Homily for the Nativity of the Lord
(Midnight Mass) A, B, C on the Gospel
Is 9:2-7;Ps 96:1-3.11-13 (R. Lk 2:11)
Tit 2:11-14;
Lk 2:1-14.
Topic: Glory to God in the highest heaven …. (Lk 2:14).
The season of Advent has come to an
end and with the Evening Prayer I of the Nativity of the Lord we entered the
season of Christmas. We have every reason to thank God. Chiefs among these
reasons are the gift of our Lord, Jesus Christ and that we are alive to
celebrate this year’s memorial of his birth as a man. We also thank God because
Christ has removed the fault of our first parents that shut the gates of heaven,
cf. Gen 3. Through his birth, we
have been made a kingdom of priests to God his Father and a holy nation, cf. Ex 19:6; 1Pt 2:9. To him be glory and
dominion forever and ever, Amen (Rev 1:6,
cf. Rev 5:10). For these among other innumerable reasons we sing with the
multitude of the angles of God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on
earth peace among those whom he favours!”
God who alone has immortality and
dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see has been made
man (mortal and visible), cf. 1Tim 6:16.
The gospel according to Saint John reads: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the
only Son from the Father” (Jn 1:14).
What no human mind could conceive has been made possible. To him be glory both
now and forever, cf. Rom 11:36.
We also sing with the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders for the new born King:
You are worthy to take the scroll and
to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for
God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made
them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth
(Rev. 5:9-10).
As Christians, we have been buried
with Him by baptism into death, so that we too may walk in the newness of life
(Rom 6:4). Hence Saint Paul tells us
that our bodies are members of Christ and should therefore not be defiled, cf. 1Cor 6:15.
During the transfiguration of
Jesus, we see the responsibility attached to this unmerited gift of God. The
voice of the Father was heard from the cloud: "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." (Mk 9:7, Matt 17:5, Lk 9:35). Saint Peter
also cited Deut 18:15 in Acts of the
Apostles: “The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as
he raised me up. You shall listen to him
in whatever he tells you” (Acts 3:22).
There is a warning attached to this call: “I shall put my words into his mouth
and he will tell them everything I command him. Anyone who refuses to listen to my words, spoken by him in my name,
will have to render an account to me” (Deut
18:19). In line with this prophesy, Jesus tells us: “He who rejects me and
does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be
his judge on the last day” (Jn 12:48).
And in the gospel according to Luke we read: Blessed are those who hear the
word of God and keep it (Lk 11:28).
We can ask ourselves how far we are ready to do what Christ tells us.
Christmas season goes with
euphoria that often takes our minds away from the other forms of the coming of
Jesus Christ that we are also called to prepare for especially during the Advent
season. So as we celebrate the season of Christmas, the season of Advent is
still on because we still prepare to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist and secondly
for when he will come again which will be either at our individual deaths or at
the end of the world. May we therefore always imitate the crowd who readily
welcomed Jesus because they waited for Him, cf. Lk 8:40, Jn 4:45. The new
born King is telling us to wake from sleep and rise from the death of sin that
He may give us light because it is only those who fear the God that can praise
him, cf. Eph 5:14; Ps 22:23. Saint Paul asks us to present
our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our
spiritual worship, cf. Rom 12:1.
Bible Reading: Gen 3; Rev 1:4-8; Eph 5:3-20.
Silent Prayer: How ready are you to glorify God for the
gift of His Son?
Let
us pray:
Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of
the birth of Christ your Son, may we always be found ready for His second
coming – Amen!
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