The Nativity of the Lord Christmas Mass During the Day

Reading 1                                         ISAIAH 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.   This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari   -   ISAIAH 52:7-10
Kemm huma sbieħ fuq il-muntanji r-riġlejn ta' min iħabbar il-bxara, ta' min ixandar is-sliem, ta' min iħabbar ir-riżq, ta' min iixandar is-salvazzjoni, u jgħid lil Sijon:  "Alla tiegħek isaltan."  Ismagħha l-għajta! L-għassiesa tiegħek għollew leħenhom, ilkoll flimkien jgħajtu bil-ferħ, għax raw b'għajnejhom lill-Mulej reġa' lura  f'Sijon. Intom, ħerbiet ta' Ġereusalem, għajtu lkoll bil-ferħ, għax farraġ il-Mulej il-poplu tiegħu, feda l-Ġerusalemm.  Kixef il-Mulej id-driegħ tiegħu qaddis, quddiem il-ġnus kollha, u raw it-truf kollha tal-art is-salvazzjoni ta' Alla taghna. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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

(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/

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 salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
   break into song; sing praise.                                                   R/

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/

Salm Responsorjali                  (SALM 97 (98)         R/  Raw it-truf kollha tal-art is-salvazzjoni ta' Alla taghna. Għannu lill-Mulej għanja ġdida, għax għamel ħwejjeġ tal-għaġeb. Ġibitlu r-rebħa l-leminija tiegħu, u d-driegħ imqaddes tiegħu.                             R/ Għarraf il-Mulej is-salvazzjoni tiegħu, f'għajnejn il-ġnus wera l-ġustizzja tiegħu. Ftakar fit-tjieba u l-fedelta' tiegħu mal-poplu ta' Iżrael.                                           R/ L-art kollha, minn tarf għall-ieħor, rat is-salvazzjoni ta' Alla tagħna. Għajtu bil-ferħ lill-Mulej fl-art kollha, infexxu fil-hena, ifirħu u għannu.                      R/ Għannu lill-Mulej biċ-ċetra, biċ-ċetra u bil-ħlewwa tal-għana, bit-trombi u bid-daqq tat-trumbetti;

għajtu bil-ferħ quddiem il-Mulej is-sultan.        R/         

Reading 2                                         HEBREWS 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. When he had accomplished purification from sins, 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.  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.   This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari    -     Lhud 1, 1-6

Bidu tal-Ittra lill-Lhud. Alla fl-imgħoddi kellem lil missirijietna ħafna drabi u  b'ħafna manjieri permezz tal-Profet. Isa f'dan l-aħħar żmien, huwa kellimna permezz ta' Ibnu, li hu għamlu werriet ta' kollox, u li bih ukoll għamel il-ħolqien. Hu, l-Iben, li hu d-dija tal-glorja ta' Alla u xbieha tal-essenza tiegħu, u li jżomm id-dinja kollha bil-kelma setgħana tiegħu, wara li naddafna minn dnubietna, qagħad fuq il-lemin tal-kobor ta' Alla fl-għoli tas-smewwiet, u b'hekk sar daqshekk aqwa mill-anġli daqskemm  ogħla minn tagħhom hu l-isem li kiseb. Għax lil min mill-anġli qatt qal Alla:    "Inti ibni, jiena llum nissiltek!" jew:  "Jiena nkun missieru, u  hu jkun ibni!" Imbagħad, hu u jdaħħal lil Ibnu l-Kbir fid-dinja, jgħid ukoll:  "Ħa jqimuh l-anġli kollha ta' Alla." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                JOHN 1:1-18  

 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. 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. 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. 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.

L-Evanġelju     -   skond San Ġwann1,1-18

Fil-bidu kien il-Verb, u l-Verb kien ma' Alla, u l-Verb kien Alla.  Hu kien fil-bidu ma' Alla. Kollox bih sar, u xejn ma sar mingħajru; kulma sar kellu l-ħajja fih, u l-ħajja kienet id-dawl tal-bnedmin. Id-dawl jiddi fid-dlam, imma d-dlam ma għelbux. Kien hemm raġel mibgħut minn Alla, jismu Ġwanni. Dan ġie bħal  xhud, biex jixhed għad-dawl, biex bih kulħadd jemmen. Ġwanni ma kienx id-dawl, imma ġie biex jixhed għad-dawl, dak id-dawl veru, li jdawwal kull bniedem, huwa u ġej fid-dinja. Kien fid-dinja, u d-dinja saret bih, imma d-dinja ma għarfitux. Ġie f'daru, u niesu ma laqgħuhx. Imma  lil dawk li laqgħuh tahom is-setgħa li jsiru wlied Alla, dawk li jemmnu f'ismu, li twieldu mhux mid-demm,  anqas mill-ġibda tal-ġisem, u anqas mir-rieda tal-bnedmin,  iżda minn Alla. U l-Verb sar bniedem u għammar fostna, u aħna rajna l-ġlorja tiegħu, il-glorja li għandu mill-Missier bħala Ibnu l-waħdieni, mimli bil-grazzja u l-verita'. Ġwanni ta' xhieda fuqu meta għajjat u qal: "Dan hu li għalih għedtilkom: Jiġi warajja, imma hu aqwa minni, għax kien minn qabli." Għax mill-milja tiegħu aħna lkoll ħadna, grazzja fuq grazzja. Alla ta l-Liġi permezz ta' Mose' imma l-grazzja u l-verita'   seħħu permez ta' Ġesu' Kristu. Lil Alla għadu ħadd ma rah; imma għarrafhulna  l-Iben waħdieni ta' Alla, li hu fi ħdan il-Missier. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Why Christmas?

