Daily Gospel for Wednesday, 25 December 2013
“Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words
of real life, eternal life.”(John 6:68, The Message).
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Day –
Solemnity
Saint of the Day:
BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family. Simple
shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven's
glory was made manifest. The Church never tires of singing the glory of this
night:
The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
and the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The angels and shepherds praise him
and the magi advance with the star,
For you are born for us,
Little Child, God eternal!
(Kontakion of Romanos the Melodist)
To become a child in relation to God is the condition for
entering the kingdom. For this, we must humble ourselves and become little.
Even more: to become "children of God" we must be "born from
above" or "born of God". Only when Christ is formed in us will
the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. Christmas is the mystery of this
"marvellous exchange":
O marvellous exchange!
Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin.
We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ
who humbled himself to share our humanity.
(LH, 1 January, Antiphon I of Evening Prayer)
Catechism of the Catholic Church - Copyright © Libreria Editrice
Vaticana
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Day –
Solemnity
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the
messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces
salvation,
who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns.”
8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for
joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord
to Zion.
9 Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of
Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed
Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all
the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our
God.
Psalm 98: Praise the Judge of the World
A Psalm.
1 O sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done
marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him
victory.
2 The Lord has made known his victory;
he has revealed his
vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of
Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our
God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into
joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the
sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise
before the King, the Lord.
Hebrews 1: God Has Spoken by His Son
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways
by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,[a] whom
he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3 He
is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and
he sustains[b] all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification
for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become
as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than
theirs.
The Son Is Superior to Angels
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten
you”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my
Son”?
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he
says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Footnotes:
a. Hebrews 1:2 Or the Son
b. Hebrews 1:3 Or bears along
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1: The Word
Became Flesh
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 into
being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come
into being 4 in him was life,[a] and the life was the light of all people. 5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came
as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8
He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true
light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.[b]
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through
him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own,[c] and his
own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in
his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of
blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have
seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,[d] full of grace and
truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said,
‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16 From
his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was
given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has
ever seen God. It is God the only Son,[e] who is close to the Father’s
heart,[f] who has made him known.
Footnotes:
a. John 1:4 Or 3 through him. And without him not one thing came
into being that has come into being. 4 In him was life
b. John 1:9 Or He was the true light that enlightens everyone
coming into the world
c. John 1:11 Or to his own home
d. John 1:14 Or the Father’s only Son
e. John 1:18 Other ancient authorities read It is an only Son,
God, or It is the only Son
f. John 1:18 Gk bosom
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Day –
Solemnity
Commentary of the Day:
Saint Ephrem (c.306-373), Deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church
Hymns 5 and 6 on the Nativity ; SC 459
« Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart »
(Lk 2,19)
In sublime words
aflame with love,
Mary, too, cradled him:
“Who can it be who enabled me -
I who am single -
to conceive and give birth
to the one who is both unique and manifold,
who is a tiny babe and the Most High?
He is utterly close to me
and close to the whole world.
On the day that Gabriel himself
entered my poor dwelling,
he changed me all at once
to a noblewoman as much as a servant.
For I was servant of your divinity (Lk 1,28)
but I am mother, too, of your humanity,
my Lord and my son!
Of a sudden the servant
has become the king's daughter
through you, O King's Son!
Because of you, son of David,
behold how the most humble
in the house of David,
a simple peasant woman,
reaches heaven through him
who is of heaven!
O what wonder for me!
Close beside me rests
this newborn child, the Ancient of days! (Dn 7,9)
He rests his gaze on the whole wide heavens
while his lips babble without stopping.
How like me he is!
While with God he speaks
in silence.
Who has ever seen a newborn child
look at all things in every place?
This look of his makes us understand
that he is the one who orders all creation
from top to bottom.
This look of his makes us understand
that as master he controls
all the universe.
How shall I open up
a source of milk
for you, who are the Source?
How shall I give you food
who feed every living thing
from your table?
How shall I clothe you in swaddling clothes
who are clothed in splendor? (Ps 104[103],1)
My lips know not how to call you,
O Son of the Living God! (Mt 16,16)
If I venture to call you
'son of Joseph'
then I tremble, for you are none of his seed...
Though you be the Son of the Only One
from now on I shall call you
son of a great many,
for a thousand names
are not enough for you.
You are son of God yet also son of man (Mk 1,1; 8,31),
then: son of Joseph, (Lk 3,23)
and son of David, (Lk 20,41)
and son of Mary. (Mk 6,3)
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