20191225
THE
CAUSE OF OUR JOY
25 December,
2019, Wednesday, Christmas Day – Midnight Mass Readings
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First reading
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Isaiah 9:1-7 ©
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A Son is given to us
The
people that walked in darkness
has
seen a great light;
on
those who live in a land of deep shadow
a
light has shone.
You
have made their gladness greater,
you
have made their joy increase;
they
rejoice in your presence
as
men rejoice at harvest time,
as
men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.
For
the yoke that was weighing on him,
the
bar across his shoulders,
the
rod of his oppressor,
these
you break as on the day of Midian.
For
all the footgear of battle,
every
cloak rolled in blood,
is
burnt,
and
consumed by fire.
For
there is a child born for us,
a son
given to us
and
dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and
this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor,
Mighty-God,
Eternal-Father,
Prince-of-Peace.
Wide
is his dominion
in a
peace that has no end,
for
the throne of David
and
for his royal power,
which
he establishes and makes secure
in
justice and integrity.
From
this time onwards and for ever,
the
jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this.
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Responsorial
Psalm
|
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Psalm 95(96):1-3,11-13 ©
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Today
a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
O
sing a new song to the Lord,
sing
to the Lord all the earth.
O
sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Today
a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
Proclaim
his help day by day,
tell
among the nations his glory
and
his wonders among all the peoples.
Today
a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
Let
the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,
let
the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let
the land and all it bears rejoice,
all
the trees of the wood shout for joy
at
the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he
comes to rule the earth.
Today
a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
With
justice he will rule the world,
he
will judge the peoples with his truth.
Today
a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
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Second reading
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Titus 2:11-14 ©
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God's grace has been revealed to the whole human race
God’s grace has
been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and
taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead
to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained and live good
and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope
for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great
God and saviour Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us
free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very
own and would have no ambition except to do good.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Lk2:10-11
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
I
bring you news of great joy:
today
a saviour has been born to us, Christ the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 2:1-14 ©
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'In the town of David a saviour has been born to you'
Caesar Augustus
issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census –
the first – took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone
went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of
Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called
Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered
together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there
the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first
born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because
there was no room for them at the inn.
In
the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took
it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord
appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were
terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of
great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a
saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for
you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And
suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising
God and singing:
‘Glory
to God in the highest heaven,
and
peace to men who enjoy his favour.’
THE CAUSE OF OUR
JOY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISA 9:1-7; PS 96:1-3, 11-13; TITUS 2:11-14; LK 2:1-14 ]
Christmas is celebrated
all over the world, even by non-Christians, with joy, fellowship, merrymaking,
special dinners, and partying. But what is the cause of their
joy? Christmas
is just an occasion to make merry. Indeed, the reason and
origin for the celebration has been removed by the secular world. It is
no longer seen as a religious festival but merely a social and cultural
celebration. Christ is removed from Christmas. People no
longer greet each other, “Merry Christmas or Holy Christmas” but “Happy Holidays
or Season’s greetings.” Of course, for some, the reason for
the celebration goes beyond merely an occasion to have fun and merrymaking to
one of sharing the joy of giving and loving. It is an occasion
also where gifts are given to each other, especially to our loved ones and the
poor. But what is the cause of this joy of giving and celebration?
What about us
Catholics? Why are we celebrating? What is the real cause of our joy? Or
are we really joyful even? Or is the joy just a superficial joy that
comes from a material and social celebration, attending dinners and functions,
receiving gifts, eating and drinking? If that is the cause of our joy, we
are poor fellows because that joy will not even last through Christmas day or
night. The joy will wear out once the fun and celebration is over.
For this kind of joy, why spend so much time and money for just a day? Is
this the joy promised to us at Christmas? Hence, it is important to go
back to the origin of our joy.
In the first reading
from Isaiah, we are told that the cause of their joy was the expectant coming
of the Messianic King who would restore peace to Israel. The prophet was prophesying at a time when
Israel was under the threat of Assyria. Yet in the midst of gloom
and despair, when the Assyrians invaded from the north and ravaged Israel,
Judah would also be the first to see God’s mercy and the light of the
Messiah. It was hoped that the Messianic King would bring joy and
gladness to Israel.
But it this true?
We must remember that not all of us are able to make merry on this day. Some of us are still going through
our bereavement. Some of us are suffering from terminal illness.
Some have to worry over their sick children, those who are mentally and
physically challenged. Others have to take care of their demented and
sick elderly. Others are going through financial difficulties. Many
are struggling in their job. Others are out of work. Many are not
reconciled with their loved ones. So how can these people truly say that
they have the peace and joy that Christ is the One prophesied by Isaiah, “a son
given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they
give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father,
Prince-of-Peace?” It is difficult to celebrate Christmas when our future
is gloomy and uncertain, and we carry so much burdens in our lives.
