 |
“Nativity with Saints”
by Ortolano 1520s |
Readings for the
Nativity of the Lord – Dawn [2]
Readings from the
Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and
Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Isaiah 62:11-12
See, the LORD proclaims
to the ends of the earth:
say to daughter Zion,
your savior comes!
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
They shall be called the holy people,
the redeemed of the LORD,
and you shall be called “Frequented,”
a city that is not forsaken.
-------------------------------------------Commentary
on Is 62:11-12
This selection is the conclusion of a poem of joy over the
salvation brought about through renewed faith in God and following his holy
way. The new Jerusalem (daughter Zion), the kingdom of God rejoices in its
salvation.
“Since the sixth century, Christian tradition has used this poem
in the liturgy of Christmas day. The birth of Jesus has brought about the
joyful union of God and mankind in a way that surpasses that described in terms
of spousal union. A monk of the Middle Ages makes this beautiful comment: ‘Like
the bridegroom who comes out of his chamber the Lord came down from heaven to
dwell on earth and to become one with the Church through his incarnation. The
Church was gathered together from among the Gentiles, to whom he gave his dowry
and his blessings –his dowry, when God was made man; his blessings, when he was
sacrificed for their salvation. ‘(Fausto de Riez, Sermo 5 in Epiphania).” [5]
CCC: Is 62 1611
-------------------------------------------Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 97:1, 6,
11-12
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.
-------------------------------------------Commentary
on Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12
This song of thanksgiving
rejoices in God’s rule of the earth from his heavenly throne. His salvation
dawns upon those who are justified in him, as light dawns upon the earth at
each new day.
"Heb: 'simhah, the
opening word of the second line is a pun, meaning both radiance and
joy. And acclaim His holy name, namely praise Him, may be a stock
psalm phrase; see Psalm 30:5. The psalm concludes with a call
to rejoice, echoing joy, a major theme of the psalm. It thus
asserts that joy rather than fear is the proper reaction to God's great power -
at least for those who are righteous." [6]
-------------------------------------------Reading 2: Titus 3:4-7
Beloved:
When the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
He saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
-------------------------------------------Commentary
on Ti 3:4-7
St. Paul describes the duties of
Christians in this section of his letter (v.1-7). In the first verses he spoke
of their behaviors before the coming of Christ (“For we ourselves were once
foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living
in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.” Titus 3:3). Now he speaks of the changes brought about with Christ’s coming
to them, bathing them in the Baptism of Christ and the Holy Spirit. He then provides
the theological reason for his instruction (“so that we might be justified
by his grace”).
CCC: Ti 3:5 1215; Ti 3:6-7 1817
-------------------------------------------Gospel: Luke 2:15-20
When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
-------------------------------------------Commentary
on Lk 2:15-20
The message, given to the
shepherds by choirs of angels that they in turn brought to Mary was: “For
today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and
Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." (Luke 2 11-12) This encounter with the shepherds further reinforces Mary’s
faith, the acceptance of her child’s role as explained to her by the Archangel
Gabriel when this wonderful and tragic journey began. She keeps and reflects in
her heart about her son many times in his short life among us.
CCC: Lk 2:19 2599
-------------------------------------------Reflection:
This
morning I give you not my words, but those of a great leader of our faith, Pope
St Leo the Great. His Christmas sermon
provides us with much to be thankful for:
“Dearly
beloved, today our Savior is born; let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place
on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings
us joy with the promise of eternal happiness.
“No
one is shut out from this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our
Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us
all. Let the saint rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the
sinner be glad as he receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the pagan take
courage as he is summoned to life.
“In
the fullness of time, chosen in the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom, the Son
of God took for himself our common humanity in order to reconcile it with its
creator. He came to overthrow the devil, the origin of death, in that very
nature by which he had overthrown mankind.
“And
so at the birth of our Lord the angels sing in joy: Glory to God in the
highest, and they proclaim peace to men of good will as they see the heavenly
Jerusalem being built from all the nations of the world. When the angels on
high are so exultant at this marvelous work of God’s goodness, what joy should
it not bring to the lowly hearts of men?
“Beloved,
let us give thanks to God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit,
because in his great love for us he took pity on us, and when we were dead in
our sins he brought us to life with Christ, so that in him we might be a new
creation. Let us throw off our old nature and all its ways and, as we have come
to birth in Christ, let us renounce the works of the flesh.
“Christian,
remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not
return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and
of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from
the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
“Through
the sacrament of baptism, you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not
drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the
devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ. “
Merry Christmas!
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic
Directory,
published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, 29 June 2014.[2] The picture is “Nativity with
Saints” by Ortolano 1520s.[3] S.S.
Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the
New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB
and is for private use only.[5] The Navarre Bible: “Major
Prophets,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp.267-68.[6] The Jewish Study Bible, © 2004
Oxford University Press, New York, NY, p. 1391.
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