Catholic Sunday Scripture Study, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord

Vigil Mass

First Reading:
Isaiah 62:1-5

1For Sion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest till her just one come forth as brightness, and her saviour be lighted as a lamp.
2 And the Gentiles shall see thy just one, and all kings thy glorious one: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. 3 And thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
4 Thou shalt no more be called Forsaken: and thy land shall no more be called Desolate: but thou shalt be called My pleasure in her, and thy land inhabited. Because the Lord hath been well pleased with thee: and thy land shall be inhabited.
5 For the young man shall dwell with the virgin, and thy children shall dwell in thee. And the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and thy God shall rejoice over thee.

Psalm:
Psalms 89;4-5, 16-17,27,29

(2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

He shall say of me, “You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.”
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Second Reading:
Acts of the Apostles 13:16-17,22-25

16 Then Paul rising up, and with his hand bespeaking silence, said: Ye men of Israel, and you that fear God, give ear.
17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they were sojourners in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought them out from thence,
22And when he had removed him, he raised them up David to be king: to whom giving testimony, he said: I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my own heart, who shall do all my wills.
23 Of this man's seed God according to his promise, hath raised up to Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24 John first preaching, before his coming, the baptism of penance to all the people of Israel.
25 And when John was fulfilling his course, he said: I am not he, whom you think me to be: but behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.

Gospel:
Matthew 1:1-25

1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, Tree of Jessethe son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren.
3 And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram.
4 And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon.
5 And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse.
6 And Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias.
7 And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa.
8 And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias.
9 And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias.
10 And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias.
11 And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon.
12 And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel.
13 And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor.
14 And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud.
15 And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations, from Abraham to David, are fourteen generations. And from David to the transmigration of Babylon, are fourteen generations: and from the transmigration of Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.
Nativity18 Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.
19 Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.
21And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying:
23 Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.
25 And he knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Mass During the Night

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."

Psalm:
Psalm 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13

R. (Lk 2:11) Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.

R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.

R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.

R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

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.

Gospel:
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!"

Mass at Dawn

First Reading:
Isaiah 62:11-12

11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him."
12 And they shall be called The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought out, a city not forsaken.

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12

A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.Star of Bethlehem

The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.

A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.

Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.

A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.

Second Reading:
Titus 3:4-7

4 but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,
6 which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Gospel:
Luke 2:15-20

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child;
18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Mass During the Day

First Reading:
Isaiah 52:7-10

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
8 Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.
9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6

(3c) 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.

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

The LORD has made his salvation known:Nativity Stained Glass
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

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.

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.

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Second Reading:
Hebrews 1:1-6

1 In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he
appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature,
upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Angels Worshipping Jesus4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has
obtained is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to what angel did God ever say, "Thou art my Son, today I have
begotten thee"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be
to me a son"?
6 And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says,
"Let all God's angels worship him."

Gospel:
John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God;
3 all things were made through him, and without him was not
anything made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.
9 The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.
1St. John the Baptist Icon1 He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he
gave power to become children of God;
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 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.
15 (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I
said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
16 And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

Study Page for Mass During the Night

Overview of the Gospel:

• In this Gospel, we contemplate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Nativity (birth) of our Lord is the third Joyful Mystery of the Most Holy Rosary.

• Luke, the author of the third Gospel, takes great pains to make it clear that the birth, life and ministry of Jesus were actual events that took place in a certain place and time of history (verses 1-3; 1:1-5; 3:1-2) in contrast to the pagan religions of the time that were based on non-historical myths.

• Jesus is also implicitly contrasted with the mighty earthly ruler of the time, Caesar Augustus who was proclaimed “god” and “lord,” and who brought a type of earthly peace (the Pax Romanus) to the known world. Jesus, however, born in a stable in an obscure backwater province, was the true king who would bring peace, not as the world thinks of peace, but the peace of reconciliation between God and man, estranged by man’s sin.

• The angels who announce the birth of Jesus say a remarkable amount about him in one short verse (verse 11): He was born Savior (saving us from our sins); he is the Messiah (the promised, anointed one foretold in the Old Testament); he is Lord (a term in the Old Testament which God always chose for himself).

Questions:

• In the 2nd Reading, what does St. Paul say God has done for us through Jesus Christ (verses 11-12,14)? What are we yet awaiting? What does that mean for how we are to live now?

• What was the legal meaning of the term “first-born” in ancient society (Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:12-13; Luke 2:23)? What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about Jesus’ birth to the Virgin Mary (CCC 499-507)?

• How does the shepherd’s experience with the angels compare to that of Zechariah (Luke 1:8-9)? With Mary’s (vv 1:26-27)?

• Of all the people the angels could have visited, why did God send them to the shepherds? How does that relate to what Mary says in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)?

• God appeared to Zechariah, Mary, and the shepherds during what seemed like ordinary times of their lives. How has God spoken to you in the everyday flow of your life?

• What does the word “peace” in the angels’ hymn mean? How does the “peace to those on whom his favor rests” apply to you? Do you enjoy that peace? If so, how can you grow in it? If not, how can you enter it?


Follow the links on this page to limited study resources for other Masses

BROTHERS AND SISTERS: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"



Quite simply: the first-born in ancient Jewish society were consecrated to God:

"Sanctify unto me every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, as well of men as of beasts: for they are all mine. Ex 13:2 I have taken the Levites from the children of Israel, for every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. Numbers 3:12 As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. Luke 2:23"

Jesus' birth to our Blessed Lady is the point in human history when heaven touches and merges with earth. God begins his plan of salvation by "the Word" becoming flesh and dwelling among us. By this, we mean "the Word" as not only the spoken revelation of God through his prophets, but in the Old Testament the word of God is God's manifestation, the revelation of Himself, whether in creation, in deeds of power and of grace, or in prophecy. Christ, the Incarnate Word, is the ultimate and complete revelation of God.

The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it." and so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the "Ever-virgin." CCC499

Our Blessed Lady become the spiritual mother to all of us, since her son, Jesus, came to save us all. She cooperates with a mother's love in God's divine plan of redemption.

Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." From his conception, Christ's humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God "gives him the Spirit without measure." From "his fullness" as the head of redeemed humanity "we have all received, grace upon grace." CCC 504

By his virginal conception, Jesus, the New Adam, ushers in the new birth of children adopted in the Holy Spirit through faith. "How can this be?" Participation in the divine life arises "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God". The acceptance of this life is virginal because it is entirely the Spirit's gift to man. the spousal character of the human vocation in relation to God is fulfilled perfectly in Mary's virginal motherhood. CCC 505

Mary is a virgin because her virginity is the sign of her faith "unadulterated by any doubt", and of her undivided gift of herself to God's will. It is her faith that enables her to become the mother of the Saviour: "Mary is more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ." CCC 506

At once virgin and mother, Mary is the symbol and the most perfect realization of the Church: "the Church indeed. . . by receiving the word of God in faith becomes herself a mother. By preaching and Baptism she brings forth sons, who are conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of God, to a new and immortal life. She herself is a virgin, who keeps in its entirety and purity the faith she pledged to her spouse." CCC 507

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