Introduction
The anticipation of Advent is complete — our waiting is over!
Today we celebrate the profound mystery of the Incarnation — the Word of God humbling himself to share in our humanity so that we might be lifted to share in his divinity.Our Christmas celebration unfolds through four distinct liturgies, each progressing from anticipation to revelation, mirroring the unfolding story of Christ’s Nativity:
- The Vigil Mass invites us to a moment of joyful expectation, reflecting on the Old Testament prophecies that foretold the coming of the Messiah. It sets the stage for the glorious events we commemorate throughout Christmas.
- The Midnight Mass, known as the “Mass of the Angels,” transitions us from anticipation to jubilation. The Proclamation sung before the liturgy situates the Incarnation within salvation history, while the Gloria, sung for the first time since Advent began, echoes the angelic hymn of joy that announced Christ’s birth.
- The Mass at Dawn, or “The Shepherds’ Mass,” focuses on the humble yet extraordinary response of the shepherds, the first witnesses of the Savior’s birth. Themes of light and eager adoration mirror their journey to the manger, inviting us to approach the altar with the same awe and gratitude.
- The Mass during the Day brings us to the theological heart of Christmas, drawing on the majestic prologue of the Gospel of John. It emphasizes Christ as the eternal Word made flesh, the light of salvation, and the profound manifestation of God’s love for humanity.
Regardless of which liturgy you participate in, our celebration centers on the cosmic event that occurred in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago: God has taken on flesh and become Emmanuel, “God with us.”
1st 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.
Today’s first reading is Isaiah’s famous poem about the messenger of peace who brings good tidings of God’s salvation and the joy it brings to his people, themes that align perfectly with our celebration of the birth of Christ.
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,
The passage begins with a sketch of a messenger approaching from the mountains with a message of peace and salvation. The messenger’s feet are praised — a symbol of his speed and surefootedness when crossing the mountains, which is where important news comes from (Isaiah 40:9). His feet are beautiful because of the message of deliverance they carry.
The excitement of the scene is obvious by the repetition of the action: “bearing,” “announcing,” “saying.”
The three words “peace,” “good news,” and “salvation” represent the highest degree of happiness imaginable, especially to Israelites who have endured the hardships of exile.
“Your God is King!”
This is the core message of the passage. Zion had been desolate so long, waiting for a ray of hope, and now she is told her God is king.
Hark! Your watchmen raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion.
The sentinels, likely watchmen on Zion’s walls, represent those who are the first to witness God’s saving work. Their joy is uncontainable as they see God’s restoration unfolding before their eyes.
This is similar to the joy of the shepherds in Luke’s Gospel, who are the first to hear the announcement of Christ’s birth and respond with praise. It underscores the immediacy and visibility of God’s saving action, which is celebrated during the Christmas liturgy.
In other translations, “the LORD restoring Zion” is rendered as “the return of the LORD to Zion.” The image is of a victorious king leading a procession of his men back to his city, having redeemed them from their captors.
This means that God has not only remained their King but is actively working to restore and redeem them.
Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem.
In a beautiful personification, the very ruins of the city are exhorted to break forth in song. No longer will they lie destitute, unable to stand with dignity, without the protection of honor.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
The image of God baring his holy arm is a powerful metaphor that conveys divine action, strength, and intervention (Exodus 6:6, 15:16; Isaiah 51:9; Psalm 98:1). In ancient times, baring the arm was a preparatory act for work or combat, symbolizing readiness and determination. When applied to God, it suggests a public display of his power to achieve salvation and fulfill his promises.
This is a form of acknowledging that the deliverance of the city is an act of God’s sovereignty, underscoring that he alone is the source of salvation. This acknowledgment is significant because it shifts the focus from human agency to divine grace.
in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.
It is not enough that Zion is rescued; the other nations of the world will see and acknowledge this power. The salvation that was once confined to Israel is now revealed to all nations, prefiguring the global mission of Christ.
This passage takes on new meaning within the context of our Christmas liturgy: The glad tidings being proclaimed become the good news of Jesus Christ, the God who reigns as King is revealed in the person of Jesus, and the redemption celebrated is the ultimate deliverance from sin through his saving work.
Alleluia, thanks be to God!
2nd 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.
Today’s second reading is the introduction from the book of Hebrews, which is a confessional hymn that celebrates the identity and mission of Christ.
