December 25, 2020. 14 And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man left prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews gave information about him, asking for sentence against him. Readings for the The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Mass During the Day. Archive. We overlook the interior struggle that St. Joseph underwent in his role as husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. The heart of the passage is the promise of a “child” and a “son.”. He sets an example for so many of us whose contributions to the Church are going to be overshadowed by others with greater gifts, reminding us to remain faithful, because our quiet roles are essential even if they go unheralded. So, much like Psalm 89, this reading, too, emphasizes the fulfillment of God’s promises to David in Jesus. Readings for the Vigil Mass.  Note how both Matthew (“the Book of the Genealogy,” cf. And the Word became fleshand made his dwelling among us …. Bill Hubmann, C.PP.S. But genealogies were of great importance in Jesus’ day, when controversy surrounded both the kingship and high priesthood, since neither the king (Herod) or the high priests (descendants of the Maccabees) had the correct genealogies to serve in their offices.  Herod, in particular, was only half Jewish and had no connection to the line of David, although he made a claim to have Davidic blood (which absolutely no one believed).  This is one of the reasons Herod was so paranoid about threats to his reign (cf. The Gospel is the beautiful Nativity account from Luke’s Gospel (famously quoted by Linus in the immortal Charlie Brown Christmas Special, a scene the TV executives wanted cut, but Schulz refused! Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart,” serving as the Church’s model of contemplative prayer and lectio divina. The readings on this page are from the Jerusalem Bible, which is used at Mass in most of the English-speaking world. Beloved:When the kindness and generous loveof God our savior appeared,not because of any righteous deeds we had donebut because of his mercy,He saved us through the bath of rebirthand renewal by the Holy Spirit,whom he richly poured out on usthrough Jesus Christ our savior,so that we might be justified by his graceand become heirs in hope of eternal life. In this beautiful homily for Christmas Day, Year C, Father Hanly talks about the day that changed the world! Israelites considered it the navel of the universe, the center of the earth (see Gregory Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission, IVP 2002), and in Isaiah it becomes the heart and embodiment of God’s people. The following genealogy is broken in to three sets of fourteen, since fourteen is the numerical number of David’s name (D-V-D) in Hebrew (D is the fourth letter and V is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet). (2 Sam 7:14)And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says:Let all the angels of God worship him. The first three of these women were Gentiles, and Bathsheba was married to a Gentile.  All of them had checkered personal histories: Tamar seduced her father-in-law Judah (Gen 38), Rahab was a Canaanite harlot (Josh 1), Ruth attempted to seduce Boaz (Ruth 3), and Bathsheba was apparently forced into adultery with David (2 Sam 11).  All of them were ancestors of Solomon, the greatest king of the Israelite tradition. As many have noted, the name “Bethlehem” is literally “House of Bread.”  Thus it is appropriate that the “Bread of Life” should be born in the “House of Bread” and laid in a feeding trough (a “manger” from “mangé,” “to eat”). In Jesus’ day, it was arguably the most impressive liturgical celebration in Jerusalem, and some of the most important events in the Gospel of John take place during this feast (see John 7–9), which was marked by rituals involving light and water (see John 7:37-39; 8:12). By John Bergsma December 24, 2020. He lives in Steubenville, OH, with his wife Dawn and their eight children. He seems always to respond to God in silent obedience. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;   for he comes to rule the earth.He shall rule the world with justice   and the peoples with his constancy.R. This Gospel is a continuation of the Gospel for the Midnight Mass. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High." I look forward to them. “One greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42). The First Reading (Is 52:7-10) and Psalm (Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6) are doxologies giving thanks to God for his wonderful deeds in creation and in salvation history. Yet it would be the first part of Israel to behold the beginning of the restoration of God’s people (when Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee). Readings for the Christmas. St Mary Star the Sea & Corpus Christi Parish, Western Australia 25th December 2020 Page 4 ‘THE WORLD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US’ Christmas Day Mass Readings Entrance Antiphon Is 9:5 A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his sceptre of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Mes-senger of great counsel. Reading Catholic Community: Catholic Churches in Reading MA - Christmas 2020 - Reading, MA. Readings: 1st: Is 52:7-10; Ps: 97:1-6; 2nd: Heb 1:1-6; Gos: John 1:1-18 This brief reflection was written by Fr. During the Christmas season, our liturgy invites us to consider the birth of the Lord from many vantage points. In the Jewish tradition, God gave the covenant at Sinai first to angels, who transmitted it to Moses, who entrusted its administration to the Levitical priesthood for the rest of time. Daily Mass Readings for Christmas Day (Solemnity), December 25, 2020. This reading is tremendously rich, and there is more here that I can adequately cover at this time. Jerusalem is more than a city, it is a mystical reality. www.JohnBergsma.comView all posts by John Bergsma. In fact, there is almost an entire biblical theology in the sequence of readings of these four masses. Hopefully everyone will read the full reading