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 Gospel recounts the moment when the angels proclaimed the Savior’s birth to the shepherds, and the Gloria — sung for the first time since Advent began — resounds with their hymn of joy: Glory to God in the highest!
- 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 a proclamation of pure joy. The prophet Isaiah announces the arrival of God’s saving power with the image of a messenger racing over the mountains, bringing news of peace, restoration, and redemption.
On this Christmas Day, we hear these ancient words fulfilled in the birth of Christ, the true Good News who brings peace to the world and salvation to all.
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,
These words come from the portion of Isaiah (chapters 40–55) addressed to Israel during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC, after Jerusalem had been destroyed and its people carried off into captivity.
Isaiah paints the image of a messenger racing over the mountains with news of peace and salvation. His feet are called beautiful not for their appearance, but because they carry the message of deliverance.
- The repetition of verbs — bringing, announcing, bearing, saying — conveys urgency and joy.
- The words describing the message — glad tidings, peace, good news, salvation — emphasize the fullness of God’s saving action and the complete reversal of their sorrow.
“Your God is King!”
This is the heart of the proclamation. 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.
In Isaiah’s image, the sentinels, likely watchmen on Zion’s walls, are the first to witness God’s saving work. Their joy is uncontainable as they see God’s restoration unfolding before their eyes.
Their joy mirrors the shepherds in Luke’s Gospel, who were the first to hear the announcement of Christ’s birth. Both scenes highlight the immediacy of God’s action and the spontaneous praise it evokes.
Some translations render “the LORD restoring Zion” as “the return of the LORD to Zion,” evoking the image of a victorious king leading his people home. This indicates 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. What was broken and dishonored is now lifted up, comforted, and redeemed by the Lord’s mercy.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
This vivid metaphor signifies God’s decisive intervention. In ancient culture, baring the arm meant readiness for battle or work. Applied to God, it suggests a public display of his power to achieve salvation and fulfill his promises (cf. Exodus 6:6, 15:16; Isaiah 51:9; Psalm 98:1).
This is an acknowledgment that the deliverance of the city is an act of God’s sovereignty; he alone is the source of salvation. Their salvation is not a human achievement but an act of divine grace.
in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.
The rescue and restoration of Israel is not a private event. It is a revelation to the nations, prefiguring the universal mission of Christ. What begins in Israel expands to the whole world: salvation is offered to all
This passage takes on new meaning within the context of our Christmas liturgy: The glad tidings 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 proclaims that in the birth of Christ we behold God’s definitive Word, greater than the prophets and angels, and revealed to us in glory.
Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;
The passage begins by contrasting past revelation with the definitive revelation in Christ.
In the past, God spoke to the fathers of Israel through visions, laws, prophecies, and historical events.
in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son,
Jesus is presented as the fullness of God’s self-disclosure.
“These last days” signals the Messianic age inaugurated by Christ’s coming. This is not meant to demean earlier revelation but affirms that it finds its completion and surpassing fulfillment in Christ, the Father’s final Word.
whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,
Christ is both heir and agent of creation.
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, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
Jesus is the perfect expression of the Father’s glory and the exact image of his divine nature. The Greek term charaktēr evokes a precise imprint, emphasizing that the Son shares the very being of the Father.
The author of Hebrews is drawing upon the language of Israel’s Wisdom tradition, a body of writings that celebrated Wisdom as both God’s radiant presence and God’s agent in creation. In these texts, Wisdom was portrayed with a certain tension — distinct from God, yet inseparable from God’s essence, a pure emanation of divine glory and a reflection of God’s will (e.g. Proverbs 8:22-31; Wisdom 7:25-26, 9:9; Sirach 24:3-9).
Hebrews takes up this imagery and proclaims its fulfillment in Christ. Today, as we celebrate the Nativity, the Church proclaims that the child born in Bethlehem is not merely a messenger or created emanation, but the eternal Wisdom of God made flesh. What Proverbs and Wisdom could only glimpse in poetic and metaphorical terms — the radiance of God’s glory, the imprint of his being — has now been revealed in the person of Jesus, the Son through whom all things were made.
By drawing on this tradition, the author is showing continuity with Israel’s traditions rather than rupture: the ancient insights about Wisdom were always pointing toward Christ, and in the incarnation their meaning is made visible and complete.
When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
The focus shifts 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 portrays angels as the most exalted of all creatures, surpassing even the noblest of human beings in glory and excellence. Yet Christ transcends them infinitely. The astonishing revelation of Hebrews is that the ascended Jesus — fully human and in bodily form — now sits at the right hand of God. Before Christ, there was no being that outranked the angels but God himself.
In the mystery of the Incarnation and Ascension, Jesus as the God‑man has drawn humanity into a new and unparalleled relationship with the divine. He has lifted human nature to a place of dignity and honor never before imagined.
This wondrous reality is nothing less than the fulfillment of God’s eternal 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”?
Psalm 2:7, a royal messianic text, is here applied to Christ to affirm his unique divine Sonship.
Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”?
From 2 Samuel 7:14, originally speaking of David’s descendants, now shown to be fulfilled perfectly in Christ, the eternal heir of the Davidic promise.
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.
At Christmas Mass During the Day, the Church gives us not the story of the manger, but the mystery behind it. In these opening verses of John’s Gospel, we are invited to contemplate who the Child of Bethlehem truly is: the eternal Word, through whom all things were made, now entering our world.
As we reflect on this passage, we are drawn beyond the familiar images of Christmas into the profound truth that God has taken on our humanity, so that we might share in his life.
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”).
In the phrase “the Word was God,” the absence of the definite article with God, together with the word order of the Greek, indicates a predicative or qualitative sense rather than simple identification. In other words, John is not equating the Word with God the Father as a single Person; rather, he is affirming that the Word possesses the very nature of God. The Word is fully divine, sharing the one divine essence, yet is not the totality of the Godhead.
This distinction aligns with Trinitarian theology, which holds that the Word (Jesus Christ) is truly God while remaining a distinct Person within the Trinity.
The phrase “in the beginning” creates an unmistakable connection with Genesis 1:1, signaling that John is describing a reality as foundational and cosmic as creation itself. The coming of the Word into the world is thus presented not merely as a historical event, but as the inauguration of a new divine act that stands alongside — and ultimately fulfills — 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 expansive vision invites us to notice how each of the four Gospels proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ within an increasingly broad horizon:
- 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 further still, presenting Jesus as the preexistent Word through whom all things were made, placing his saving mission within the eternal and cosmic order itself.
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 the 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 himself did not require this external validation from John the Baptist; it’s humanity that needs John’s witness to shed light on the truth, so that we may overcome the darkness of sin and recognize the Messiah.
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
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.
John presents a striking paradox: The Word is present within the world he created, yet remains unrecognized by it.
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.
John underscores the tragedy of this rejection. 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.
Other translations have: He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
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.
To “believe in his name” carries particular weight in Jewish thought, where a name signifies the very identity, authority, and presence of the person. Belief in the name of Jesus, then, is not mere assent to a title, but trust in who He truly is.
And the Word became flesh
John reaches the climax of his prologue, and with deliberate shock.
The eternal Word, through whom all things were made, does not merely appear in human form or dwell at a distance, but becomes flesh.
In biblical and theological terms, “flesh” (sarx) signifies human weakness, vulnerability, and mortality. By choosing this stark term, John leaves no room for a sanitized or symbolic incarnation. The divine Word fully enters the fragility of human existence, affirming that God’s saving work unfolds not apart from our condition, but from within it.
and made his dwelling among us,
In Greek, this phrase is eskēnōsen en hēmin:
- eskēnōsen literally means “pitched his tent” or “tabernacled”
- en hēmin means “among us” or “in our midst”
Thus, the phrase literally means “He pitched his tent among us.” This expression evokes the Old Testament image of God dwelling in the tabernacle during Israel’s wilderness journey (cf. Exodus 25:8–9), and recalls the Wisdom tradition in which Wisdom establishes her tent in the midst of the people (Sirach 24:8).
In Christ, this imagery reaches its fulfillment. The incarnation is the new tabernacle of God’s presence, where the eternal Word lives in the midst of humanity.
and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Here, 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.’”
This verse momentarily interrupts the flow of the prologue to insert the testimony of John the Baptist.
By declaring that the one who comes after him “ranks ahead” because he “existed before,” the Baptist affirms the eternal preexistence of Christ, reinforcing the cosmic claims already made about the Word. This grounds the lofty theology of the incarnation in historical witness so that the eternal Word revealed in flesh is also attested by a human voice sent from God.
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.
Charin anti charitos, “grace in place of grace,” is a phrase used only here in all of Scripture. Its uniqueness has led scholars to suggest several possible meanings:
- Successive grace — grace upon grace, one gift continually replacing another, emphasizing the inexhaustible supply of divine favor
- Covenental grace — the grace given through Moses and the Law now surpassed and fulfilled by the greater grace revealed in Christ
- Transformative grace — each experience of God’s favor leading to and being replaced by a deeper, richer grace, highlighting the dynamic nature of salvation
Though interpretations vary, they all point to the same reality: the unsearchable riches of Christ’s grace.
In this statement, John reveals the purpose of the incarnation: that the eternal God, taking on lowly human flesh, has come to bestow upon us the fullness of 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 held firmly that the one true God was invisible and could not be seen by man. The coming of Christ, however, changed everything. Through the Incarnation, humanity now has intimate knowledge of God and direct acquaintance with him — this is the “grace and truth” spoken of 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. The glory once glimpsed in fire, cloud, and mighty deeds now takes on a human face. As Isaiah proclaims, the salvation of God is now seen by all the ends of the earth; as the Letter to the Hebrews declares, God has spoken definitively through His Son; and as John’s Gospel reveals, the eternal Word who was with God and was God has entered our world.
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.
Alleluia!
Sunday Readings 