20221225 GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO PEOPLE OF GOODWILL (LK 2:8-20)
25 December, 2022, Sunday, 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.’
GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE TO PEOPLE OF GOODWILL (LK 2:8-20)
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 9:1-7; PS 96:1-3,11-13; TITUS 2:11-14; LK 2:1-14]
In the gospel story of the birth of Christ, we read that the shepherds who lived in the fields at the countryside took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and 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.'”
What did the angels mean when they said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.” In the past this expression was often translated as “Peace on earth to men of good will.” We hear this in some of the Christmas carols. We even sing this in the Gloria at Mass. Accordingly, many of us have come to conclude that all those who are honest, who live a life of integrity, who seek the true and the common good, will find peace whether they are believers of God or otherwise. In other words, peace comes because we do good. If we sow good seeds, we reap a good harvest. In other words, live a good life and act according to your conscience.
If this were the case, then there is nothing significant about Christ’s birth. At most, we could say that Jesus shows us the way to live a good life. He is a good model, an exemplar of how we should live our life in integrity, in love and compassion. “He 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.” Only then can we be at peace with ourselves, with others, with God and the whole of creation. But then there are many great founders of religions, great men and women in society, who are also exemplary in conduct and righteous living.
Secondly, if peace is based on doing the right thing all the time, then very few of us have peace. If that were the case, then this message of the angel might not be that consoling. Our experience of peace would be simply a truce because such peace is short-lived. This is because we are all weak and sinful. We do not always do the right thing because of our upbringing, a hostile environment, fear, a wounded past, and our human condition. Like St Paul we struggle to do the right thing. But our wounded human nature makes us do the wrong things. We are all sinners from the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb. The psalmist says, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Ps 51:3-5) In fact, most of us do not find peace today, because we cannot forgive ourselves for failing to live a righteous and honest life. Some of us cannot forgive those who hurt us. Some of us are self-righteous and judgmental. We despise sinners, hypocrites, criminals, cheaters and adulterous people. This is why the world is so divided, not just families and societies.
However, in the original biblical text, it reads, “Glory to God in high heaven, peace on earth for men whom his favour rests.” So it is not that men of goodwill will find peace. Rather, the emphasis is that we are the object of God’s goodwill. In other words, the good news of the angels is that we are all loved by God unconditionally. If peace is only given to those of goodwill, then very few people can find peace, since few can merit it. But since peace is given to all because of God’s goodwill, then this is truly good news since God’s love is given to everyone. Christmas therefore is a proclamation that the God whom we believe in loves all men and women, regardless of who we are. He comes to earth for humankind. He saves us by loving us! He saves us by assuming our human nature so that we can share His divine life.
Truly, God gave us His Son freely and without condition. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (Jn 3:16f) In Christ’s birth, we too are destined to be His adopted sons, which is His will through the forgiveness of sins by His death on the cross. We are all sons and daughters of God, of which the apostle Paul also wrote, “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace.” (Eph 1:5-9) Christmas is the supreme testimony of God’s love for us in Christ, manifested in the birth of His Son.
And so the angel invites us to give glory to God because God has counted us all in His favour. God loves us all and do not have favourites. In a pertinent incident, when Cornelius who was not a Jew or a Christian received the Holy Spirit without being baptized, St Peter remarked, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” (Acts 10:34) God announced the Good News not to the rich and powerful; not even to the religious leaders, but to the marginalized and uncouth shepherds. God came to redeem the shepherds looking after the sheep, and political and religious shepherds too, by being the Good Shepherd to us. This was why the shepherds, after finding Mary, Joseph and the baby who lying in the manger, “returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Indeed, it was unbelievable that God would reveal such great things to shepherds who were considered outcasts and condemned sinners of society. It was equally astonishing that God would become man and born not in the palace but in a stable, unknown to the rich, the powerful and the mighty. Indeed, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
On account of God’s goodwill to us, we too are inspired and empowered to practise goodwill to others. This is why at Christmas, in imitation of God’s giving of Himself in Christ, we are invited to share with others, especially those who are poor or marginalized, and even our enemies who do not deserve any favours. But because we have been favoured without merit, we will do the same for others and bless those who do not merit our favour. It means to show favour to the weak, the humble, those who are vulnerable, especially the unborn baby. It means to care for the poor, those who are defenceless and helpless. It means that we must be ready to reach out to those who are undeserving in the eyes of the world, those who have nothing to offer to us. We too must give them the gift of Jesus, the gift of salvation, the gift of love and mercy which we have received ourselves without any merit on our part. It also means that we must be ready to forgive those who have hurt us, bearing no resentment against them. That was what the Lord did. He did not take revenge against those who crucified Him. He took the first steps to reconcile with His apostles when they were the ones who deserted Him.
To imitate the mystery which we are celebrating, requires us to abandon the idea of justifying ourselves by our efforts alone. We can now overcome our sinful nature by relying on His divine grace. Through His incarnation, He has died to death for our sake and gave us the Holy Spirit. We are not just given the good example of Christ’s life but also the grace to do what He did. We cannot do good unless we come to know His love for us. We can never save ourselves unless we are forgiven because none of us is perfect. Hence, going back to the message of the angel, we ask ourselves, “What is the Good News we are celebrating that brings us great joy?” 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.” Christians rejoice because the Saviour has come to save us all even when we are sinners, undeserving of His love. Let us extend the same love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion we have received from God to others at this Christmas. Like Jesus, we must continue doing good not just at Christmas but throughout the year. This is the Good News that would bring everyone great joy! Then truly we can give glory to God for His favour rests on all men and women, bringing peace to the whole world.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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