The Nativity of the Lord (Solemnity) Mass During the Day
Readings – Is. 52:7-10; Ps 98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4.5-6(R.3cd); Heb 1:1-6 & Jn. 1:1-18 or Jn. 1:1-5.9-14 – 25 Dec. 2024
Christmas Synopsis
The first reading, presents Christ as the one who publishes peace. The text invites all to sing for joy for the Lord has comforted his people.The second reading reminds us that God sent his Son in the final terms who appeared bearing the stamp of his glory and nature. The gospel reveals Jesus as the light who pre-existed as the Word and took flesh as Christ bringing grace and truth to humanity. Our liturgy urges us to put smiles on the faces of others during this yuletide season and beyond as doing so would show them the face of Christ and make Christmas an unforgettable experience for them.
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, another Christmas is here again. The popular saying, “everyday is not Christmas” points to the epochal nature of the Christ’s event which we celebrate today. Christmas is a local event turned international. Coming from the manger, in a countryside, the Christmas challenges us to draw lessons from a village event that became global.
Background and Summary of the Readings
The first reading (Is. 52:7-10), presents Christ as one who publishes peace, brings good tidings and and ushers in salvation. The text invites all to sing for joy for the Lord has comforted his people. It surmises that “all the ends of the Earth shall see the salvation of our God.”
The second reading (Heb. 1:1-6) reminds us that God sent his Son in the last days who appeared bearing the stamp of his glory and nature. His glory and nature is it were, are peace, his gift to humanity. It invites all angels to worship him.
The gospel (Jn. 1:1-18) reveals Jesus as the light who pre-existed as the Word and took flesh as Christ bringing grace and truth to humanity. This again points to Christ, our peace. It notes: “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”
Pastoral Lessons
1. Be Peace Makers: The first reading charges us to initiate peace and inter-religious engagements through intra and interfaith sessions aimed at promoting living in a pluralistic society as epitomised in the Gloria sang by the choirs of angles.
2. Worship the Lord: By stating, “Let all God’s angels worship” the second reading (Heb 1:1-6) challenges Christians at all times to have God as their Lord and Master to whom all glory and honour belongs.
3. Embrace Humility: By being born in a manger in Bethlehem, a countryside, we are charged to seek humility bearing in mind that God can transform the lowly by elevating their status.
4. Upgrade the Lives of Others: The gospel urges us to be witnesses to Christ’s light by embracing lessons of the countryside at the level of government and stakeholders through deliberate policies aimed at upgrading the living standards of rural dwellers who work hard to feed those in the city but live in unimaginable poverty without electricity, pipe borne water, education and other necessities of life.
5. Be Generous: By sharing our human nature, Jesus urges us to put smiles on the faces of others during this yuletide season and beyond like helping to pay someone’s rent and assisting your neighbour with his child’s school fees as doing so would show them the face of Christ and make Christmas an unforgettable experience for them.
Summary Lines
1. The first reading, presents Christ as the one who publishes peace.
2. The text invites all to sing for joy for the Lord has comforted his people.
3. The second reading reminds us that God sent his Son in the final terms who appeared bearing the stamp of his glory and nature.
4. The gospel reveals Jesus as the light who pre-existed as the Word and took flesh as Christ bringing grace and truth to humanity.
5. This again points to Christ, our peace.
Conclusion
We must use the Christmas season to pray for families which are torn apart by the painful reality of divorce; children who suffer as a result of family fracas and those who have been orphaned because of the activities of the insurgents and armed bandits in the North East and North West. While we pray for them, we equally ask for God’s peace to reign in our hearts, homes, places of work, country and world. We cannot give peace if we do not have it. With appropriate lessons from the countryside, may we all be ambassadors of peace throughout the yuletide season as Christ transforms our cruel selves into copies of his glorious body. Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!
Justine John DYIKUK Ph.D Researcher University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK.
