Tag: Christmas

“We saw his star at its rising.” | The Epiphany of the Lord

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 2:1-12)

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Except for the star at its rising, it is not clear how the Magi became aware of the birth of the newborn king of Israel. “We saw his star at is rising,” they tell King Herod. Trusting in their insight, yet disturbed by what they say, Herod consults with the Jewish religious leaders to gather more information. They determine through the prophecies of Micah and Samuel that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, and Herod sends the Magi there. Herod lies to the Magi, telling them that he wishes for them to find the infant so that he too may go and do him homage. Although darkness covers the earth, the source of light at its rising is the same light that Isaiah refers to in the first reading: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. . . . But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.” To see this happening, Isaiah says, “Raise your eyes and look about.” As the Magi came to recognize as they fall on their knees before the infant Christ, that’s where their journey of faith began.

Loving Father, help me set out today and every day to find you in the midst of darkness. Give me the grace, as Saint Paul says, to become a copartner in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. The solemn blessing from today’s Mass makes clear that the aim of this earthly journey is “to behold the beauty of your sublime glory.” From the blessing, let me recall these words: “And so when your pilgrimage is ended, may you come to him whom the Magi sought as they followed the star and whom they found with great joy, the Light from Light, who is Christ the Lord.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You are my beloved Son.” | Christmas Weekday | Saturday, January 6

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:7-11)

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

John declares that someone greater than him is coming. “I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals,” he says. He emphasizes that while he baptizes with water, the one who is to come will baptize with the Holy Spirit. After the baptism of Jesus, as he comes up out of the water, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove. As a voice from the heavens, God affirms the divine identity of his Son. In the baptism of Jesus, we see his humility and connection to humanity. The Son of God is like us in every way but sin. In the voice of his Father, we hear how we are to respond to Jesus: “Listen to him.”

Father in heaven, you testified on behalf of your Son so that we might believe him. And the testimony you have given, John says, is this: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.” Help me today to listen to your Son, to imitate him in my words and actions, in what I say and do and what I stop myself from saying and doing. Give me the grace to realize that I am your adopted son through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son so that you may say to me at the end of this day and at the threshold of eternal life: “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.”

From the first reading: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.” Saint Joseph and Saint André Bessette, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You will see greater things than this.” | Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 1:43-51)

Nathanael said to [Jesus], “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Phillip invites his fellow townsman Nathanael to meet Jesus, but Nathanael initially voices skepticism, questioning Jesus’ divine identity. He is “son of Joseph, from Nazareth,” Philip tells Nathanael. Jesus responds to Nathanael’s skepticism with a display of divine knowledge, revealing that he was aware of Nathanael’s presence under a fig tree, to which Nathanael confesses Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. “You will see greater things than this,” Jesus tells Nathanael. “You will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Aware of the innermost intentions of his disciples, and of all people, Jesus calls each of us by name to follow him and remain with him.

God, I look to you with hope in your mercy that you judge me not by external appearances—as I tend to judge others—but by who I am. You know me more intimately than I know myself. Help me recognize in Nathanael’s first encounter with Jesus that you also know me by name, you call me to follow you, and that faith is necessary to know you and move beyond appearances. What are the tasks you hand to me today? Whatever they are, make clear to me your will; give me the grace to me be a means of your justice and mercy. As Saint John says in the first reading: “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”

From the first reading: “Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God.” Saint John Neumann, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 1:35-42)

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.

John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God, and the two disciples immediately follow him. There is no question in the minds of the disciples who Jesus is. They call him teacher. Jesus asks them what they are looking for, and they ask him where he is staying. Speaking in such a way might seem vague or tangential, but the questions they ask relate to the identification of Jesus as the Messiah. In the first reading, John tells us “No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.” By following Jesus, the disciples go with him to see where he is staying. By staying with Jesus, they remain in God and God’s seed remains in them. Andrew, one of the two disciples, tells his brother Simon Peter they have found the Messiah. Jesus knows him by name and calls him Cephas, the rock on which the Church will be built.

God, in following the example of the first disciples, I find a way for you to remain in me. “Where are you staying?” the disciples ask Jesus. In asking where he was staying, Jesus hears their yearning and persistence in seeking him. “Come, and you will see.” That invitation leads them to see where your Son lives, that his dwelling place is with you and that he invites all of us to remain with you, on earth in the mystical body of Christ and eternally in our heavenly home. Help me today to hear the same call and be able to respond, saying, “We have found the Messiah.” As Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton said, “Live always in me and let me live perpetually in you and for you, as I live only by you.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell in it; Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.” Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 1:19-28)

This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”

In the eyes of the priests and Levites, John is unlike any other. He is not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor one of the great prophets risen from the dead. Just as people of today on becoming acquainted with each other often ask, “What do you do for a living?” the religious leaders—all of whom had named affiliations or titles—ask John who he is, and find no satisfactory answer. John tells them that he baptizes with water and quotes Isaiah, saying “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” John is a voice, a messenger; in complete humility, he is the one who points to one among them whom they do not recognize—the one, he says, “whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” Asked to identify himself, John responds not vaguely but in full recognition of his role: he makes straight the way of the Lord.

