The Word Became Flesh

Christmas

The liturgy of the Word of God for Christmas can be overwhelming. We have four groups of readings: (1) for the Vigil Mass, (2) for Mass at Midnight, (3) for Mass at Dawn, and finally (4) for Mass during the Day. In this way, the Church emphasizes the greatness of the event that we are participating in.

Liturgy of the Vigil Mass

Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 89:4-5,16-17,27,29 (2a); Acts 13:16-17,22-25; Matthew 1:1-15

The readings for the Vigil Mass center around the name. A new name shall be given to restored Jerusalem (Is. 62:2) and two names related to the birth of the Savior are mentioned in the Gospel. Jesus means "God saves" and Emmanuel "God with us "(Matt. 1: 21-23). The birth of Christ fulfills the promise given to David about a descendant who will build a house for God's name (Acts 13:22-23) and Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin bearing a son with the symbolic name of Emmanuel (Is. 7:14).

These two names announce to the world two fundamental truths: God saves people from their sins and He does not leave us alone. The truth that God is with us - a reality so often denied by many - is the main message of Matthew’s Gospel. It is how it starts and it is how it ends. "Behold, I [the risen Jesus] am with you all the days until the end of the world" (Matt 28:20) is the last sentence written on its pages. In Jesus, God is with us, and at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.

Liturgy of Mass at Midnight 

Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-3,11-13 (Luke 2:11); Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14

Christ’s birth is the appearance of God's grace bringing salvation to all people (Titus 2:11). In the poetic language of Isaiah, this day illuminates the darkness, and its joy compares to the joy brought by abundant harvest and victory over enemies. Behold, the time of slavery has come to an end.

Luke situates this day in a historical context. Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire from 44 BC till 14 CE. He ended the period of civil wars and ushered the empire into times of peace, security, and prosperity, known under the slogan of "Pax Romana". When Luke wrote his Gospel, the propagandists of the empire created a legend about his divine origin, placed him on the altars, and demanded divine worship for him.

The birth of the true Prince of Peace takes place far from the capital of the empire and passes unnoticed. It happens in the middle of the night and is celebrated by angelic choirs and poor shepherds. Who would have thought then that this birth was the beginning of the end of an evil empire that covered the "people of the whole world" (Luke 2: 1)? Behold, on people living in darkness and the shadow of death the light has finally shone (Is. 9:1). Let us come and worship.

Liturgy of Mass at Dawn

Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1,6,11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20

When God put His sinful people in the hands of those who executed punishment, the people cried out: "The Lord has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me" (Is. 49:14). Today, to the returnees from the Babylonian captivity, to the poor shepherds, and to us gathered at this morning Eucharist, God announces that we shall never be forgotten. With the birth of Christ, our salvation has come and we have become a holy people, redeemed by the Lord (Is. 62: 11-12).

The meaning of Christmas is beautifully defined by Saint Paul as "the goodness and mercy of our Savior, God, to people" (Titus 3: 4). The greatness of this mercy emphasizes its undeserved character. Not because of our righteous works Christ came into the world. The fact that we as Christians can come to Bethlehem and sing a carol in honor of the Word made flesh, confirms the truth that God's grace has been generously poured out on us "through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3: 6).

The shepherds praise and glorify God "for all they have heard and seen" (Luke 2:20), and we praise and glorify God that in Christ He made us heirs of eternal life (Titus 3: 7). Therefore, together with the angels, we sing the first carol: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14).

Liturgy of Mass during the Day

Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1-6 (3c); Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18

At the Mass at the Dawn Isaiah announced that we would never be abandoned by God (Is. 6: 11-12). Now, the watchmen of Zion see God returning to Zion (Is. 52:8). For us, those watchmen are the author of the letter to the Hebrews and John the Evangelist. Both look far beyond the story of creation, the theory of the Big Bang, and Darwin's hypothesis about the origin of species. Before the creation of the universe, the Word was with God and everything that exists has been created through this Word (Gen. 1:1-24; John 1:3). The letter to the Hebrews shows us how in time past God has spoken in various ways to our forefathers in the faith. The last Word that God has spoken to us is Jesus Christ (Heb. 1: 1-2).

Commenting on this fragment of the Hebrews Saint John of the Cross writes: “Therefore, anyone who wished to question God or to seek some new vision or revelation from him would commit an offense, for instead of focusing his eyes entirely on Christ he would be desiring something other than Christ, or beyond him“ (St. John of the Cross). The incarnation of the Word is not only the last word of God but also the beginning of the last days in which light has come into the world. How will the world react to the birth of the Son of God? Will it come to this light or remain in the dark? Will it accept Him or reject Him?

The Word became flesh and dwelled among us in order to redeem humanity. In the manger, we see the Holy Babe in His Mother’s arms, but when we lift our eyes up, we see the Victor over sin and death sitting at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 1: 3) “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:21). Great is the mystery of our faith.