The Nativity of the Lord (Vigil Mass), Year A – Dec 24, 2021
Readings: Is 62:1-5; Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:4-5.16-17.29 (2a); Acts 13:16-17.22-25; Gospel – Matthew 1:1-25 or 1:18-25.
Theme: A Vigil with the Lord!
Synopsis
In the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah equates our joy to that of a bridegroom who rejoices in his bride. The second reading reveals that the Church awaits the Saviour’s birth, her bridegroom whom John the Baptist heralded as Saint Luke rightly points out. The gospel relates the genealogy of Jesus. It suggests that each member of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was proud of that family. We are challenged to share the joy of Christmas with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the hospitalised, the imprisoned, the lonely, the aged and the unloved through surprising them with gifts such as food and drink, clothes, shoes, et al.
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, today is Christmas-eve. Here in Nigeria, we are quite familiar with the razzmatazz that is often associated with the day or period of time immediately before an event or occasion like the bachelor’s eve or what is popularly called, before the wedding – Usually, the friends of the groom or groomsmen raise money and throw some kind of a send off party for their crony who is about to graduate from bachelorhood to both familyhood and fatherhood. Just as Mary and Joseph waited in expectation for Christ’s birth, the Church awaits with the joy that glorious moment when the saviour is born.
Background and Summary of the Readings
In the first reading (Is 62:1-5), the Prophet Isaiah equates our joy to that of a bridegroom who rejoices in his bride.
The second reading (Acts 13:16-17.22-25) reveals that the Church awaits the Saviour’s birth, her bridegroom whom John the Baptist heralded as Saint Luke rightly points out.
The gospel (Matthew 1:1-25) relates the genealogy of Jesus. It suggests that each member of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was proud of that family.
Pastoral Lessons
- Appreciate Your Family: As we celebrate the vigil of Christ, the bridegroom of the Church amidst chants and merriment, the genealogy of Jesus teaches us to appreciate and celebrate our individual families as the bedrock of our greatness in life.
- Seek Contentment: Tonight’s Liturgy teaches us to resist obsession with material belongings bearing in mind that Jesus didn’t have new clothes and his family had to borrow a manger for his birth yet the First Family remains the happiest family the world has ever had.
- Share the Joy of Christmas: Christians are challenged to share the joy of Christmas with those at the margins of society – the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the hospitalised, the imprisoned, the lonely, the aged and the unloved through surprising them with gifts such as food and drink, clothes, shoes, et al.
- Cooperate with the will of God: Just as Mary and Joseph co-operated with the will of God in their lives by giving birth to the saviour of the world and nursing him, we are encouraged to open our minds to God by allowing him to use us for his kind purposes.
- Make an Inn for Jesus: At this vigil mass, we are challenged to make a permanent place for Jesus in our hearts so as to enjoy the transforming power of his grace.
Summary Lines
- In the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah equates our joy to that of a bridegroom who rejoices in his bride.
- The second reading reveals that the Church awaits the Saviour’s birth, her bridegroom whom John the Baptist heralded as Saint Luke rightly points out.
- The gospel relates the genealogy of Jesus.
- It suggests that each member of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was proud of that family.
Conclusion
Tonight, we join the shepherds in keeping vigil as we await the star of Bethlehem. Indeed, the groins of labour are replaced by the sight of the beautiful baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. The cry of the baby King is replaced by the Gloria of the heavenly throng. As Catholics, we are proud to once again sing the Gloria we have been starved of for four weeks. Our joy is that we won’t have to sing the Gloria only today and tomorrow but every time we celebrate the Lord’s mysteries at Holy Mass. Merry Christmas!!
