christmas day mass readings 2020

December 23, 2020. So, much like Psalm 89, this reading, too, emphasizes the fulfillment of God’s promises to David in Jesus. The Humanity of Christ. The First Reading (Is 52:7-10) and Psalm (Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6) are doxologies giving thanks to God for his wonderful deeds in creation and in salvation history. I prefer the older rendering of the KJV-RSV tradition, immortalized in Handel’s Messiah: In Hebrew, the name denotes the essence of the person. Matthew begins the New Testament with “The Book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” In this way, Matthew associates Jesus with the fulfillment of promises made to three great patriarchs: Adam, David, and Abraham. See, the LORD proclaimsto the ends of the earth:say to daughter Zion,your savior comes!Here is his reward with him,his recompense before him.They shall be called the holy people,the redeemed of the LORD,and you shall be called “Frequented,”a city that is not forsaken. Just a few brush strokes: with the allusions to “the Beginning” and “Light and Darkness,” John is evoking Genesis 1 and the first day of creation, insisting that with Jesus Christ, the world has experienced a New Creation, a change as fundamental as the initial transition from non-being to existence. St. John literally says, and tabernacled (eskênôsen) among us, employing the Greek verb that corresponds to the noun tabernacle used in the Old Testament for the tent-dwelling of God constructed by Moses. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. During the Christmas season, our liturgy invites us to consider the birth of the Lord from many vantage points. The rest of the passage employs heavy nuptial imagery to describe the resumption of the marriage relationship between the LORD and his people. Readings for the Four Christmas Masses. Because we haven’t deeply experienced Jesus ourselves: “heard and seen”; or we lose our joy in the face of the contradictions of this life and so cease to “glorify and praise.”. The key phrase from this reading is in the middle: From this man’s (David’s) descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. But the Greek can also be translated, “The darkness has not understood it.” I think this is an example of intentional polyvalence: John intends both senses. We see this in the Book of Ruth, where Bo’az (whose name means “In him is strength”) is the go’êl (“redeemer”) of Ruth and Naomi. (My whole treatment of the genealogy is available on my CD “The Genesis of Jesus,” available here: http://bit.ly/1OaBpm5 ). Readings for the Dawn. St. Luke takes pains to date the event by secular history (Caesar Augustus … Quirinius, etc.). Mass Propers for Sundays: (Print Format) (Click here for Display Format) 2020: 11/29 First Sunday of Advent: 12/06 Second Sunday of Advent: 12/13 Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday: 12/20 Fourth Sunday of Advent: 12/27 Sunday within the Octave of Christmas: 2021: 01/03 Holy Name of Jesus: 01/10 Holy Family: 01/17 Second Sunday after Epiphany The first one lost us the rights to divine sonship (filiation), but this second one has regained them for us: That’s what this birth in a manger means for us this Christmas. The truth of the Gospel can neither be overcome by the godless, nor understood by them. Friday, 7th Week of Easter. There is a well-known historical issue with the dating of Quirinius, who according to some historical records seems not yet to have been governor of Syria at the time of Jesus birth. Saturday, December 26 2020 – Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr. Duration 0:00. The Apostles and New Testament authors understand Jerusalem to be the Church, the bride of Christ (see Hebrews 12:22-24; Rev. ©2021 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Mass During the Day. By John Bergsma December 24, 2020. Psalm 89 is perhaps the Davidic covenant psalm par excellence, the most explicit description and praise of the covenant of David in all the Psalter.  The readings for masses of Christmas place a heavy emphasis on the fulfillment of the promises God made to David.  This covenant seemed to have been abandoned by God from 587 BC on, when the last son of David to rule on the throne was deposed and taken into exile.  But Jesus of Nazareth is the descendant of David who rules over the nations forever.  It does seem remarkable, even from a human perspective, that here 2,600 years after the last son of David visibly ruled on the throne in Jerusalem, there are over 2 billion people in the world who claim some kind of allegiance to David’s descendant, Jesus of Nazareth.  God’s promises to David have been fulfilled, despite all impediments to the contrary, so in this psalm we praise God for his “goodness.”  The Hebrew word translated “goodness” here is “hesed,” which means more precisely “covenant faithfulness.”  It is more usually translated “mercy.”   In his Bull of Indiction for the Year of Mercy 2016, Pope Francis made mention of the common refrain found in many psalms, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.”  Wherever this phrase is found in the psalms, the Hebrew for “mercy” is hesed, more literally, “covenant faithfulness.”  