20211225 WELCOMING CHRIST, THE LIGHT IN DARKNESS
25 December, 2021, Saturday, Christmas
First reading | Isaiah 9:1-7 © |
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 95(96):1-3,11-13 © |
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.
Second reading | Titus 2:11-14 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk2:10-11 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I bring you news of great joy:
today a saviour has been born to us, Christ the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 2:1-14 © |
'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.’
WELCOMING CHRIST, THE LIGHT IN DARKNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 9:1-7; PSALM 96:1-3,11-13; TITUS 2:11-14; LUKE 2:1-14]
“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. For the yoke that was weighing on him, the barb 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.” The Israelites were living in darkness, not knowing what was ahead of them. Their country was threatened by enemies from within and from without. There was poverty, injustice, and war. Like the Israelites, we too are living in a very turbulent world. There is so much tension, division, and violence in the world. It is ironical that we spend billions of dollars on armament, fighting and killing each other but we will not spend on vaccines to save the lives of many who cannot afford it. As a result, the virus keeps on mutating. Perhaps it is God’s way to remind us that we can save ourselves only when we save others with us. How do we truly rejoice at Christmas with so much sadness, restrictions and constraints?
Today, the scripture readings tell us that in our darkness and pessimism, a great light has shone; the same light that shone for the shepherds, and led the Magi to our Lord so that they could return by a new route. The angel assured the shepherds that there was no need to be afraid for God was blessing His people once again. “Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 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 birth of Christ is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah. “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.” Jesus shows us the way to peace. He is the One who will give us hope in our misery and light in darkness. He is the star that shines at night for those who are seeking direction in life.
How is Jesus the Prince of Peace? As the great light, He comes as one among us. The amazing truth of Christmas is that God has assumed our humanity in Jesus. God made Himself so small, so vulnerable, so innocent and harmless, coming to us as a baby to show us that He is one with us. He came to be with us, to share our sorrows, our pains, our struggles, our suffering and our poverty. Right at the very outset of the life of our Lord, He suffered rejection and was without a room to stay for the night. He was not born in a palace but in a manger. His throne was a cradle. He was not dressed in rich clothes but in a swaddling cloth. He was among the poor and the lowly, unknown and unwelcomed. He was not distant from anyone. He even allowed the lepers to touch Him. Such is the humility of our Lord and God. Jesus came for the lowly, the poor, the marginalized, sinners and outcasts. He reminds us that the only way to peace is when the world cares for each other and everyone on this planet. So long as the rich and powerful care only for themselves, there can be no peace. We must identify with the poor and the suffering so that we will understand why we need to reach out to them and share our resources.
Secondly, Jesus as the King of Peace delivers us from our sins and anxiety by calling us to repentance, forgiveness, service and love. Most of our misery comes from our sins, our selfishness, our pride, our greed and insecurity. Jesus has come to offer us light in darkness, hope in despair, forgiveness when we feel disgusted by our sins. Jesus came to reconcile people with each other and with God. He came to preach the message of repentance and reconciliation. He came to preach the message of peace and forgiveness. He sought to deliver the people from their sins and from oppression. St Paul said, “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.” He demonstrated the love of His Father by doing good. Indeed, His whole life was a sacrifice for us, serving us humbly and unconditionally. He came to reveal to us the Father’s love and forgiveness so that we in turn can forgive others and seek non-violence, compassion and charity.
Thirdly, Jesus came to restore our dignity as God’s children. Because of our sins, we have lost our purpose and goal in life. We live as if we are orphans, without meaning and purpose. We have been deceived by the world that there is nothing beyond this life. Our life is aimless and we live futile lives because we believe in the lies of the world that security, happiness and fulfilment is found in glory, wealth and power. But we know this is but a great deception because very few of us will reach the top, and those few who do reach the top, will come to realize it is such a big lie! The testimonies of successful and rich people all say the same thing, that life is found in loving, caring, and sharing. Jesus came as a man to die for us so that we can be reborn again in baptism, and share in His sonship and love. This is what St Paul’s letter to Titus tells us. “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.”
What does this mean for us when we celebrate Christmas? If the Church celebrates the First Coming of Christ at Christmas, it is to prepare us for the Second Coming. If we go back to the historical event of Christ’s birth, it is to establish the identity of our Lord. He is not a mythological figure. He is the promised Messiah as foretold in the scriptures. Jesus is the fulfilment of the promise God made to King David. Yet, even in today’s liturgy, the aspect of the Second Coming is never forgotten, lest we reduce Christmas to a mere sentimental event. Christmas must not be celebrated as a historical and nostalgic event. It is not a celebration of an event that was past and has nothing to do with the present or the future.
We celebrate the past so that we can live the present purposefully to prepare ourselves for the future. St Paul exhorts us, “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.” So the celebration of the First Coming is very much in view of the Second Coming of Christ. We celebrate Christmas to live the present more fully so that we can have a certain future with our Lord when He returns in the Second Coming. In celebrating the first coming of Christ, the Church puts in perspective His life, death and resurrection. We have regained our dignity as God’s children and we know for certain that our goal is to be with God our Father after our journey in this life. We live with hope and confidence that there is a tomorrow.
So how, then, do we celebrate the past so that the present becomes a real foretaste of the future if not to welcome our Lord into our hearts in prayer, in worship, and also in our fellowmen. Indeed, who were those who welcomed our Lord when He came? They were the shepherds in the countryside. They were the lowly ones despised by society. God sent His angels to announce to them, “Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” We too must announce the Good News to those who are poor, spiritually, materially and emotionally. We must be the Emmanuel of God, His presence in our outreach to those who have no joy, those in despair and those without hope and love. We must be generous with our gifts, especially to those who need assurance of our love. May we speak words of comfort to those who need to hear words of encouragement. This is a difficult world, let us not discourage each other by saying nasty words and destroying the goodness in people. May we bring Christ, His love, peace and joy to those that we meet today and tomorrow and every other day. Let us be peacemakers, be people who inspire and encourage those who are weak. Let us be forgiving and tolerant of sinners. In this way, they will see the compassion and love of God in us as we see it in Christ Jesus, our Prince of Peace.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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