Christmas, Cycle B
Prayer
Father in Heaven, we thank you for Your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh to dwell among us. As we celebrate His birthday, may we give You glory and praise through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. Mary, Mother of Jesus, our Lord and our God, pray for us!
Commentary
1st Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10
The CION commentaries for this Christmas Day come from the selection of readings given “at the Mass During the Day.” They differ from the Christmas Vigil Readings.
Isaiah reminds the people of Israel that “God is King.” More specifically, he tells them, “YOUR God is King!”
Israel forgot this important message. Long before Kings Saul and David were selected, God was the King of Israel. In fact, this is what made the Hebrew people so unique. Of all of the nations surrounding them, only Israel had a King who was divine and unseen. The people of Israel had to follow their unseen King through faith.
God reluctantly allowed human kings to rule Israel, but they were to remember that God was the King of kings and Lord of lords.
On this Christmas Day, we celebrate the tremendous gift of God who remains divine but is also very human. This God-man king has a name: Jesus the Christ (King)!
Question: How is God Your King?
2nd Reading: Hebrews 1:1-6
Our 2nd Reading from Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ is truly the King of Israel and of all creation.
Through Him, the Father created the universe. He is before all that exists. This God-man and King also sustains us and purifies us from our sins. Finally, as the Only begotten Son of the Father, He sits at the Lord’s right hand where He rules over all things.
In this short reading, we see the distinction between the Father and the Son. While they are One God, they are two different Persons.
God the Father operates through His Son, who creates, sustains, and redeems all that is seen and unseen. Even angels adore him. We do not worship angels or any created being. Rather, God commands, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
Question:
How will you plan to worship Jesus the Lord this Christmas?
Gospel: John 1:1-18
If there was any doubt about the nature and purpose of Jesus in the early Church, this prologue to the Gospel of John was written to clear matters up. Here, there is no doubt that Jesus is the Word, and that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Moreover, this “Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us … as the Father’s only Son.”
With these few words, we see the nature of Jesus Christ. He is both fully divine (God and fully human (flesh). While our nature is human (flesh) with body and soul, Jesus is both God and human.
However, through the same Christ, we have the “power to become children of God.” This means that while our nature is only human, by grace we have a share in the divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to become flesh. This tremendous mystery is granted to us through belief in Jesus and through Baptism. We are regenerated and are properly called Christian. We are true children of God. What a Christmas gift!
Question:
How do you celebrate your status as a child of God?
This Week’s Task
You are invited to make the most out of Christmas by attending daily Mass this week. The Christmas Season is more than a day. We celebrate through the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God and to the Feast of the Epiphany where the wise men adored the new born King.
Join all of the angels, the saints, and your fellow parishioners as you gather around the table of the Lord at Mass this Christmas Season.
Group Prayer
The group sings the following from Hark the Herald:
Christ by highest heav’n adored Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come Offspring of a Virgin’s womb Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn King!”
Continue with Psalm 98
Psalm
Response: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Conclude with an Our Father
Used with permission. All rights reserved. Christ in Our Neighborhood is a Scripture program designed by Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix.