Sunday, December 25, 2010 {The Nativity of the Lord - Christmas (Solemnity)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
A light shall shine upon us this day: for the Lord is born to us: and He shall be called Wonderful, God, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come: of whose reign there shall be no end.
-- Is. ix. 2, 6

READINGS FOR TODAY

Midnight
First Reading: Isaiah 9:1-6
(The Future King)
1 There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them.
3 You have given them great joy,  Lord; you have made them happy. They rejoice in what you have done, as people rejoice when they harvest grain or when they divide captured wealth.

4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened them and the rod that beat their shoulders. You have defeated the nation that oppressed and exploited your people, just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.
5 The boots of the invading army and all their bloodstained clothing will be destroyed by fire.
6 A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful  Counselor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.”
Psalms: Psalm 96:1-3, 11-13
(God the Supreme King)
1 Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the world!
2 Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us.
3 Proclaim his glory to the nations, his mighty deeds to all peoples.
11 Be glad, earth and sky! Roar, sea, and every creature in you;
12 be glad, fields, and everything in you! The trees in the woods will shout for joy
13 when the Lord comes to rule the earth. He will rule the peoples of the world with justice and fairness.
Second Reading: Titus 2:11-14
11 For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people.
12 That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world,
13 as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ  will appear. 
14 He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to him alone and are eager to do good.
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14
(The Birth of Jesus/ The Shepherds and the Angels)
1 At that time Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 When this first census took place, Quirinius was the governor of Syria.
3 Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown.
4 Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there because he was a descendant of David.
5 He went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant,
6 and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby.
7 She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger—there was no room for them to stay in the inn.
8 There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid,
10 but the angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.
11 This very day in David's town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord!
12 And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”

Dawn
First Reading: Isaiah 62:11-12
11 That the Lord is announcing to all the earth: “Tell the people of Jerusalem That the Lord is coming to save you,
Bringing with him the people he has rescued.”
12 You will be called “God's Holy People,” “The People the Lord Has Saved.” Jerusalem will be called “The City That God Loves,” “The City That God Did Not Forsake.”
Psalms: Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12
(God the Supreme Ruler)
1 The Lord is king! Earth, be glad! Rejoice, you islands of the seas!
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the nations see his glory.
11 Light shines on the righteous, and gladness on the good.
12 All you that are righteous be glad because of what the Lord has done! Remember what the holy God has done,
and give thanks to him.
Second Reading: Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed,
5 he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us.
6 God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.
Gospel: Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger.
17 When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child.
18 All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said.
19 Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them.
20 The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.

During the Day
First Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10
7 How wonderful it is to see a messenger coming across the mountains, bringing good news, the news of peace!
He announces victory and says to Zion, “Your God is king!”
8 Those who guard the city are shouting, shouting together for joy. They can see with their own eyes the return of the Lord to Zion.
9 Break into shouts of joy, you ruins of Jerusalem! The Lord will rescue his city and comfort his people.
10 The Lord will use his holy power; he will save his people, and all the world will see it.
Psalms: Psalm 98:1-6
(God the Ruler of the World)
1 Sing a new song to the Lord; he has done wonderful things! By his own power and holy strength he has won the victory.
2 The Lord announced his victory; he made his saving power known to the nations.
3 He kept his promise to the people of Israel with loyalty and constant love for them. All people everywhere have seen the victory of our God.
4 Sing for joy to the Lord, all the earth; praise him with songs and shouts of joy!
5 Sing praises to the Lord! Play music on the harps!
6 Blow trumpets and horns, and shout for joy to the Lord, our king.
Second Reading: Hebrews 1:1-6
(God's Word through His Son/ The Greatness of God's Son)
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end.
3 He reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of all human beings, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.
4 The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs.   For God never said to any of his angels, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."
5 Nor did God say about any angel, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son."
6 But when God was about to send his first-born Son into the world, he said, "All of God's angels must worship him."
Gospel: John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14
John 1:1-18
(The Word of Life)
1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 From the very beginning the Word was with God.
3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.
4 The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
6 God sent his messenger, a man named John,
7 who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe.
8 He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light.
9 This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.
10 The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him.
12 Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children.
13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.
14 The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
15 John spoke about him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’”
16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.
17 God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
OR
John 1:1-5, 9-14
(The Word of Life)
1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 From the very beginning the Word was with God.
3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.
4 The Word was the source of life,  and this life brought light to people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
9 This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.
10 The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him.
12 Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children.
13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.
14 The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.