Christmas in Our Hearts

Christmas Day
25 December 2012

Readings for the daytime Mass on Christmas Day:

First reading  
Isaiah 52:7-10 

How beautiful on the mountains,
are the feet of one who brings good news,
who heralds peace, brings happiness,
proclaims salvation,
and tells Zion,
‘Your God is king!’
Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices,
they shout for joy together,
for they see the Lord face to face,
as he returns to Zion.
Break into shouts of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord is consoling his people,
redeeming Jerusalem.
The Lord bares his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.

Psalm   
Psalm 97:1-6

Second reading  
Hebrews 1:1-6

At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.
  God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father; or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!

Gospel  
John 1:1-18 

In the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower.
A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.
The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.
He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock
or urge of the flesh
or will of man
but of God himself.
The Word was made 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.
John appears as his witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me ranks before me
because he existed before me.’
Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

Reflection
By Nats Vibiesca

Just around the corner, many groups or sects predicted the end of the world before Christmas day this year.  They are proven wrong for the simple reason that they are not God for Whom thousand years are like one day.  In fact, God is timeless and makes every human prediction sound hollow.
God’s schedule goes way beyond our understanding. That’s why God sent a baby boy to earth to touch us personally, fingertip to fingertip, and experience divine mercy in our midst. It is a stupendous moment that the Son of God, invisible, becomes the Son of Man, visible.  The impossible becomes possible and we witness the greatest miracle, the source of all miracles. Our liberation from our sins started with one baby boy and our days will end when we see Him again in eternal heavenly glory.
Our Emmanuel is the source of pure joy and lasting peace—the real Christmas meaning in our hearts.  The joy and peace not related to glitter and gifts but to something more liberating, lasting, saving and redeeming rooted in faith because Christmas reveals New Life, and not the end of the world.
The secret of new life is not angels singing praises in the sky but all of us sharing the goodness received from God on this day and all days of our life. Let us share the blessings of Christmas to all people especially those in need of love and peace. Merry Christmas to all!

Prayer
Loving God, today we enjoy the abundance of your love as we embrace new life with Jesus. Make us generous to share the joy and peace we received to express how we truly care to those in need.  Amen.