Homily for Mass during the Day at Christmas—Cycle A—2016
FIRST READING Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King! Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem. The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.
SECOND READING Hebrews 1:1-6
Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”? Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”? And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”
GOSPEL John 1:1-18
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 him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and 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 me because 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.
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
At this Mass during the day, the Prophet Isaiah tells us: “all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.” Those of us who celebrated the Midnight Mass remember the Prophet telling us of the joy of those walking in darkness who now can see a great light. The focus in the Mass during the Day is on this light, Jesus Himself, going out to all the world. The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God!
This first reading from the Prophet Isaiah at the Mass during the Day also tells us this: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!” It is Jesus Himself who constantly calls us to God the Father by giving us peace, proclaiming the Good News that God loves us, assuring us that He will forgive our sins and inviting us to acknowledge that God is King. On this Christmas Day we can renew our faith that God loves us and has become a little child so that we can see His love for us.
The second reading at this Mass is from the Letter to the Hebrews. It reminds us that God has spoken of Jesus: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.” Our Jewish ancestors knew how to use the Scriptures to make their point, but not to distort Scripture. The challenge for each of us on Christmas Day is to allow the Father to possess our lives and to see Him in Jesus. The Father and the Son are one in the Holy Spirit. We ourselves find our lives constantly challenged in faith and in action. Today, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are invited to acknowledge His divinity in His humanity once more and to thank the Father.
The Gospel of this Mass during the Day always comes from the Prologue of John’s Gospel. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory.” We are invited to look deeply at this mystery, to recognize God in Jesus and to see that are invited to share in this divine mystery by actually sharing in the divinity of Jesus. Our faith can never become simply something we do. Our faith must be at the very center of our lives and reflect our deepest belief about God, about creation and about love itself. God sends us His Son because of His love for us. God wants us fully alive in our humanity and freed from all sin and brokenness.
So we can rejoice in the tradition that tells us: Christ is born for us today. Come, let us adore Him. It is for us that Christ is born. For us! This love that God has for us comes to us today and we see this love in the little baby who grows and matures and offers His life for us. Come, let us adore Him.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip