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Commentary

Tuesday, 12/25/2018, The Nativity of the Lord

Joy to the World

First Reading Commentary: Isaiah 52: 7-10

This is the day that we celebrate Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of the Lord. Isaiah tells us that the Lord brings glad tidings, announces peace and bears good news announcing salvation.

The good news is the Gospel and, on this day, Christ was born into the world to bring the Good News of the Gospel to us in a personal way. Christ is the Gospel and Christ is our Salvation. Glad tidings and peace belong to those who believe and those glad tidings and peace become eternal in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Isaiah tells us that when the Lord comes, He will say to Zion, “Your God is King.” Christ declared His divinity many times during His life on earth. Christ said that He is the Alpha and Omega, that His Kingdom is not of this world and that the way to the Father is through Him, the Son. Christ performed many works and gave us many signs that He is the Son of Man. He cured people, drove out demons, gave us the Beatitudes promising the Kingdom of Heaven and defeated death. Not only did Christ raise others from the dead, He proved that He is indeed the Son by raising Himself from the dead in three days according to Scripture.

Christ promises the Kingdom, forges the path for us to follow, provides His guiding Light, tells us how to follow the Light and receives us with open arms when we get to the Kingdom. None of this is news for those of us who believe because we know that Christ came to do these things. That is why we celebrate His birth.

But sometimes I feel like we neglect a very important fact. We get caught up in life and all of the fanfare that goes with Christmas which often times has nothing to do with Christ. In doing so, we forget that it was the Father’s plan to grant us salvation and that the Father promised to send the Son in Genesis 3:15 after Adam and Eve had sinned.

So, when we celebrate Christmas, we should also celebrate the fact that the Father’s plan is at work and that His promise is being fulfilled. This is why we should do as Isaiah says, “Shout for joy.” Just something to remember whenever we hear or sing “Joy to the World.”

A Proclamation of Divinity

Second Reading Commentary: Hebrews 1:1-6

The book of Hebrews begins by separating the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets. Each prophet delivered a part of God’s message. Sometimes, the message was specific to the time that it was being delivered. An example would be God telling Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Sometimes, the message would be something to be followed throughout the ages. An example would be God giving Moses the Ten Commandments to pass on to the people.

In any case, as Hebrews tells us, God only spoke in part through each of the prophets in the Old Testament. But through Christ, in the New Testament, God’s message is complete and that is because Christ is God the Son. So as the Book of Hebrews continues, the divinity of Christ is proclaimed.

We are reminded that Christ did not come about when He was born into this world but rather, as the Second Person of the Trinity, Christ always existed. This must be true because it is through the Son that the Father created all things.

God took on human form, in part, so that we could see His glory in a way that we could understand. We are created in God’s image and Hebrews tells us that Christ is “the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.” In other words, because the Son is the heir and because all things are created through the Son, nothing can exist without Son’s word.

Hebrews reminds us of Baptism, the crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension. We were purified from original sin through Baptism and the sins which we commit, confess and repent were nailed to the cross. After His Resurrection and Ascension, Christ was seated at the right hand of the Father. These facts are at the heart of what Catholics believe which, is why they are important elements of the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

Today’s reading also gives one of the reasons for proclaiming the divinity of Christ by citing three things that the Father said to and/or about Christ. As we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, the most important one of these things to remember, because the Father said it as He led the firstborn into the world, is this: “Let all the angels of God worship him.” The Father Himself makes it very clear that Jesus Christ is the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity and Lord God Almighty.

And the Word Became Flesh

Gospel Commentary: John 1:1-18

John begins his gospel by giving us an explanation for what Jesus said about Himself, “I AM the Alpha and Omega” meaning that He is the beginning and the last. Jesus used the analogy of Alpha and Omega because they are words that we can understand.

The reality is that Jesus Christ was with the Father in the beginning as the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. The Trinity is not three separate gods but three separate Persons in One God.

This is a mystery which is beyond our human comprehension but because it is true, Christ is the Word. All things came to be through the Word of God. Therefore, all things came to be through Christ which means that we came to be through Him.

Jesus said, “I am the Light and the Way.” John tells us that the life that came through Christ was the light of the human race and that darkness has not overcome it. John is telling us that Christ has power over all things. Darkness has no power over us because the Light of Christ is within us. Therefore, the darkness that the evil one tries to overshadow us with has no power over us unless we allow it to.

Think of it this way. A single match will light up a room enough for you to see what is next to you or in front of you. But if you close your eyes, you will see nothing no matter how much light is in the room. If we do not follow the Light of Christ, it is the same as closing our eyes and allowing darkness to prevail.

John says that the world came to be through Christ but the world did not know Him. Christ came to what was His own, but His own people did not accept Him. John is making reference to the fact that Christ was a Jew but the Jews did not accept Him. Even though Christ lived among them and performed miracles in their presence, they did not accept Him. Why? Because: their eyes were closed and their ears were closed. They chose not to see and not to hear. When it came to accepting Christ, they chose darkness. There are people in darkness today, not because they have never been told about Christ, but because they choose not to believe.

John says, “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God.” We are all God’s children whether we accept God or not. So, the message in John’s statement is that those who accept Christ are saved by Christ because of their faith.

Then John tells us why the birth that we celebrate today is so important, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” I believe that this is one of the most sacred passages in all of Scripture. Our Creator became one of us.

Jesus did not simply take on human form. He became human. He experienced everything that we experience—the good and the bad except for the one thing that He is not capable of and that is sin. He laughed, cried and experienced all of our human emotions. He experienced everything physical including pain. I do not believe that it is possible for anyone to undergo the physical and emotional pain that Christ endured as He took our sins—all of our sins to the cross.

That’s love! In fact, if we take all of the love within everyone who has ever lived and put it together with all of the love within those who are yet to be born, we will not have enough love to measure up to the love that God has for us. That is why, if we never celebrate another person’s birthday, we should always remember and celebrate this one. That is why it has its own special name, Christmas.

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.

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.

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.

Wear the mask!
Wash your hands!
Maintain social distancing!
Pray for our leadership!

Get the vaccine!

The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Paragraph 767 "When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church."174 Then "the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun."175 As the "convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them.176

The Holy Spirit came to Mary and the Apostles as tongues of fire.

Shout for joy!
Our Savior is born!

Today's reading from Hebrews is a proclamation of the divinity of Christ.

Responsorial Psalm 98:1-6

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.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
For today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Creator became human to take our sins to the cross.

Minute Meditation
Minute Meditation

A Celebration of the Jesus Vision
People usually think of Christmas as a traditional and sentimental festival, but not as a celebration of the Jesus vision it commemorates: a philosophy of profound reform. The child lying in the manger would become perhaps the most radical of all spiritual visionaries, showing how to live more joyfully and communally. Many people today feel an underlying anxiety due to world events and the challenges of getting along in a complicated world. Christmas allows a break from that gray depression, an inner darkness reflected in the winter sky. —from the book The Soul of Christmas

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