God, as I move throughout the day, let me see with the eyes of faith what my role is. John knew himself in the truth of Christ. His identity was not tied to his occupation or material possessions or power. In detachment from this, he called himself a voice, as if detached completely from physical needs; and he baptized, he said, with water until one who would come after him, baptizing with the the fire of the Holy Spirit. Give me the grace, Lord, to recognize my role apart from titles and prestige, apart from esteem as the world measures it. Help me remain in you so that I am confident of my identity, my role in this life. Let me remember the words of Saint Basil the Great: “Be attentive to yourself, lest you turn aside from the road, lest you turn away to the right or left; go on the royal road . . . which is Christ Jesus.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “In times, past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets: in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.” Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:16-21)

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

In reflecting on events in her life and on the message brought to her by the shepherds, Mary listens as they relate the revelation to them from the angel of the Lord: “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” Keeping all these things in her heart, Mary is an image of stillness and peace as the shepherds return, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.” God has blessed her beyond human understanding, the same LORD in the first reading who teaches Moses how he is to bless the Israelites. This is how you shall bless the Israelites, the LORD tells him: “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Mary’s entire life is a response to God’s blessing, in obedience to him with humility, trust, and perseverance. “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness,” she says in her Magnificat, “behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.”

Bless me, Lord. Bless me as you blessed the Israelites. Bless me and keep me; let your face shine upon me; be gracious to me; look kindly upon me and give me your peace. That same spirit you send to me, Lord, to reflect on and keep in my heart, as Mary did. As Saint Paul says, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Mary was the first to feel within her the stirrings of the Word made flesh, the Savior of the world. Help me recognize that I experience firsthand in the great gift of the Eucharist the same body and blood, soul and divinity, of the Savior.

From the responsorial psalm: “May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation.” Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (LK 2:22-40)

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

According to Jewish customs, Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the Jerusalem temple to present him to the Lord. As they present him, Simeon, a righteous and devout man, recognizes Jesus as the promised Messiah. He proclaims that Jesus will bring light to Gentiles and stir up Israel and that Jesus is “destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel.” Simeon also reveals to Mary the suffering she will experience as a result of Jesus’ role. Another prophetess, Anna, joins in praise and spreads word of the child Jesus, the long-awaited Savior. Joseph and Mary return to Nazareth, where Jesus matures, as Luke says, “filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”

God, in recognizing Christ, Simeon and Anna experienced peace and joy in the incarnation of the word, the presence of Emmanuel. How is it that they recognized the Savior? Luke says that Anna never left the temple, awaiting the redemption of Israel. Of Simeon, he says he was “righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel.” Both waited for you, Lord; they looked out for you, prayed and fasted as devoted servants, and found not only peace in the world but recognized the word made flesh at first sight. Help me today learn from Simeon and Anna. As a way to put into practice their example, let me call to mind the words of Saint Paul from the second reading: “And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“She gave thanks to God.” | The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:36-40)

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

In these few words, Luke shares a kind of epilogue of the birth narrative of Jesus. It shows that Mary and Joseph were faithful, that they returned to live in their hometown of Nazareth, and that Jesus grew in body and spirit and wisdom under God’s favor. But of the prophetess Anna Luke is careful to describe how she lived her life, as she “worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer,” and how she responded at seeing the Holy Family: “And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.” She came forward at that very time. The present is all she had, and in that moment she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child Jesus, the coming of the Savior.

God, help me understand that in fasting, prayer, and worship, Anna made herself attentive to recognize the redemption of Jerusalem, the coming of the Messiah. Luke says that she never left the temple. Give me the grace, Lord, to be attentive to you, to watch for your coming. In recognizing you in the gift of the present moment, how can I do anything but give you thanks, as Anna did, at that very time. Half the battle, the spiritual battle, is remaining vigilant. Saint John says in the first reading that the world and its enticement are passing away. Help me today be steadfast in hearing and doing your will.

From the responsorial psalm: “Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD glory and praise; give to the LORD the glory due his name! Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Your word has been fulfilled.” | The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:22-35)

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Mary and Joseph faithfully observe Jewish law by presenting Jesus in the temple to consecrate him to the Lord. They are not a wealthy couple, as evidenced by their gift of two young turtledoves offered for sacrifice. Luke relates their encounter with Simeon (and later the prophetess Anna) as he prophesies God’s fulfillment of promises in Jesus, who will be a sign of contradiction and that Mary will experience great sorrow in this unfolding: Simeon says, “Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.” Simeon proclaims that Jesus came not only for Jewish people but to bring salvation to all.

God, help me today see that you have spoken through the prophets and ultimately through Jesus, inviting all to redemption and salvation through faith in your Son. Luke says that Simeon took Jesus into his arms and blessed God. Open my eyes, Lord, to see the opportunity today to take Jesus into my arms and give you glory. I am struck by the poverty of Joseph and Mary, that out of that poverty they hold in their arms your inexhaustible treasure of love and mercy, Emmanuel—”God is with us.”

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty go before him; praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!” Glory to you, Lord, your word has been fulfilled!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Out of Egypt I called my son.” | Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 2:13-18)

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

Joseph obeys the angel’s instructions and takes his family to Egypt, where they stay until Herod’s death. Matthew goes on to give an account of the innocent children who were slaughtered. The Massacre of the Holy Innocents also reveals the suffering and persecution Jesus will endure after he begins his public ministry. In contrast to the evil actions of Herod, we see the purity and innocence of the child Jesus and the Holy Innocents.

God, help me understand today’s Gospel as a way to comprehend how evil is perpetrated. I have come to learn that while you don’t cause evil–the human misuse of freedom does–and in its mystery, you permit it to bring about a greater good. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil. He permits it, however, because he respects the freedom of his creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it.” This is beyond my understanding. Teach me to trust in your mercy and the redemptive work of Jesus your Son as a way to overcome evil through love, justice, and mercy. Holy Innocents, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.