24 Dec 2023 – Christmas Midnight Mass
24 Dec 2023 – Christmas Midnight Mass
1st Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7
God brings them from darkness and bring them to peace and security
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness
on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Responsorial: Psalm 95: 1-3, 11-13
R./: Today is born our Saviour, 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. (R./)
Proclaim his help day by day,
tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples. (R./)
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. (R./)
With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his truth. (R./)
2nd Reading: Titus 2:11-14
Saint Paul invites us to look forward to the coming of Christ in glory
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14
How Jesus our Saviour was born
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!”
No Room For Them
Christmas cards feel a bit old-fashioned in our digital age. Apart from their conventional triteness, the problem is deciding who to send them to. In order to ensure you write to those who are likely to send you a card, the lines can get blurred and the list can expand beyond the bounds, along with the cost of the stamps. In the end, you find yourself including everybody who might possibly send you seasonal greetings. The two lists never quite match and there is a last minute rush to fill the gaps. But whatever the defects of the cards, the thought behind them is undeniably good. Also, they are a yearly exercise in handwriting, where otherwise we tend to use just a keyboard.
It is a pity that Christmas cards so rarely reflect an authentic message about what the birth of Christ means. What about a simple black and white line drawing of a street with a row of houses, with a few touches – a milk bottle outside the door, an open window with a fluttering curtain – indicating that the houses are lived in. In the centre would be a man knocking at a door. His head is turned towards the street, where a woman is waiting. The street should be recognisable to us all, as the very street where we live. The stranger knocking at the door of your home. ..: NO ROOM!
The major test for Christmas is easy and foolproof. When last did I/you last stretch out a helping hand to someone in need? open heart or home to somebody in want? Any unanswered knock on my door may be an ignoring of Christ. If HE is not born in my heart and in my home this Christmas, what happened in Bethlehem long ago has not really taken root in my heart.
Grafted into the Tree of Life
Words are often a weak method of communication. However, we have to use words, and today’s gospel is an attempt, in simple language, to describe what happened on that extraordinary day, so long ago. It speaks of Jesus being born, and of the second meeting of heaven and earth, on that same night, when the angels appeared to the shepherds. This was the beginning of a process that is still on-going, as I speak. It is an old story that is ever new.
“Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and always.” With God there is no such thing as time. All of time is totally present to him right now. God’s work among us is always in process, it never comes to an end. In God’s eyes, Christmas is an everyday event, that involves Jesus knocking on the door of my heart, seeking admission. The God-dimension never changes, the offer is always there, the good news is delivered with greater consistency than the morning newspaper. What happens after that is totally dependent on whether I accept the offer, open the door, and make my heart available as a manger.
One important point: when the shepherds heard the message they said, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see it for ourselves.” The life of the Christian is a journey of discovery. It involves coming to find out for myself the truth and the reality of what I had been told by my parents, teachers, or preachers in church. I have to cross that bridge. The gospel is in between two phrases. At the beginning, we are invited to “Come and see,” and, at the end, we are instructed to “Go and tell.”
Key Message:
Our Joy is Jesus!!
Homily:
Our Almighty Father out of His overflowing love for His sent His only Son to earth. I am still struck with awe at the truth that our God who created Heaven and earth came to earth and lived with us as a normal human being. Jesus is our joy!!
What we should we do to experience the joy of Christmas:
When the Angel Gabriel told Zechariah that his wife is going to conceive, Zechariah did not believe it. He considered their old age only but did not consider the Almighty power of God. when he did not believe it, his mouth was closed.
When the same Angel Gabriel announced that Mamma Mary would conceive by the power of Almighty God only, Mamma Mary believed it. She surrendered herself as the slave to the Almighty Father. So after Angel Gabriel left, Mamma Mary was filled with happiness and joy, while Zechariah, though he was blessed with a big blessing, couldn’t experience the joy of it.
Sometimes our God gives us an intermediate blessing. Mamma Mary and Saint Joseph did not get a room for delivery but only a stable. They thanked God for it and were content with it. God couldn’t bless them with a room because then the poor people would not be able to visit Him. The poor shepherd would be allowed only inside a stable not inside an inn. Though Mamma Mary and Saint Joseph were not aware of the reason behind God not giving them a room, they happily accepted whatever He gave. So this should be our attitude too. Then God will make way for the kings to visit us. Attitude of gratitude is the way to joy and more blessings.
From the innkeepers’ perspective, why did all the innkeepers refuse to give a room? They were refusing to give the room since they were not aware that it was their Saviour waiting to be born. If the innkeepers had known that baby Jesus was on the lookout for the room, they would have sent all their existing customers out and given a room for Mamma Mary and Saint Joseph. They did not have faith because they did not know. We have the responsibility to tell the people in our lives that the child Jesus is waiting for a room in their hearts.
Sometimes in the confusions of our day, we often refuse room for baby Jesus knowing that it is Jesus. We should find what are the unnecessary things or the unnecessary people in our lives and remove them in order to make room for our Jesus. Let us prepare a room for Jesus in our heart and have sweet one-on-one time with Him. We will experience the fullness of Christmas joy!!
Christmas Carols:
Let us go through the foundation of Christmas Carol from the New Testament:
The first Christmas Carol sung by Mamma Mary – The Magnificat: Mamma Mary travelled around 100 miles to visit St. Elizabeth. This would have taken many days for her. Only these two mothers were the first to know our Lord Jesus was about to be born in this world. St. John the Baptist was considered as the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. Our Lord Jesus is the super hero of the New Testament. When the two babies met from their mother’s wombs, the Old Testament and New Testament also met. John the Baptist jumped with joy in the womb of His mother. On hearing the words of Elizabeth, Mamma Mary opens up with a joyful song – “My soul magnifies the Lord…” The first Christmas carol was sung by our dear Mamma Mary.
The second Christmas Carol sung by Zechariah – The Benedictus: During the circumcision and the naming ceremony of the child, when Zechariah wrote in the tablet that his son has to be named as “John”, God opened his mouth. He praised and thanked God for all the great works and fulfilling His promises.
There is also a learning from the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth. They both worshipped and served God with all their thought, word and deed. But still they were not blessed with the gift of a child for a long time. It is not that God did not want to give them a child. He just had a greater plan for them, so he had to prepare them for a greater gift. So when our blessings are delayed, they are not denied. It is just that God is preparing us for greater blessings, better than what we asked for.
The third Christmas Carol sung by Angels – The Gloria: The Angels announced the Good news to the shepherd with a song. Singing Gloria to our Almighty Father – which reverberates all through the earth during Christmas.
The fourth Christmas Carol sung by Simeon – Nunc Dimittis: This is the song sung by Simeon when he held baby Jesus in his hands. Simeon was promised by God that he would not die without seeing the Messiah. So after holding baby Jesus in his arms, he was filled with joy. He was ready to die after seeing our Lord Jesus. It is the song of the saints who are ready to die after accomplishing their earthly responsibilities.
Our Lord Jesus loves music. He sang, His Mamma sang, His angels, His disciples sang, His people sang Hosanna. Our Almighty Pappa also rejoices over us with singing. So everyone sings. Our Lord Jesus wants us to be Merry. So can we sing merrily the Glory of our God!!
Let us merrily sing the beauty and the Glory of our God from the bottom of our hearts!!