rather than the shorter option, which skips the genealogy. There are not words enough or time! Now, at Dawn on Christmas, we move on to a further elaboration on these themes in our First Reading: We are “daughter Zion”—an image which bespeaks the virgin daughters of the king who were of marriageable age. The Christmas Solemnity has distinct readings for four separate masses:  Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, and Day. Friday, 7th Week of Easter. World history then becomes a struggle between those who see Love as the greatest good, even if it means suffering; versus those who see pleasure as the greatest good, even if it means turning one’s back on love. The Second Reading includes an early testimony to the explicit belief in the divinity of Christ, as St. Paul writes to Titus: the appearance of the glory of our great God, For a defense of Paul’s authorship of Titus, see here (http://amzn.to/1OoeFku).Â, Dan Brown (“The Davinci Code”) renewed an anti-Christian allegation popular among revisionist historians, Gnostics, and Christian heretics through the ages—namely, that the divinity of Christ was some innovation of the Council of Nicaea. This passage is speaking of a new covenant between God and his people, which, like marriage, will involve bodily union. Thus we see a fulfillment in Luke 22 and the establishment of the Eucharist: “This is my body given for you …. In the case of God and the Davidic king, it was a father-son relationship. May you and yours have a blessed Christmas! The Christmas Solemnity has distinct readings for four separate masses: Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, and Day. Mute. LISTEN PODCAST. 2. Gen 5:1) and John (“In the beginning was the Word,” cf. October 19, 2020. Jesus will invite us to share in the father-son relationship he himself enjoys with God. 5 The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ |Christmastide | Noel | The Octave of Christmas. The Christian feast that corresponds to the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles is, in fact, Christmas, because Christmas celebrates the creation of the New Sanctuary (cf. The Book of Hebrew is difficult to understand until you realize that the author (traditionally St. Paul, but disputed) is arguing that Jesus Christ is superior to all the mediators of the Old (that is, Mosaic) Covenant. There is a well-known historical issue with the dating of Quirinius, who according to some historical records seems not yet to have been governor of Syria at the time of Jesus birth. The Hebrew is literally “your salvation comes” (not “your savior,” though the meaning is close): yish’êkh from the same root that gives us y’shu’a, “salvation,” rendered in Greek, iesus, “Jesus.”. As John also says, that “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands … we proclaim to you” (1 John 1:1). What can we say about John 1? The Apostles and New Testament authors understand Jerusalem to be the Church, the bride of Christ (see Hebrews 12:22-24; Rev. John 2:21), the Body of Christ, in whom God dwells, just as the Presence of God filled the Tabernacle of old (Exodus 40:34-38). “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father” are divine titles, indicating that this “son” will be more than a mere human being. December 26, 2020. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fieldsand keeping the night watch over their flock.The angel of the Lord appeared to themand the glory of the Lord shone around them,and they were struck with great fear.The angel said to them,“Do not be afraid;for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joythat will be for all the people.For today in the city of Davida savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.And this will be a sign for you:you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothesand lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,praising God and saying:“Glory to God in the highestand on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”. “You shall be called by a new name”—and so the people of God acquired a new name, called after the name of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. There's perhaps no better year to remember that than 2020. Jesus is being likened to the Tabernacle: he is the sanctuary, our place of worship that accompanies us on our journey through the desert of this life, sustained by bread from heaven (manna-Eucharist) and water from the rock (baptism). Second Sunday after Christmas Day Not Observed This Year ART-- PRAYER: Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12: Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21: Ephesians 1:3-14: John 1:(1-9), 10-18: Italicized readings, complementary to the standard reading, may be used with, or in place of it. READINGS following the Octave of Christmas. Tell his glory among the nations;    among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.R. They do so with joy: “glorifying and praising God.”  The shepherds are model evangelists. Zion/Jerusalem was the capital city of the nation of Israel, the city of the Temple, and mystically the New Eden. are subject to scorn, criticism, and redefinition. This is virtually a continuation of the First Reading from the Vigil Mass (Isa 62:1-5), and to understand its purpose, we should read that passage first and ponder its relationship with this one: I repeat here what we said above on the First Reading for the Vigil Mass: “We have been reading from Isaiah all the way through Advent and now reach a particularly dramatic and beautiful oracle. The first one lost us the rights to divine sonship (filiation), but this second one has regained them for us: That’s what this birth in a manger means for us this Christmas.  All Jews were sons of Abraham (Matt 3:9), and probably everyone in Nazareth was a descendant of the House of David (see Bargil Pixner, Paths of the Messiah, Ignatius 2010).  But Jesus was the seed. /. Christmas Week Readings Reflection: Christmas Day Mass Dec 24, 2020 by Fr. Jerusalem is more than a city, it is a mystical reality. Because we haven’t deeply experienced Jesus ourselves: “heard and seen”; or we lose our joy in the face of the contradictions of this life and so cease to “glorify and praise.”. The Humanity of Christ. In fact, we know from the historian Josephus that Herod grew gradually more insane toward the end of his life, trusting no one and killing off many of his immediate family members out of suspicion. The whole faith and the meaning of life are all encapsulated here. Play Video. In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God,and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God.All things came to be through him,and without him nothing came to be.What came to be through him was life,and this life was the light of the human race;the light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it.A man named John was sent from God.He came for testimony, to testify to the light,so that all might believe through him.He was not the light,but came to testify to the light.The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.He was in the world,and the world came to be through him,but the world did not know him.He came to what was his own,but his own people did not accept him.But to those who did accept himhe gave power to become children of God,to those who believe in his name,who were born not by natural generationnor by human choice nor by a man’s decisionbut of God.And the Word became fleshand made his dwelling among us,and we saw his glory,the glory as of the Father’s only Son,full of grace and truth.John testified to him and cried out, saying,“This was he of whom I said,‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of mebecause he existed before me.’”From his fullness we have all received,grace in place of grace,because while the law was given through Moses,grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God.The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,has revealed him. 10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! December 23, 2020. The truth of the Gospel can neither be overcome by the godless, nor understood by them. These Readings remind us that the divinity of Christ was spoken by the Prophets (Isaiah) and affirmed by the Apostles (Paul). Yet there is a prophetic sense to this verse: the heir of the covenant of David, Jesus son of Joseph, is going to be able to say of God, “My Father!” in a more profound sense than any previous heir. St. Luke takes pains to date the event by secular history (Caesar Augustus … Quirinius, etc.). December 25, 2020 - January 10, 2020 “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. FIRST READING A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 25:13-21 A dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive. St. Paul’s words here: “kindness,” “generous love,” “mercy”—are Greek equivalents of Hebrew terms like hesed, emunnah, tôv, associated with God’s faithfulness to his covenant. We will feed on Him in this Mass. When the angels went away from them to heaven,the shepherds said to one another,“Let us go, then, to Bethlehemto see this thing that has taken place,which the Lord has made known to us.”So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,and the infant lying in the manger.When they saw this,they made known the messagethat had been told them about this child.All who heard it were amazedby what had been told them by the shepherds.And Mary kept all these things,reflecting on them in her heart.Then the shepherds returned,glorifying and praising Godfor all they had heard and seen,just as it had been told to them. Matthew’s intention in the genealogy seems to be to establish Jesus’ legal right to the throne more than his biological descent.  I say that because, at the end of the genealogy, Matthew makes clear that there was no biological relationship between St. Joseph and Jesus.  Nonetheless, Jesus was Joseph’s legal son and heir to the throne.  This was common procedure in the ancient world: for example, Augustus Caesar was Julius Caesar’s legal son (by adoption), but biologically he was a nephew.  Nonetheless, Roman genealogies list Augustus as the son of Julius.  In my view, the biological genealogy of Jesus is given in Luke 3 (through Mary’s father [thus Joseph’s father-in-law] Heli [=St. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustusthat the whole world should be enrolled.This was the first enrollment,when Quirinius was governor of Syria.So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazarethto Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,because he was of the house and family of David,to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.While they were there,the time came for her to have her child,and she gave birth to her firstborn son.She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,because there was no room for them in the inn. A covenant established a familial relationship. 19. Skip to Recording of Homily or Transcript of Homily. Second Reading Titus 2:11-14 God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. 2021. Israelites considered it the navel of the universe, the center of the earth, and in Isaiah it becomes the heart and embodiment of God’s people. It is essential that we recognize that, in the Old Testament, marriage was primarily a covenant (that is, a legal kinship) relationship between a man and woman. Mass Readings Catholic Ireland Liturgical Readings for : Friday, 21st May, 2021 Léachtaí Gaeilge Next Sunday's Readings. The genealogy is one of the most interesting aspects of this reading, so it would be a shame to skip it. The Apostles and New Testament authors understand Jerusalem to be the Church, the bride of Christ (see Hebrews 12:22-24; Rev. Readings for the Vigil Mass. The phrase “The Book of the Genealogy of” links Jesus to Adam, because the only other occurrence of this phrase in Scripture is in Genesis 5:1, which reads “This is the Book of the Genealogy of Adam.”  In this way, Matthew presents us with Jesus as a New Adam, a new father and founder of the human race, a new sinless man and firstborn son of God the father; a prophet, priest and king of the cosmos. It is essential that we recognize that, in the Old Testament, marriage was primarily a covenant (that is, a legal kinship) relationship between a man and woman (see Gordon Hugenberger, Marriage as a Covenant, VTSup 52; Brill, 1994).  So this imagery of the resumption of marital relationship bespeaks covenant renewal. Friday, December 25 2020 – Christmas Mass During the Day. He does not intend to record myths and fables, but real human events. Four women are included in the genealogy: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. 9 Worship the LORD in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth! In “nations shall behold your vindication, and kings your glory,” we see a mystical reference to the growth of the Church throughout the world, and her conversion of many nations and kings into her fold. Every year, the hymns and readings at Christmas mass remind worshippers that better days are coming. (Melchizedek, by the way, was widely held to be none other than Shem son of Noah, as the Targums attest.). Saturday, December 26 2020 – Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr. Joseph is called the “son” of Heli/Joachim in Luke 3, because the husband of an only daughter became the legal son and heir of his father-in-law, and inherited his father-in-law’s estate. “You shall be called by a new name”—and so the people of God acquired a new name, called after the name of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This phrase also probably indicates St. Luke’s source for his accounts of the birth of Christ. Joachim of tradition]). December 24, 2020. I prefer the older rendering of the KJV-RSV tradition, immortalized in Handel’s Messiah: In Hebrew, the name denotes the essence of the person. 13 Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Berni'ce arrived at Caesare'a to welcome Festus. St. Joseph, pray for us! December 21, 2020 The Mass prayers and readings hereunder are to be used during the Mass of Dec. 25 to be celebrated after sunrise Readings for the Dawn. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, St. Paul reminds us that we participate(d) in that birth by being ourselves reborn through baptism, so that we share in Jesus’ genealogy (see the Gospel for the Vigil Mass), and like him become heirs of David, but more importantly, “heirs” of God. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. He holds three degrees in ancient languages and theology from Calvin College and Seminary and a Ph.D. in ancient Christianity and Judaism from the University of Notre Dame. banah) by God from the rib of Adam.  Eve is a type of the Temple and of the Church.  “Your sons shall marry you”: the young men of the Church shall espouse themselves to her, most dramatically by taking on apostolic celibacy, in which they have no other spouse but the people of God.  Every faithful priest is a “son” of the Church who has “married” her.”. Matthew is also probably contrasting the checkered ancestresses of Solomon, the greatest King of Israel and type of the Messiah, with the immaculate purity of the Blessed Virgin. One of the three great pilgrimage feasts of Ancient Israel was the Feast of Tabernacles, the celebration of God’s sanctuary. R. Alleluia, alleluia.I proclaim to you good news of great joy:today a Savior is born for us,Christ the Lord.R. 21–22). Readings for The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) – Mass at Dawn, Year C. First Reading: Isaiah 62:11-12; Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 97:1, 6, 11-12 Forever after we are united to a God in a one-flesh union through the Jesus the Christ. The rest of the Gospel reading is the “Annunciation to St. Joseph.”  St. Joseph is known in tradition as the “silent one,” because none of his words are recorded in Scripture. There was the shock of learning of Mary’s pregnancy, the confusion over its meaning and the implications for their relationship, the struggle over how to respond and what action to take, the heart-breaking decision to seek a quiet divorce, the surprise of divine revelation in a dream, the struggle of faith over whether to trust the dream or dismiss it as his imagination, etc. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. (My whole treatment of the genealogy is available on my CD “The Genesis of Jesus,” available here: http://bit.ly/1OaBpm5 ). For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,until her vindication shines forth like the dawnand her victory like a burning torch.Nations shall behold your vindication,and all the kings your glory;you shall be called by a new namepronounced by the mouth of the LORD.You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,a royal diadem held by your God.No more shall people call you “Forsaken,”or your land “Desolate,”but you shall be called “My Delight,”and your land “Espoused.”For the LORD delights in youand makes your land his spouse.As a young man marries a virgin,your Builder shall marry you;and as a bridegroom rejoices in his brideso shall your God rejoice in you. St. John literally says, and tabernacled (eskênôsen) among us, employing the Greek verb that corresponds to the noun tabernacle used in the Old Testament for the tent-dwelling of God constructed by Moses. 26. Gen 1:1) begin their Gospels with allusions to Genesis. (Download PDF for Dec – 2020) Click here to access Mass Readings for the year 2021. May 05, 2021 - Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter. READINGS FIRST READING 1 John 2:22-28 RESPONSORIAL PSALM 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 ALLELUIA Heb 1:1-2 GOSPEL John 1:19-28. The “redeemed of the Lord” is g’ûlê yhwh, from the verb ga’al, “to redeem.”  In the Old Testament, if one got in trouble of some kind (captured, or sold into slavery), one’s go’êl or “kinsman-redeemer,” that is, one’s nearest male kinsman of means, was supposed to come to the rescue. The Bible as Guide in Life and Liturgy (Sunday/Feastday Readings) Midnight Mass. We see this in the Book of Ruth, where Bo’az (whose name means “In him is strength”) is the go’êl (“redeemer”) of Ruth and Naomi.

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