How then can the
celebration of Christmas give us true peace and joy even when our situation in life
is difficult and our issues have not been resolved? Indeed, what we are
celebrating tonight is not just some social celebration. We are
celebrating the birth of God made man! This is truly amazing and even
incredible. This is the cause of our joy.
The ultimate claim of
Christians in celebrating Christmas is that God is our Emmanuel. He is
with us, for with the coming of Christ, God has assumed our humanity. Jesus is the Word of God made man.
St John said, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and
truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the
Father.” (Jn 1:14) This is
the great news. This was what the angel said, “Today in the town of David
a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for
you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
What does it mean for
God to be found in “a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger?” It shows us the humility of God who chose to be born not in a
palace but in a stable so that He could identify Himself with us in our poverty
and suffering. This
God who loves us so much that He emptied Himself of His divinity and assumed our
humanity, even unto death. Just as He came to us in a manger in human
lowliness, this God who wants to reach out to all of us in His simplicity and
human lowliness, to reach out to the poor, the uneducated shepherds, who came
for sinners and broken people, not the rich and the powerful. This is a
God who breaks all barriers so that no one, regardless of status, rank,
position, or even sinners, could not turn to Him for salvation. So in our
suffering and pain, let us know that we are not alone in carrying them.
Jesus the Son of God carried for us. He knows what it means to carry the
burden of looking after our loved ones. He knows what it means to be
misunderstood, to suffer unjustly and to be anxious over our needs in life or
worry about our health.
Secondly, Christ as the
Son of God comes to give us light in darkness. He is the light of the world. “In him was life, and the life
was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it. The true light that enlightens every man
was coming into the world.” (Jn 1:4f,9) The world today has lost all
direction in life because of relativism when they proclaim that truth cannot be
found and so no one has the truth. This is why today in the name of
relativism, everything is promoted as acceptable. What was wrong has now become
right. What was abnormal today is seen as the new normal.
Furthermore, because of
secularism, man does not know his dignity as God’s children. They therefore live only for this
world because they do not know God. If we rejoice today, it is because we
believe Christ will lead us out of this darkness. He shows us that the
way to find peace is to walk in the truth, in the light of Christ.
Christ has revealed to us our true dignity as God’s sons and daughters and that
our destiny is to be with Him. Indeed, St Paul wrote, “we must be
self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world,
while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the
Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus.”
Thirdly, Christ as the
Son of God has come to teach us what love is all about. This is what St Paul wrote in the
second reading. “He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free
from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and
would have no ambition except to do good.” By His sacrificial love for
us, a man completely lived for His Father and for us, without any ambition of
His own except to be a servant even unto death, He showed us God’s mercy and
love. He has taught us not just by His words and preaching but by His
life, what mercy, compassion and love entail. Suffering in life can be
carried for our loved ones and even for our enemies and those who are
ungrateful to us, provided we carry them with love. Only with the love of
God in our hearts will we be able to carry the pain, the sacrifices, the burden
of loving even those who are difficult to love. In the final analysis, we
live only for love and find meaning only in love.
Finally as the Prince of
Peace, He has come to bring us peace. The angel sang, “Glory to God in the
highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.” Very often, we
think of peace purely on the horizontal level, that is, peace with our brothers
and sisters and with the rest of creation. So we all work for peace
and reconciliation. Whilst this is commendable, yet, there can be no peace
unless man seeks first a vertical peace. Unless, he is reconciled with
God, he is not at peace with himself, and therefore not at peace with his
fellowmen. If man is war with others, it is because he does not
have the peace of God in him. So Christ’s coming to earth is to restore
our peace with God because God shows us that we are forgiven, we are loved and
accepted. Only Jesus can justify us and make us righteous. It
is only when we have received God’s peace, especially in prayer and in the
sacrament of reconciliation that we are able to have the strength and humility
to make peace with our fellowmen. Only with God’s peace, can we then
begin to live a life of justice, righteousness in compassion and love.
If we want to find this
peace, this joy, this love, then we must learn from the shepherds, the magi and
Mary herself to be watchful.
They were ready to listen and once they heard the command of the Lord, they
were ready to set out. Being watchful and attentive to the Word of God
with humility is the way to open our hearts to welcome Him into or lives.
God wants to show us His light and His love, but unless we open our hearts to
Him, He cannot enter into our lives. So we pray that we will have room
for Him in our hearts to welcome Him so that His light and joy may enter in.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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