25 December 2024- The Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord and
Saviour - Vigil MASS
Mass Readings: Is 9:1-6 Ps 95 Tit 2:11-14 Lk 2:1-14
Key Verse to Medidate: 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 (Lk 2:7).
My dear Brothers and Sisters in the
Lord,
Merry Christmas
to all!
Today, the
entire world celebrates the joy of Christ’s birth.
On this most
beautiful and luminous night, the Savior of the world entered the history of
humanity. On this blessed night, Mary and Joseph, the angels, and the shepherds
rejoiced at the birth of Jesus. To the shepherds keeping watch over their flock
by night, the angel brought the good news, proclaiming:
"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 Savior, who is the Messiah, the
Lord" (Lk 2:10–11).
The gift of the
Incarnation reveals that God chose to dwell among us as Emmanuel, present in
every moment of our lives, even in our poverty, limitations, and fragility. In
the child of Bethlehem, God comes to live within us and to reveal Himself to us
(Gal 1:15–16).
Dear friends,
the great solemnity of Christ’s birth invites us to embrace humility,
simplicity, and meekness. It calls us to live a life modelled after the
Incarnate Word, who, lying in the manger, fully embraced the humble and
precarious nature of humanity.
The Mystery of the Holy Night
This holy night, celebrated in
countless hymns, is the most luminous night in the history of humanity, as the
Savior of the world came to dwell among us. Mary, Joseph, the angels, and the
shepherds rejoiced in awe and wonder.
Significantly, throughout salvation
history, God has often manifested His presence during the night:
In Luke 2:11, the angel's message to
the shepherds regarding Christ’s birth was delivered at night
In Matthew 1:21, the angel appeared
to Joseph in a dream, revealing the birth of the Savior.
In Exodus 12:31, the people of
Israel were freed from Egypt during the night.
In 1 Samuel 3:10, the boy Samuel
heard God’s call at night.
Psalm 134 recalls David composing
his most moving psalms during the night.
In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas prayed
and sang praises to God in prison during the night.
The birth of Christ in the darkness
of night signifies that even in our darkest moments, God’s power and glory
shine forth. The birth of Jesus transforms the darkness of our lives into an
inhabited darkness—illumined by the One who is the "light of the
world" (Jn 8:12).
The Humility of the Manger
Every year, the
mystery of Christmas invites us to contemplate the humility of the Incarnate
Word. Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world in an unexpected and shocking
way: born to poor parents, in a cold and humble stable, without comfort, and
laid in a manger. The angels sang, the parents rejoiced, and the humble
shepherds—marginalized by society—came to visit Him.
The manger
itself, a feeding trough for animals, symbolizes the humility and simplicity of
Christ’s mission. As St. Athanasius of Alexandria profoundly said, "God
became a bearer of flesh so that man could become a bearer of the Spirit."
Christ's birth foreshadows His ultimate sacrifice, as the wooden manger
prefigures the wooden cross. Jesus, the Bread of Life, was laid in a feeding
trough, reminding us that He satisfies every hunger and thirst (Jn 6:35; Jn
4:14).
This humble
beginning points to Jesus’ mission: to restore dignity to the poor, heal the
sick, and bring peace to the broken-hearted. Jesus came into the world to
redeem humanity, embodying humility from birth to death. As Isaiah 53
foretells, the Messiah did not arrive with earthly grandeur but in the
simplicity and poverty of the manger. Through His birth, Christ embraced our
human fragility, and through His death, He restored our dignity.
The
Silence of Christmas
Another
striking aspect of the nativity story is its profound silence. The eternal Word
entered human history without fanfare. In today’s liturgy, we hear: "While
a profound silence enveloped the universe and the night was halfway through its
swift course, the omnipotent Word leapt from His royal throne." Silence
allows us to encounter the depths of God’s mystery.
Mary and Joseph
embraced this silence, meditating on the wonder of God’s plan. Mary became the
first disciple of the silent Word, and her openness to God’s will made her the
dwelling place of the divine. Following Mary’s example, we are all called to
become the abode of God, allowing His Word to take root in our lives.
Zundel
eloquently states that "Only silence reveals the abysses of life." In
this sacred silence, we are invited to become like Mary—a dwelling place for
the silent Word of God.