A reflection by Larry Broding

Christmas is finally here! It is a time to relax, reflect, and savour the moment of the season. It is a time to enjoy family and friends. It is a time share gifts of love. It is the one day of the year when “peace on earth, good will to all people” can seem to be a reality.

But, is this the reason the Son of God came to live among us? Is this the reason we celebrate the holiday? The gospel writer John had bigger ideas, a grander picture than the warm feelings that mistletoe and tinsel evoke.

The reality behind Christmas can be overwhelming. God was born as a poor Jewish peasant over two millennia ago. The effects of that history changing event are still with us.  John the gospel writer divided his reflection on God-becoming-man in three sections: hymn to the divine Word, the witness of the Baptist, and the birth of the Word among humanity.

“the Word” “Logos” or “Word” (in English) had different cultural meanings in the ancient world. For Jews, the term “Word” was the vehicle for God’s revelation. In this sense, Jesus was the way God showed himself to the world.  For the general Greek population, the term “Word” was equivalent to wisdom, the principle of right living. But, as wisdom, the “Word” had a broader context; it was the principle the gods used to bring order to a chaotic universe. Hence, the “Word” created an order for the world, both a physical sense and a moral sense. 

Jews who lived outside Palestine were influenced by Greek culture. In the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the term “Word” was used in both meanings. God used the “Word” to create the world (Ps. 33:6) and as a vehicle to reveal himself (Jeremiah 1:4; Ezekiel 1:3; Amos 3:1). In Proverbs 8:22-23, the “wisdom” of God existed with God at the very beginning of creation. In the deutero-canonical book, Wisdom of Solomon, “wisdom” had been personified as God’s companion. By the time John wrote his prologue, wisdom and the term “Word” were synonymous within the Judaism. The “Word” was a personal being as an agent of creation and revelation.

“The Word was towards God” The preposition “pros” (Greek for “toward” or “with”) has the meaning of “before” or “in the presence of” AND “in allegiance with.” In the ancient world, presence in a royal court entailed allegiance to the monarch.

These two sentences formed an “A-B-A” structure. A is “beginning...toward.” B is “the Word was God.” Using verbal bookends of existence and presence/allegiance, the equivalence of the Logos with God was emphasized. Clearly, John saw the Logos as divine. The early Church held Jesus was the agent of creation. (See 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-16, and Hebrews 1:2).

 “That had come to be.” The translation would be “Everything through HIM came (to be) but without HIM not one thing came to be. In him was life.”

Many scholars believe John 1:1-5, 9-14, 16-18 was originally a liturgical hymn that John adapted; the references to the Baptist (1:6-8, 15) were added to explain the differences between the Baptist and Jesus. John the Baptist had a following that extended far beyond Palestine. His teachings were influential into the early Christian era among non-Christian Jews. So, the gospel writer present John as the precursor to the Christ, like the other evangelists. But, who was this Christ. In the mind of the gospel writer, the Christ was more than the human anointed by the Spirit. He was the Word, the Light of the world. So, the Baptist came to announce the arrival of the Light among humanity. The Baptist was the witness to the Light.

Verse 1:9 proclaimed the mission of the Light: to enlighten humanity. Greek culture equated this function as the gift of wisdom. With the coming of the Logos into the world, God’s relationship with people had changed. Now, followers of the Logos had the right to be called “children of God.” They would be as the Logos was.

But, people did not (or would not) understand. They wanted God in a box, to control him. Some Jews believed they would be saved simply because they were “sons of Abraham” (out of blood). Some Greeks believed they would be saved by mastering that “secret knowledge” mentioned above (desire of men). All yearned for more than this world could provide, but they wanted it on their terms (desire of the flesh). But, they were all wrong. Only God could bring wholeness, completion, totality. He brought that gift in the presence of this Son who was born into the world.

Why did the Son of God come as a human being? Why was the “Word made flesh?” John’s answer was one of revelation. The Word came to show the world God’s “grace and truth.” As the note above stated, “grace” was God’s steadfast love. The Hebrew word for this concept was “hesed,” the same love he showed to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai when he gave them his covenant. This self giving love was a gift that defined Israel as the Chosen People. This love was the activity that made the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the living God. Grace or hesed revealed the kind of God the Jews worshiped.

As noted above, “truth” was God’s faithfulness. His love was not conditional or capacious. It was dependable. Believers could rely on God to be there for them. One of God’s titles was the “Rock.” He would not abandon his people.

Taken together, “grace and truth” spoke to the very heart of the “God” concept. God loved his with a dynamic, faithful concern. Anything outside of “grace and truth” would be dead. Anything within “grace and truth” would be fulness beyond measure, grace upon grace, life in the Spirit. The One who could give people God’s grace and truth would be the person closest to God, “in the lap of the Father.” This person was Jesus, the Christ.

How does your Christmas celebrate God’s love and faithfulness? How does the Christmas season bring you closer to God?

So, why do we celebrate Christmas? It is more than the birth of Jesus. It is a celebration of God with us. It is the realization that God’s love and faithfulness dwells among us. It is a sign that we are to carry that love and faithfulness to other. Like the Baptist, we, too, are to witness to the Logos, God’s living, breathing Word.

We have an awesome God who sent us an awesome Savior. He lives with us now!

Merry Christmas!