Like our gospel reading, it is filled with high christology — that is, it teaches about Jesus’ divine identity.
Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;
The passage begins by comparing the ways that God communicates with humankind. In the past, God spoke to the fathers of Israel through visions, laws, prophecies, and historical events.
The phrase “partial and various ways” reflects the fragmented nature of divine revelation before Christ.
in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son,
Jesus is presented as the ultimate and definitive Word of God, surpassing the revelations given through the prophets.
“In these last days” refers to the Messianic age inaugurated by Christ’s coming. (We see this later, in Hebrews 6:5, when the author speaks of Christians as those who have experienced “the powers of the age to come.”)
Without disparaging the former way, it is clear that divine revelation through Christ is considered far superior to previous revelations.
whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,
Christ enjoys a position of unrivaled privilege. He is the heir of all things and the agent through which the world was made.
This assertion suggests not only preeminence but pre-existence: Christ existed before he appeared as man, and through him, God created the universe.
who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being,
Jesus is the perfect reflection of God’s essence, echoing John 1:14: We have seen his glory.
“The very imprint of his being” uses the imagery of a coin stamped with a die, signifying that Jesus perfectly embodies God’s nature.
In ancient Jewish thought, the wisdom tradition celebrated Wisdom as an active force in creation, often personified as God’s agent in shaping the world (Proverbs 8:22-31; Wisdom 9:9). Wisdom was described as a pure emanation of God’s glory, reflecting God’s nature and will (Wisdom 7:25-26). Within this tradition, however, the distinction between Wisdom as a creation of God and Wisdom as an intrinsic attribute of God remains ambiguous and challenging.
This ambiguity, far from being a flaw, becomes a doorway to deeper understanding in light of the revelation of Christ. The dual portrayal of Wisdom as both emanating from God and participating in creation finds its ultimate fulfillment and resolution in Jesus, the eternal Son. As the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His being, Jesus embodies what the wisdom tradition glimpsed but could not fully articulate.
The ancient insights about Wisdom are thus reinterpreted and elevated, revealing that they pointed toward Christ all along.
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
Christ is not only the agent through which the world was made, he is the ongoing sustainer of creation.
When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Attention is now turned from Christ’s divine identity to his redemptive mission.
After Jesus redeemed the human race by his death and resurrection, he took the place of greatest honor, at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1).
Our Christmas celebration is not simply a celebration of Jesus’ birth, but a celebration of Jesus’ entire role in salvation history.
as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Scripture represents angels as the most excellent of all creatures, far more glorious and excellent than the best of men.
The revelation that the ascended Jesus, fully human and in bodily form, now sits at the right hand of God is nothing short of a marvel. Before Christ, there was no being that outranked the angels but God himself.
Jesus, as the God-man, has brought humanity into a new relationship with the divine, lifting it to a place of dignity and honor that had never been imagined. This extraordinary reality is the fulfillment of God’s plan to elevate humanity to a position of eternal communion with him.
For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”?
The author supports his claim of Jesus’ superiority by referring to Old Testament texts that he applies to Jesus.
The first is Psalm 2:7, a royal psalm that directly connects the identity of Jesus to that of the divine Son, fulfilling the messianic prophecy in the Psalms.
Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”?
The second text is 2 Samuel 7:14. This is part of the God’s promise to David that his heirs, the future kings of the Davidic line, would be secure.
And again, when he leads the first-born into the world,
“Firstborn into the world” is a high-christology title for Jesus that reflects his preeminence and status as the heir of all creation (Colossians 1:15).
he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”
This is from Deuteronomy 32:43, which is part of the prophetic Song of Moses that highlights God’s justice, his care for Israel, and his ultimate victory over his enemies.
By referencing this passage, the author of Hebrews underscores the idea that even the angels — who were traditionally regarded as the highest of created beings — are called to worship Jesus.
This truth was powerfully demonstrated by the angelic choir that glorified Christ at his birth (Luke 2:13-14).
By applying these texts to Jesus, the author of Hebrews is doing something similar to what we saw in our first reading: uncovering a deeper layer of meaning in the Old Testament scriptures through the lens of Christ’s death and resurrection.
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.
The gospels of Matthew and Luke both present the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew meticulously traces Jesus’ ancestry from Abraham (1:1-17), while Luke extends the familial roots all the way back to Adam (3:23-37). Both evangelists complement these genealogies with poignant infancy narratives, forming the scriptural foundation for the other three Christmas Masses (Vigil, Midnight, and Dawn).