Christ, the Light of the World
The liturgy of this day also focuses
on Christ as the Light of the World. The prophet Isaiah declares, "The
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Is 9:2). The
shepherds, surrounded by the radiance of Christ, rejoiced in the true light
that dispels all darkness. St. Paul, in his letter to Titus, reminds us that
Christ’s birth brings salvation to all, inviting us to repentance and godly
living: "He it is who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all
iniquity" (Tit 2:14).
The Shepherds: They See, They Hear,
They Believe
Tonight, in the Nativity liturgy, we
celebrate the profound mystery of God who, "for us and for our salvation,
came down from heaven and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was incarnate in
the womb of the Virgin Mary and became man." This miraculous event,
unparalleled in human history, was revealed by an angel to the shepherds—the
humble and poor of Israel (cf. Lk 2:1-14).
As we gather for the Mass of the Dawn, the Church invites us to meditate
on another aspect of this same mystery: the shepherds’ journey to the stable,
their contemplation of the Christ Child, and their proclamation of the good
news.
The First Recipients of the Good
News: The Shepherds
It is both
striking and significant that the shepherds were the first to hear the glorious
announcement of Christ’s birth. Their lives, marked by a rugged nomadism,
placed them on the margins of society. In the religious culture of the time,
they were considered impure and excluded from the official liturgical life of
the Temple.
Yet, it is to
these poor, marginalized, and despised individuals that God directs His loving
favor. The shepherds became the first witnesses of the birth of His Son. The
angel proclaimed to them: "Today, in the city of David, a Savior has been
born for you, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: You will
find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk
2:11-12).
In Bethlehem,
God revealed Himself not as a mighty sovereign, a power-hungry ruler, or a
domineering master—but in humility, simplicity, and poverty. The glory of God
manifests in a manner beyond human expectation: it is the glory of humility, of
self-emptying love, and of total solidarity with the lowly.
God Loves Us So Much
St. John proclaims the profound truth: “The Word became flesh and lived
among us” (Jn 1:14). Even today, He continues to dwell among us—that is the
Good News of Christmas!
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews beautifully affirms that Christmas
is a time when God speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is “the
reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being” (Heb
1:3). Similarly, the Apostle John, in an act of faith and awe, testifies that
they were privileged to see with their own eyes and touch with their hands the “Word
of life” (1 Jn 1:1).
The Incarnation of Christ reveals God to us in human form. As St. Teresa of
Avila so eloquently expresses, the divine incarnation is the ultimate proof of
Christ’s friendship with the human race. God’s love for us is so immense that
He gave us the most precious and unimaginable gift: Jesus Christ, His only Son
(Jn 3:16).
The first WhatsApp message for
Christmas: “Do not be afraid.”
The first message of Christmas
resonates with timeless relevance: "Do not be afraid." The angel
spoke these words not only to the shepherds but also earlier to Mary at the
Annunciation. They remind us that God’s entrance into our world is an event of
hope, not fear.
If we were to imagine the first
Christmas message in today’s digital terms, it might resemble a WhatsApp
notification: “Do not be afraid.” This is the heart of Christmas—a reassurance
that God’s love casts out fear, filling our lives with peace and joy.
Pope St. John Paul II, in his homily for the
inauguration of the Pontificate (22 Oct, !978), gave a clarion call to all the
Catholics all over the world when he said, “Do not be afraid! Open wide the
doors for Christ”. Can we welcome him in our lives, leaving the doors of our
hearts wide open to this wonderful God’s Son? We are all invited to live like
this holy child, who came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many
(Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45).
Becoming Messengers of the Good News
Just as the angel
proclaimed the good news, we too are called to be messengers of joy, announcing
that our Savior, the Messiah, is born for all the peoples of the world (Lk
2:10-11).
St. Paul, in his letter
to the Ephesians, reminds us that the celebration of Christmas should
constantly renew our awareness of the hope to which the birth of our Savior
calls us:
"I pray that the God
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom
and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart
enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are
the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints" (Eph 1:17-18).
The profound mystery of
God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ teaches us, His disciples, how
to love selflessly, offer mercy abundantly, inspire joy in others, kindle hope
in the hearts of the weary, and work tirelessly to bring about justice for all.
This Christmas, may we
truly live Christ. May we become the Christmas we celebrate, reflecting His
love and light to the world. In Jesus, we have seen the face of God.
Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
Merry Christmas and may the peace and joy of Christ fill your
hearts today and always!
