December 25, Christmas Day
Daily Readings: First Reading Isaiah 52:7-10, Hebrews 1:1-6 & John 1:1-18
Isaiah looks forward to a time when God's peace will prevail over persecution and oppression. After a long time of seeing Jerusalem in ruins, news would finally come of Judah's redemption. The prophet could even now see the bringers of good news running on the Judean mountainsides carrying messages of joy, proclaiming peace, consoling the people and bringing God's salvation to the ends of the earth!
Peace and salvation were on the way! God was going to set His people free from captivity by the Persian king Cyrus, who would defeat Babylon and the Jews would be able to return and rebuild their fallen city and restore the temple. Jerusalem's deliverance, is a prefiguring of the redemption of the world by Christ- "All the ends of the earth will witness God's salvation" (Isaiah 52:10).
The Letter to the Hebrews was addressed to Christian Jews who were beginning to feel the pain of separation from their fellow-Jews who had refused to see Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. The author reminds his listeners of how God in the past spoke through many prophets, but now he has spoken through the Son, "who sustains all things by his mighty Word". The Word is God's final revelation of himself in the birth of his Son, Jesus, the long- awaited Messiah. God chooses to dwell among them in the person of Jesus.
This Christmas Morning, we celebrate the victory of LIGHT over darkness. The Gospel for the Morning Mass of Christmas Day is taken from the first chapter of St. John also known as the Prologue.
There is no mention of Bethlehem, of the manger or of Mary, Joseph, the angels or shepherds. John takes us to a deeper understanding of the coming of Jesus into our world. John's opening words echo the first verse in the Book of Genesis as he takes us back to the beginning of the of world and of humankind.
Genesis chapter 1 starts with the words, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." God said, "Let there be light" and there was light.
John begins his Gospel with the words:
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."
He continues in verse 14, "The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth".
Jesus is the Word of God- in Greek, the LOGOS.
We remember the words spoken to Mary by the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation - "The Lord is with you". Through God's Word "all things came to be". John reminds us that through the Incarnation- (God coming into our world in the person of his Son, Jesus) saves us from the darkness of sin and makes us his children. John introduces Jesus as the LIGHT of the human race; the LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).
Jesus has come into our world to bless it and to reveal the Father's love to all peoples.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, There Is No Room in the Manger except for Jesus and Us.
Christ comes to us today, and Christ comes to us every day.
Christmas is a celebration inviting us to deepen our awareness of the fact that Christ has been born, and Christ is present now in our lives.
Christmas reminds us, through the lives of the people in the Christmas story, of the importance of helping to bring the presence of Christ to the world around us.
Just Reflect on Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the three Wise Men/Kings. How will I bring Jesus into my family, to my friends, to the poor, the refugee, and the unloved?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