The gospel reading for Christmas Mass During the Day is the prologue of John’s Gospel, a profound and theologically rich text that beautifully encapsulates the mystery of the Incarnation. It shifts the focus from the historical and narrative details of Christ’s birth to its cosmic significance, presenting Jesus as the eternal Word of God, through whom all things were made and who became flesh to dwell among us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
These opening verses establish the preexistence of the Word (Logos) and its divine nature. The verb “was” is used in three distinct ways with three different meanings:
- existence (“In the beginning was the Word”),
- relationship (“the Word was with God”), and
- predication (“the Word was God”).
The lack of a definite article with “God” in “the Word was God” signifies predication rather than identification. This describes the divine attribute of the Word, rather than equating the Word entirely with God the Father. In other words, the Word is fully divine, sharing the nature of God, but is not the entirety of God.
This distinction aligns with trinitarian theology, which holds that the Word (Jesus) is God but also a distinct Person within the Trinity.
The phrase “in the beginning” creates an unmistakable connection with Genesis 1:1, which may be John’s way of implying that the coming of the Word (Greek: Logos) into the world was as momentous an event as the first creation.
He was in the beginning with God.
The focus shifts slightly to emphasize the personal existence of the Word. The use of “He” (Greek: houtos, “this one”) transitions from an abstract concept to a more relational and personal entity.
There never was a time when Christ, the second person of the Trinity, did not exist.
“The following comparison may help us understand the notion of The Word: just as a person becoming conscious of himself forms an image of himself in his mind, in the same way God the Father on knowing himself begets the eternal Word” (The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, 546).
All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
The Word is revealed as the agent of creation, affirming that all existence owes its origin to him. John emphasizes his point by reiterating it in the negative.
This observation invites us to contemplate how the four gospels, each written more distant in time from Jesus’ ascension, tell the good news of Jesus Christ in a progressively larger context:
- Mark begins with Jesus’ public ministry, offering no account of his origins, and focuses directly on his actions and teachings.
- Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham, situating his saving work within the context of Jewish salvation history and emphasizing his role as the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.
- Luke extends the genealogy back to Adam, placing Jesus’ mission in the broader context of the entire human race, pointing to his role as the Savior for all humanity.
- John goes even further, presenting Jesus as the preexistent Word, the divine agent of creation through whom all things came into being, situating Christ’s mission within the cosmic and eternal order.
What came to be through him was life,
Life is not mere existence; even inanimate things exist.
Life is a participation in the essence or existence of God.
and this life was the light of the human race;
The Word is both the source of all life and the spiritual light that enlightens humanity. He brings them out of the darkness of sin and error. (See Isaiah 9:1-2, Matthew 4:15-16, Luke 1:79.)
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The light of Christ is persistent and triumphs over sin and evil.
John’s use of present tense emphasizes the ongoing nature of this struggle and victory.
A man named John was sent from God.
This is John the Baptist; the words that appear in this passage are later ascribed to him (John 1:15; 1:30).
He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
John the Baptist was the forerunner who prepared the way for Jesus. His purpose was to point others to Christ, the true light.
Christ did not need the external validation of John the Baptist’s testimony; it’s humanity who needs John’s testimony to illuminate the truth so that they can overcome the darkness of sin and recognize the Messiah.
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
The need for this distinction may have been motivated by the fact that the Baptist’s position had been misinterpreted by some (see Acts 19:1-7).
John is neither a peer nor a rival of the Word.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
The Word is “the true light” because he is the original light from which every other enlightenment (i.e., revelation of God) derives.
“If he enlightens every man who comes into the world, how is it that so many have remained unenlightened? For not all, to be sure, have recognized the high dignity of Christ. How, then, does he enlighten every man? As much as he is permitted to do so. But if some, deliberately closing the eyes of their minds, do not wish to receive the beams of this light, darkness is theirs. This is not because of the nature of the light, but is a result of the wickedness of men who deliberately deprive themselves of the gift of grace” (St John Chrysostom, Homily on St John, 8, 1).
He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
Despite being the Creator, Jesus was not recognized or accepted by the world.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
Other translations have “he came to his own home, and his own people received him not.”
This can be interpreted broadly as the Creator being rejected by all mankind, or it can be seen as a reference to Israel, who was God’s own above all other people.
