THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

20151224 THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

Readings at Mass

Colour: Purple.

First reading

2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16 ©

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’

  But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:

  ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

Psalm

Psalm 88:2-5,27,29 ©

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;

  through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,

  that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

  I have sworn to David my servant:

I will establish your dynasty for ever

  and set up your throne through all ages.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘He will say to me: “You are my father,

  my God, the rock who saves me.”

I will keep my love for him always;

  with him my covenant shall last.’

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Morning star, radiance of eternal light,

sun of justice,

come and enlighten those who live in darkness

and in the shadow of death.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 1:67-79 ©

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel

for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue

and he has raised up for us a power for salvation

in the House of his servant David,

even as he proclaimed,

by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,

that he would save us from our enemies

and from the hands of all who hate us.

Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors,

thus he remembers his holy covenant

the oath he swore

to our father Abraham

that he would grant us, free from fear,

to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,

to serve him in holiness and virtue

in his presence, all our days.

And you, little child,

you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord

to prepare the way for him,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins;

this by the tender mercy of our God

who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,

to give light to those who live

in darkness and the shadow of death

and to guide our feet

into the way of peace.’

THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 SAMUEL 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; LUKE 1:67-79

We are at the threshold of Christmas.  The scripture readings today fittingly conclude the whole Advent preparation by recapitulating the fulfillment of the history of salvation announced by the prophet Nathan and now fulfilled in Christ. His prophecy that God Himself will make King David a House and that His House and sovereignty will last forever is only possible because Christ, as the descendent of King David, is establishing the House of God on earth and in the hearts of every man and woman.  Jesus as the King of Kings reigns in the hearts of those who submit to the values of His Kingdom.

But how could this be a reality, unless Christ has assumed our humanity?  By becoming one of us and calling us His brothers and sisters, He shows us the way to allowing God to reign in our hearts and in our minds.  The Incarnation is one of the greatest miracles of God in human history, besides the Resurrection and the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, which are extensions of the Incarnation. Yes, all this is possible only for God and effective only for those who dare to believe!

Consequently, we must never imagine or be presumptuous like David to think we can build a House for God.  King David who was then living in a cedar palace was feeling uneasy that Yahweh was living in a Tent where the Ark of the Covenant was housed.  How could he allow the Lord who won the victories over his enemies for him to reside in a tent?  Hence, he tried to soothe his conscience by making a decision to build a house for the Lord.  He thought he could repay God for all that He had done for him, failing to realize that no one can pay back to God for all the blessings we have received.  We can never make God our debtor!

However, take note of God’s response to David’s overture.  “That very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be a leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you.’”

Precisely, salvation is a free gift of God.  It is an unconditional gift. We cannot earn His mercy and love.  God is always the one who takes the initiative to love us; not in response to our love for Him. He loves us because we are sinners and have lost our identity in life.  It is not we who chose God, but God who chose us, and work in and through us.

Yes, we must bear this in mind as we try to reach out to others, especially the poor and the underprivileged at Christmas.  Do not be conceited like King David, thinking that by doing some good works, giving some gifts to our friends and loved ones, or even strangers, especially those in need, we are making recompense to God. Of course lending a helping hand to others, giving our service, resources and time, are all praiseworthy deeds.  But we must do so out of gratitude for His prior love for us, and out of the joy of being loved so unconditionally, desire to share His love with others purely from our bounty and not as a means to win merit for ourselves.

Truly, we can never outdo God’s mercy.  For the moment when David decided to build Him a house, God told him what He wanted to do for Him instead; which is much more than what David could ever give to Him. Prophet Nathan told David about God’s promise. “The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”

God is faithful to His promises forever, even when man is unfaithful to Him.  God’s fidelity to His oath is expressed in the responsorial psalm.  “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.  He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.’ Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.”

This promise is for all eternity fulfilled in the incarnation of Christ.  By becoming man, He showed that He wants to be found in the lowliness of man, in our humanity.  He wants to be discovered in the poor and the lowly, and in those who are waiting for Him earnestly and with great expectations, like Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, the shepherds and John the Baptist.

Only Christ can set us free from our sins, which we cannot overcome by ourselves. The canticle in the gospel says, “Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors, thus he remembers his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham that he would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days.”  Without Christ taking away our sins, we can never come to the Light.  Without Christ dwelling in man and giving us the Holy Spirit, we cannot become the New Temple of God where He rules, in our hearts and in our minds.  Indeed, because of Him, the New Temple is even more magnificent and glorious than the Temple of Jerusalem because God no longer dwells in places but in humanity, especially in the Church which He makes as His own body, He being the Head.

Thus, it must be said that Christ is the Only One who can save us from all our enemies.  “He has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David … that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us.”  Through Christ’s death, we have conquered Satan and all His temptations.  Through Christ’s resurrection, we can live a new life of the Spirit and conquer our enemies by love, compassion and forgiveness as we die to ourselves, our pride and self-centeredness.

So like Zechariah, we can truly say with joy and exuberance “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people.”  Christ is the final visitation of our God.  With the coming of Christ, the history of salvation promised to us “by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times” has been fulfilled.  After Christ, there is no substitute, for in Him, we see the salvation of our God!

Whilst we cannot render back to God what He has given to us, we can in our joy be like John the Baptist, prepare the way of the Lord for those who have yet to encounter Him.  Through our good works and acts of love and compassion, we will be able to demonstrate to them the “tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Indeed, above everything else at Christmas, before any gift we intend to give to anyone, make sure we give Jesus who will then make all the other gifts truly mediations of His love.  Otherwise, we would have only given our loved ones the gifts but failed to give them THE Gift, the Giver of all Gifts, Jesus, the Emmanuel.  Only Jesus can “give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.”  So give Jesus to each other at Christmas!

But if you seek to do that, then we return to the first question that was posed to us at the beginning of Advent and throughout the season: have you received Jesus yourself?  Have you made room for Him in your hearts?  Have you pondered over the great salvific event of the Incarnation?  Have you repented of your sins?  Have you made your peace with God or with your fellowmen?  If you have not, what gift can you give to your friends? Only the gift of your poor self, not the Great Giver, Jesus, Gift of all Gifts!

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved