Christmas Midnight Mass First Reading: Isaiah 9: 1 - 6
1 But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zeb'ulun and the land of Naph'tali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of Mid'ian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Psalms 96: 1 - 3, 11 - 13
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
Christmas Second Reading: Titus 2: 11 - 14
11 For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men,
12 training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world,
13 awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Christmas Midnight Mass Gospel Reading: Luke 2: 1 - 14
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
10 And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;
11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"
Sermon,Preaching,Homily on Christmas Midnight Mass - Sr.Francine
The beginning of the Gospel of St. John, we just read, is, so to speak, a translation of theological narrative of the Nativity as found in Luke. Like Luke said they were very few, those who recognized in the child of the manger, the son of God (there were the shepherds), since the birth of this child went completely unnoticed to the people of Bethlehem, now that John translates it in theological terms. He says this amazing thing: "He came unto His own and His own did not receive" However, he adds, there are some who have been recognized, and these children have become of God.
It reflects a spiritual experience. Experience began with the shepherds. To them the angel addresses to tell them: "Go, you'll find in Bethlehem a child lying in a manger." The Gospel tells us absolutely not what was done by the shepherds to the child and his mother. The Gospel tells us that they have told Mary and Joseph they had seen and heard angels ... and they came to see. But what is known about these mufflers is that they will leave to shout across the good news of a God at hand, a God made manifest, a God who loves them.
Apparently nothing has changed in their lives. Simply, there were deep in their heart as a certainty they did not have before: the certainty that now, God intervened in their lives and that this revolution, imperceptible at first, was to change something. And already in them. In the depth of their being, they received that assurance, and they heard a call.
A certainty. That expressed by the Apostle John in his Gospel: "To all who received him, he has the opportunity to become children of God." To become divine, to emerge finally from the animal. Indeed, you know, mankind has struggled to emerge from the jungle and fight for life. We get the certainty that it's beautiful, it's great to be a man ... and much more a man. For we are called to become divine. Yes, the poor shepherds of Bethlehem did not express this as I now express, but they have had this awareness: that man goes far beyond the man, because God, not only wanted to establish his dwelling among men, but has become one of us. In the child of the manger, for some, that day, there was the birth of a certainty: God became man so that man might become God. This certainty will give them another insurance company in existence. They leave to say all the "goodness gracious" manifested in the person of the God-made-man.
So sure, but also appeal. Call can not be heard in silence. Call them, the shepherds, were predisposed to hear, because a shepherd, it passes his days and nights with animals, it does not so much the opportunity to speak, so this is a man of solitude and silence. The shepherds, hear the inner voice. If we want if we are able to stop, to sit down, to cut off the TV and radio, to find some solitude. The inner voice calls us constantly, first look at what we are because we have to judge, we assess, criticize us to change many things in us. The inner voice calls us to remove ourselves from all the remains of animal. I was talking about "law of the jungle." We know: maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks, there will be war. We can not do may not be much, but, in fact, the war, it already exists, and we are committed: economic warfare, struggle for life, and every man for himself. Each of us today the inner voice repeats emphatically: "If you welcome into your life the" prince of peace ", you will become children of God." He calls us to "emerge" and the emergence of humanity. I wish you a happy birth to the new world. I wish you a Merry Christmas. - Sr.Francine
1 But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zeb'ulun and the land of Naph'tali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of Mid'ian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Psalms 96: 1 - 3, 11 - 13
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
Christmas Second Reading: Titus 2: 11 - 14
11 For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men,
12 training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world,
13 awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Christmas Midnight Mass Gospel Reading: Luke 2: 1 - 14
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
10 And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;
11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"
Sermon,Preaching,Homily on Christmas Midnight Mass - Sr.Francine
The beginning of the Gospel of St. John, we just read, is, so to speak, a translation of theological narrative of the Nativity as found in Luke. Like Luke said they were very few, those who recognized in the child of the manger, the son of God (there were the shepherds), since the birth of this child went completely unnoticed to the people of Bethlehem, now that John translates it in theological terms. He says this amazing thing: "He came unto His own and His own did not receive" However, he adds, there are some who have been recognized, and these children have become of God.
It reflects a spiritual experience. Experience began with the shepherds. To them the angel addresses to tell them: "Go, you'll find in Bethlehem a child lying in a manger." The Gospel tells us absolutely not what was done by the shepherds to the child and his mother. The Gospel tells us that they have told Mary and Joseph they had seen and heard angels ... and they came to see. But what is known about these mufflers is that they will leave to shout across the good news of a God at hand, a God made manifest, a God who loves them.
Apparently nothing has changed in their lives. Simply, there were deep in their heart as a certainty they did not have before: the certainty that now, God intervened in their lives and that this revolution, imperceptible at first, was to change something. And already in them. In the depth of their being, they received that assurance, and they heard a call.
A certainty. That expressed by the Apostle John in his Gospel: "To all who received him, he has the opportunity to become children of God." To become divine, to emerge finally from the animal. Indeed, you know, mankind has struggled to emerge from the jungle and fight for life. We get the certainty that it's beautiful, it's great to be a man ... and much more a man. For we are called to become divine. Yes, the poor shepherds of Bethlehem did not express this as I now express, but they have had this awareness: that man goes far beyond the man, because God, not only wanted to establish his dwelling among men, but has become one of us. In the child of the manger, for some, that day, there was the birth of a certainty: God became man so that man might become God. This certainty will give them another insurance company in existence. They leave to say all the "goodness gracious" manifested in the person of the God-made-man.
So sure, but also appeal. Call can not be heard in silence. Call them, the shepherds, were predisposed to hear, because a shepherd, it passes his days and nights with animals, it does not so much the opportunity to speak, so this is a man of solitude and silence. The shepherds, hear the inner voice. If we want if we are able to stop, to sit down, to cut off the TV and radio, to find some solitude. The inner voice calls us constantly, first look at what we are because we have to judge, we assess, criticize us to change many things in us. The inner voice calls us to remove ourselves from all the remains of animal. I was talking about "law of the jungle." We know: maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks, there will be war. We can not do may not be much, but, in fact, the war, it already exists, and we are committed: economic warfare, struggle for life, and every man for himself. Each of us today the inner voice repeats emphatically: "If you welcome into your life the" prince of peace ", you will become children of God." He calls us to "emerge" and the emergence of humanity. I wish you a happy birth to the new world. I wish you a Merry Christmas. - Sr.Francine
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