Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

With great longing, we have been preparing our hearts and our homes for this day on which we celebrate the birth of our Messiah and Savior. We recall that glorious night when the Blessed Mother bore Jesus into an expectant world, realizing that Jesus is also born in our hearts and in our world here and now, made present through one another and in the Eucharist we celebrate. May this “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” continue to be incarnated in our lives and our world.

 

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word

Isaiah 52:7–10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1–6; John 1:1–18 or 1:1–5, 9–14

God’s sentinels cry out with joy, for the saving power of God has become incarnate in our world. The Word is made flesh for us on this holy day. God’s word now dwells among us, bringing light, bringing truth, bringing grace, bringing peace, bringing good news, bringing salvation. Let us open our ears, our minds, and our hearts to God’s extraordinary and eternal gift.
 

Our Reflection

“In the beginning,” John began, as did the author of Genesis centuries before (1:1). The first humans were God’s creation, made in God’s own image, as is every human born into the world since. But not until Jesus was born, when the Word became flesh, when God’s own Son took on our human nature, did we truly become brothers and sisters of Jesus and children of God. Then, when Jesus, fully divine and fully human, suffered and died and was raised, a measure of God’s own immortality was bestowed upon us.

As the fourth-century bishop Saint Athanasius said, God was made human so that we may become divine. From the beginning, the seeds of our divinity have been present. Through the Word made flesh, they have been sown.
 

Questions of the Week

How can the seeds of divinity sown in me bloom for all to realize? Do I recognize the seeds of divinity in me? In others?

LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of December 25th, 2022,  The Nativity of the Lord, Christmas.

SELECT HERE for the Readings of December 25th, 2022,  The Nativity of the Lord, Christmas.