THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
25 December 2023
LECTIONARY READINGS
Midnight Mass
First reading: Isaiah 9:1-7
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 95(96):1-3, 11-13
Second Reading: Titus 2:11-14
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14.
Link to readings
GOSPEL
Luke 2: 8–14
In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to all who enjoy his favour’.
REFLECTION
I come to spend some quiet time with the Lord. Maybe I have the luxury of a candle and a crib to help me visualise the events of that special night. Or maybe I rely on my imagination and my memories of previous years.
I read the text above, perhaps several times, before putting it aside. I may find myself being present in the scene, next to the shepherds. I look around, what do I see? I smell the grass, the sheep. I feel the roughness of the shepherd’s staff. I hear the shuffling of animals, the barking of dogs.
Then suddenly, I see the angel of the Lord and the light changing in the sky. How do I react? Am I fearful, like the shepherds, or amazed, or ...? I hear the angel’s comforting words, news of peace and joy. As I pause for a moment to take this all in, the singing starts. What is it like? Perhaps it’s a tune I know well, or one I’ve never heard before.
I focus again on the angel’s words: a baby, in a manger, a Saviour, Christ the Lord. Could it be that God has chosen to come to earth in disguise, where we least expect him? Can he really have come in such simple surroundings, as a helpless baby, he who is so Almighty? In what way is this a joyful event? I ponder.
Eventually, I come back to the here and now, still carrying all these events in my heart, thankful that I was there, with the shepherds and the angel, perhaps better able now to share this great joy with all around me. ‘Glory to God in the highest ...’
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Mary, Holy Mother of God, 1 January 2024
First reading: Numbers 6:22-27
Psalm 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8
Second reading: Galatians 4:4-7
Gospel: Luke 2:16-21
Link to readings
GOSPEL
Luke 2: 15–20
Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us’. So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.
REFLECTION
By now I may have a little more time to sit quietly and contemplate the scripture passage the Church has chosen for me on this first day of the New Year. Slowly, I take a few deep breaths, come to quiet and read the text above. Who or what draws my attention?
Maybe it is Mary, the one who has been so actively involved in the story and yet from whom we have not heard a word. I consider her situation silently for a while, perhaps bringing to mind all the events which have led to her bringing the baby Jesus to birth. In time, I may feel moved to speak with her: ‘How are you feeling at the moment Mary? Was your labour difficult? How did you feel when you first heard the baby cry?’ I listen to her. What does she tell me she treasures?
I reflect on what it means to me today to experience these events through her eyes, and thank God for the birth of every child.
With you, Mary, I ponder in my heart the fate of all those who, like you, have been marginalised, not accepted by society: the homeless, the refugee, the mentally ill, the elderly, those suffering with dementia. I pray that they will encounter the Lord coming towards them in disguise: in food bank volunteers, refuge charity workers, care givers ...
Before I go, I thank you, Mary, mother of my God. You are indeed ‘blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus’.
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The Epiphany of the Lord, 7 January 2024
Lectionary readings
First reading: Isaiah 60:1-6.
Responsorial psalm: 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 10-13.
Second reading: Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12.
Link to readings
GOSPEL
Matthew 2: 1–12 (abridged)
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out.
And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
REFLECTION
As I come to my prayer today, perhaps for a few moments I let this Christmastide re-play in my mind’s eye. What do I notice? Where did I feel closest to God? Where did I feel most challenged? What were the joys? Maybe there were also moments of regret? Eventually, I turn to the text, and read through it slowly, noticing where my attention is drawn.
Perhaps I go with the wise men to Bethlehem, and witness their amazement as the star halts over a stable. Surely this wasn’t what they were expecting to find? Wasn’t it meant to be ‘royal robes, a messiah enthroned with elegance’? What on earth would Herod want with a child born in a place like this? I follow them into the stable. What do I notice now as they as they fall to their knees before Jesus, offering him their precious gifts? I pause and ponder. What do I bring to lay at his feet in homage? How do I feel?
As I watch the wise men begin their journey home by a different way, I realise that they have been changed by their encounter. They now know that they will meet the Lord again, hidden in ‘endless disguise’ in people they might previously have ‘ignored or criticised’. Again I pause and ponder.
What has touched my heart as, once again, I have witnessed Jesus’s coming into this world through the eyes of those who were there? I pray, using my own words, for the strength and courage to use the gifts and skills that I have been given to help everyone I meet see that God, our Emmanuel, is truly with us.
Courtesy of St Beuno’s Outreach in the Diocese of Wrexham, UK