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.
Faith in Christ enables believers to become children of God, a spiritual rebirth that is divine in origin, not dependent on human lineage or effort.
Jewish culture places significant emphasis on the sanctity of names — a person’s name is closely tied to their identity and character.
And the Word became flesh
This climactic verse reveals the Word becoming fully human.
John intends the word flesh to be shocking. This statement confronts us with the idea that the eternal, transcendent God has assumed something so fragile and limited as human nature.
Flesh, in biblical and theological terms, is often associated with mortality, weakness, and imperfection. This is incompatible with the transcendent God, the source of all life. This is the mystery of the Incarnation, by which the Eternal Word took on our exact human nature, becoming one with us in everything but sin (Hebrews 4:15).
and made his dwelling among us,
The Greek term translated as “dwelt” (literally “tabernacled”) evokes God’s presence with Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34), as well as the tradition about Wisdom establishing her tent in the midst of the people (Sirach 24:8).,
This signifies God’s closeness to humanity in Christ. The Word of God, who is also the holiness of God and the wisdom of God, now dwells in the midst of humankind. The Incarnate Word is the new mode of God’s presence among his people.
and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Saint John is giving his own eyewitness testimony. He might be alluding to the Transfiguration, an event to which John was a direct witness (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36). The Transfiguration is a moment when Jesus’ divine glory was revealed in a way that the disciples could visibly perceive.
However, this likely refers more broadly to John’s experience of encountering the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ throughout his ministry.
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.’”
Saint John now presents the testimony of John the Baptist. He is the first in a series of witnesses who testify on behalf of the Christ-event.
From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace,
Charin anti charitos, “grace in place of grace,” is a phrase only used here. It has been interpreted in various ways, including an indication that the Old Covenant has been replaced with the New, which is consistent with the verse that follows.
Regardless of the specific meaning intended, every interpretation indicates the unsearchable riches of the grace of Christ.
We can understand it as grace for grace’s sake, one grace heaped upon another.
because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
This constitutes the final break of John’s thought with that of Judaism. The revelation of the Old Covenant (the law) was but a foreshadowing of what was to be fully revealed in the New Covenant, through Christ (grace and truth).
With this statement, John demonstrates the reason the almighty God took on lowly human flesh: to give us grace and truth.
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.
Jewish belief was firm in that the one true God was invisible and could not be seen by man.
However, the coming of Christ has changed everything. Now, through the Incarnation, we have an intimate knowledge of God and an acquaintance with him. This is the grace and truth referred to in the previous verse.
The Incarnate Word has been revealed completely (Colossians 1:15); he is the ultimate and complete revelation of God (Hebrews 1:1-4).
Connections and Themes
Revelation of God’s glory. The readings for Christmas Mass During the Day invite us to contemplate the magnificent revelation of God’s glory through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, glimpses of God’s glory were seen in moments of profound divine intervention: the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, and the prophetic visions that foretold the coming of the Messiah. Yet, these encounters were veiled, incomplete, and often overwhelming for those who witnessed them.
In Jesus, the fullness of God’s glory is unveiled in a new and unprecedented way. As John declares in the prologue of his Gospel, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The author of Hebrews echoes this truth, proclaiming that Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory” and the exact imprint of his being, the One through whom God has definitively spoken (Hebrews 1:3).
This glory is not a blinding radiance but a glory made visible in the humility of a child born in Bethlehem, in the kindness of a teacher who healed the sick and welcomed sinners, and in the sacrificial love of a Savior who gave his life for the world. Through Jesus, God’s glory is no longer distant or inaccessible; it is now intimately present in human history.
Salvation in our midst. In Isaiah’s prophecy, the joyful announcement rings out: “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7), declaring the arrival of salvation for a weary world. This truth reaches its fulfillment in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, described in John’s Gospel as the Word who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). God has entered into human history in an intimate and transformative way, making his saving presence known through his Son. No longer is salvation a distant hope; it has come to dwell in our midst, in the person of Jesus, full of grace and truth.
What we are saved from is evil itself, the disruptive powers of sin that choke off life and bring unbearable suffering to weak and strong alike. God has won victory for us, and blessed are those who have eyes to see the messenger and ears to hear the glad tidings of triumph.
This salvation is not merely an external act; it is an invitation to receive God’s victory, to take it into our lives, and to make it our own.
Alleluia!
Sunday Readings 