have unlocked for us the secrets of your Word, grant, we pray, that we may grasp with proper understanding what he has so marvellously brought to our ears. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 1 John 1:1-4
Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life – this is our subject. That life was made visible: we saw it and we are giving our testimony, telling you of the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made visible to us. What we have seen and heard we are telling you so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12
R/ Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice, let all the coastlands be glad. Cloud and darkness are his raiment; his throne, justice and right.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory.
Light shines forth for the just and joy for the upright of heart. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord; give glory to his holy name.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Te Deum
Alleluia, alleluia! We praise you, O God, we acknowledge you to be the Lord. The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 20:2-8
On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
Prayer over the Offerings
Sanctify the offerings we have made, O Lord, we pray, and grant that from the banquet of this supper we may draw the hidden wisdom of the eternal Word, just as, from this same source, you revealed it to your Apostle John. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 1: 14, 16
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and from his fullness we have all received.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the Word made flesh, proclaimed by the blessed Apostle John, may, through this mystery which we have celebrated, ever dwell among us. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
It is widely believed that the evangelist we celebrate today is the beloved disciple so dear to the gospel of John. In this case, he had the privilege to witness, with his brother and Saint Peter, the raising of a dead child to life by Jesus, then saw Him transfigured on the mountaintop. He was the one who reposed his head on the breast of Jesus at the Last Supper. After the crucifixion, it is he who, with Saint Peter, hastened to the empty tomb on the morning of the Resurrection, etc. Tradition has it that he took Mary for refuge in Ephesus when the persecution of the Jerusalem Christians became too intense, and from there, he went out to evangelise Asia Minor, of which he became the first Archbishop. He was later exiled to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse. In his extreme old age, he continued to visit the churches of Asia, and Saint Jerome relates that when age and weakness grew upon him so that he was no longer able to preach to the people, he would be carried to the assembly of the faithful by his disciples, with great difficulty; and every time said to his flock only these words: “My dear children, love one another.”
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 25, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
Saint Stephen,
the first Martyr
Feast
White
Stephen is the first martyr. He was one of the deacons appointed by the Apostles to organize the distribution of food to the poor. Angry Jews fabricated false charges against him and was stoned to death. He prayed for his persecutors as he was dying. One of them, Saul of Tarsus, was later converted and became the great missionary, St Paul.
Entrance Antiphon
The gates of heaven were opened for blessed Stephen, who was found to be first among the number of the Martyrs, and therefore is crowned triumphant in heaven.
Collect
Grant, Lord, we pray, that we may imitate what we worship, and so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said. They were infuriated when they heard what he said, and ground their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep. Saul entirely approved of the killing.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31
R/ Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me, for you are my rock, my stronghold. For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me
Into your hands I commend my spirit. It is you who will redeem me, Lord. As for me, I trust in the Lord: let me be glad and rejoice in your love.
My life is in your hands, deliver me from the hands of those who hate me. Let your face shine on your servant. Save me in your love.
Gospel Acclamation : Ps 117: 26. 27
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; the Lord God is our light. Alleluia!
Gospel : Matthew 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’
Prayer over the Offerings
May these offerings of our devotion today, be acceptable to you, we pray, O Lord, for they are prompted by the glorious commemoration of Saint Stephen the Martyr. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Acts 7: 58
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Prayer after Communion
For the many mercies which surround us we give thanks to you, O Lord, who save us through the Nativity of your Son and gladden us with the celebration of the blessed Martyr Stephen. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
We happily commemorated Jesus’ birth. Jesus was born into an imperfect world where light and darkness were always at war. He had to perish because he refused to follow its logic and was the Prince of Peace in the realm of violence. Stephen, whom we celebrate today, was the first martyr for Christianity after him and the first of many who continue his tradition of martyrdom until today. Stephen was stoned to death for daring to hold fast to the promise embodied in the simplicity of the crib (Acts 6:13-14). He demonstrated his devotion to Jesus to the very end of his life. Acts 7:56 quotes him as saying, “I can see Heaven thrown open, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” at the moment of his death. Additionally, he cried out in imitation of Jesus as he collapsed beneath the stones, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Acts 7:60 and Luke 23:34. Even for saints, martyrdom is not a simple task. However, Christian martyrs will inevitably embrace it, not because they lack fear, but rather because they have faith in a higher purpose and a deeper love that compels them to die even for their adversaries. They are immortal. They were created in heaven. May the sacrifices of our martyrs motivate us to pursue world peace and to live our faith to the very end.
by L'équipe de publication | Dec 24, 2024 | Evangelium
Psalter: Proper
Christmas Day – Mass during the Day
White
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Is 9: 5
A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his sceptre of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Messenger of great counsel.
Collect
O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and still more wonderfully restored it, grant, we pray, that we may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Isaiah 52:7-10
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
R/ 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
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 : cf.Lk24:32
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
In the beginning was the Word: 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.
Prayer over the Offerings
Make acceptable, O Lord, our oblation on this solemn day, when you manifested the reconciliation that makes us wholly pleasing in your sight and inaugurated for us the fullness of divine worship. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Ps 97: 3
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O merciful God, that, just as the Saviour of the world, born this day, is the author of divine generation for us, so he may be the giver even of immortality. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation Good News! We rejoice and are glad because God has taken our human condition. He lives among us (John 1:14), sharing our joys and sorrows in our daily chores. It is Good News! We rejoice because although we were walking in darkness, through the birth of Christ, we have seen a wonderful light! In the darkness of our hearts, Christ the Light has found a befitting dwelling. Yes, it is Good News, a baby has been born! This baby has changed the course of history. All attention now is drawn towards humble Bethlehem, in a humble manger. The Angels render the “Born-house” song: GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO. The Angels, Mary, Joseph, poor shepherds and even the animals worship the Child! Let us partake fully in this “born-house” by dancing and singing: “Glory to God in the highest and Peace to People of Good Will.” This is the humble beginning of a change in our human history. All other histories before were just like prefaces to this. All other history and stories after this remain only as footnotes. Where do you place yourself in the above history? Only through humility can we partake in this humble intervention of God in the Course of our History. And shepherds on the hillside heard a sky full of angels crying out, “Glory to God in the highest and Peace to People of Good Will.” Peace to you. Peace to your families. Happy Christmas to you all!.
