20231225 CELEBRATING GOD AS OUR SAVIOUR
25 December 2023, Christmas (Midnight Mass)
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.’
CELEBRATING GOD AS OUR SAVIOUR
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 9:1-7; PS 96:1-3,11-13; TIT 2:11-14; LK 2:1-14]
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 humanity. The constant declaration of Christians is that Jesus saves. St Peter told the Sanhedrin, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
If the rest of the world does not rejoice, it is because they either do not accept Jesus as their Saviour or they do not need a saviour. Unless we know that we need to be saved, declaring that Jesus saves makes no sense to the world. It is like giving medicine to someone who does not need it. The world pays no attention to Jesus because today the world does not feel it needs any saviour. The world believes that we can save ourselves through science and technology, and also military might and force. Believing in a Saviour or a God is considered superstitious. Of course, there are others who believe in other saviours because they do not know Jesus. At least they have good religious leaders to teach them to walk the way of love.
So the first step in coming to accept Jesus as our Saviour is to recognize our helplessness in a world of sin and evil, no matter how rich or powerful or technologically advanced the world is. The root of human sin and selfishness is not overcome by power and technological advancement. On the contrary, power is often used for evil, for the destruction of the planet and our fellowmen because of greed and fear. As it was in the time of Israel, the world is not much different today. Wars, whether civil, religious, racial, tribal or international, are still being fought in various parts of the world. We read of the inhumane sufferings inflicted on the innocent in the Ukrainian war, Israeli-Hamas war. How could world leaders continue to advocate violence as the way to bring about peace? Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. And worst of all, world leaders and religious leaders, including myself, are so appalled by what is happening in the Gaza, but we are totally helpless in the face of those who are so powerful in the world.
Underlying the cause of all wars is injustice against humanity practiced by the powerful and the rich. We still have human trafficking, racial and religious discrimination and oppression, oppression of the poor and women. Social injustices and suffering still prevail. There is so much poverty in the world whilst others are living lavishly. Crimes are being committed against humanity and individuals. Innocent and vulnerable people including the unborn child are killed by selfish people who put their personal rights over the rights of others. Many live under the bondage of drugs, sex, gambling and greed. Many gullible people have been scammed of their lives’ saving. The powerful, the greedy and the intelligent have no mercy on the weak and vulnerable. How could they remain indifferent to the untold sufferings, pain and injustice inflicted on poor, defenceless and innocent people? Have they not even a little tinge of conscience left?
So, we need a Saviour simply because we believe that the world cannot save itself. “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.” Indeed, the world longs for peace, justice and true freedom. But where can we find the capacity to bring peace to the world because the human person is broken from within? Human nature is wounded. All the sins of the world are but a manifestation of a broken humanity. We are selfish, self-centred, insecure, proud, defensive and egoistic. Whether as individuals or as a nation, we act in a very selfish, self-centred, nationalistic manner, protecting ourselves rather than others.
Who, then, can show us the way and empower us to break free from our yoke? Jesus is the light that we are all waiting for. He gives us hope. “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.” Jesus is the light of the world, the Way, the Truth and the Life. He has come to shine on us as a bright star shining in the East that drew the Gentiles, symbolized by the magi, to come and adore Him. After that, we read they went by a different way. We, too, hope that when we come for this Christmas celebration, after meeting Christ, we will go back by a different way.
Indeed, Jesus for us is the fulfilment of the promise of the Old Testament. He is the incarnate Son of God, the Word made flesh. “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.” Jesus is the Son of our Heavenly Father, the Son of King David, the Prince of Peace, our Mighty God who has come to establish the kingdom of justice and peace in the world. Only the Son of God can deliver us from our incapacity to love selflessly and to forgive those who have hurt us.
This capacity is given to us because, as St Paul wrote, “God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race.” This is what the angel meant when he said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.” This phrase has wrongly been translated in the past as referring only to “people of goodwill.” Rather, it means that God has blessed us all with His goodwill or favour, regardless whether we are saint of sinner. He has shown His favour to us all by giving us His Son. Jesus saves us all, especially sinners and His enemies by showing the way of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness.
God manifests Himself in Christ by becoming one of us in His human lowliness. He did not come as a majestic king but a baby born in a stable. “And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” He is a humble king and one who draws near to us, great or small. He is not a threat to anyone. He comes as one of us and one with us. Jesus, by assuming our humanity, identifies with us in our human limitations and predicament. He is identified with every man and woman, especially those who are poor, sick, and suffering, those who are refugees and those unjustly treated. He has a share in all human sufferings in His body. He came to a world of sin even though He was sinless. He is the Emmanuel. This king wins us over not by force or might but by love, service and attraction.
He wins us over by sacrificing 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.” Indeed, unlike earthly kings who desire power, wealth and glory for Himself Christ’s only ambition was to do good, to set us free for holiness. He was rich but became poor for our sake so that we can be rich in Him. Christ’s desire was that we rediscover our identity as God’s children. Christ came to purify us and set us free from sin that enslaves us. He came to enlighten us and show us how to live a virtuous life. St Paul wrote that this is what Christ “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.” He had no personal ambition, but He came for our sake. To convince us of His unconditional love for us, He died for us.
What does it mean for us to be His very own if not that we do the same for others as He did for us? We, too, must live a life that enriches others through our sharing of our gifts and resources. We must forgive those who hurt us. This is why Christmas is a season of giving and sharing. We are called to serve as Jesus did, especially to reach out to the poor and the marginalized. We too must bestow our favour on them just as God bestowed His favour on us, undeserving as we are. In this way, we show ourselves to be ruled by God’s grace and love. By living a life of holiness, we radiate the goodness of God in us. We inspire others to live a life of selfless service just as Christ has shown us the way.
Finally, we must work for the ultimate glory, which is to wait “in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus.” This is our hope, that when the Lord comes again in the second coming, humanity would be prepared to receive Him either at the end of their life or at the end of the world. We will live a life without regret, for we would have, like the psalmist, “Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples.” Indeed, at Christmas, we know that the infant king rules the world when He rules our hearts, transforming us into loving, caring, selfless, forgiving and compassionate people. Only then can there be world peace and happiness.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. .
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