God’s mercy is his faithfulness to his covenant.  In other words, God has sworn to us a covenant, and according to that covenant he shows mercy toward us, even though we are unfaithful to our covenant obligations toward him.Â, He shall say of me, “You are my father,my God, the rock, my savior.”. Then we get two of the most theologically “heavy” texts in the entire New Testament: Brothers and sisters:In times past, God spoke in partial and various waysto our ancestors through the prophets;in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son,whom he made heir of all thingsand 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 angelsas 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? This reading is tremendously rich, and there is more here that I can adequately cover at this time. One of the three great pilgrimage feasts of Ancient Israel was the Feast of Tabernacles, the celebration of God’s sanctuary. The Christmas Solemnity has distinct readings for four separate masses:  Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, and Day. The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass During the Day Friday, December 25, 2020 The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light;upon those who dwelt in the land of glooma light has shone.You have brought them abundant joyand great rejoicing,as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,as people make merry when dividing spoils.For the yoke that burdened them,the pole on their shoulder,and the rod of their taskmasteryou have smashed, as on the day of Midian.For every boot that tramped in battle,every cloak rolled in blood,will be burned as fuel for flames.For a child is born to us, a son is given us;upon his shoulder dominion rests.They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.His dominion is vastand forever peaceful,from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,which he confirms and sustainsby judgment and justice,both now and forever.The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this! The brief words of this Gospel quickly recount what in fact must have been a difficulty and emotional time for St. Joseph, and a trial of his faith. banah) by God from the rib of Adam (Gen 2:22).  Eve is a type of the Temple and of the Church.  “Your sons shall marry you” means: the young men of the Church shall espouse themselves to her, most dramatically by accepting Holy Orders and apostolic celibacy, in which they have no other spouse but the people of God.  Every faithful priest is a “son” of the Church who has “married” her. This Gospel is a continuation of the Gospel for the Midnight Mass. But this “second Creation”, which really predates the first Creation, brings us a better Son of God, who existed prior to the first son of God. The first prophet to expound on Israel’s covenant with the LORD as a marriage was Hosea (Hos 1-3), but Isaiah (54, 62), Jeremiah (Jer 2-3), Ezekiel (Ezek 16, 23), and Malachi (Mal 2) all took up the theme and developed it further.  Here is Isaiah 62, the passage is speaking of a new covenant between God and his people, which, like marriage, will involve bodily union.  Thus we see a fulfillment in Luke 22:20 and the establishment of the Eucharist:  “This is my body given for you …. December 24, 2020. Daily Mass Readings for Christmas Day (Solemnity), December 25, 2020. Second Sunday after Christmas Day Not Observed This Year ART-- PRAYER: Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12: Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21: Ephesians 1:3-14: John 1:(1-9), 10-18: Italicized readings, complementary to the standard reading, may be used with, or in place of it. In the historical context of this oracle, the “people who walked in darkness” is  a reference to the northern tribes of Israel whose traditional tribal territory was around the Sea of Galilee. In this beautiful homily for Christmas Day, Year C, Father Hanly talks about the day that changed the world! As John also says, that “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands … we proclaim to you” (1 John 1:1). There’s such a wealth of material here to meditate on, that not everything can be covered. Now, at Dawn on Christmas, we move on to a further elaboration on these themes in our First Reading: We are “daughter Zion”—an image which bespeaks the virgin daughters of the king who were of marriageable age.  “Your builder shall marry you” means: God your Creator will wed your nature.  This calls to mind the image of Eve, who was literally “built” (Heb. He sets an example for so many of us whose contributions to the Church are going to be overshadowed by others with greater gifts, reminding us to remain faithful, because our quiet roles are essential even if they go unheralded. There’s such a wealth of material here to meditate on, that not everything can be covered. January 3. MASS READINGS. The following genealogy is broken in to three sets of fourteen, since fourteen is the numerical number of David’s name (D-V-D) in Hebrew (D is the fourth letter and V is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet). October 19, 2020. Readings: -Isaiah 52:7-10 -Hebrews 1:1-6 -Jo Catholic Mass: 12/25/20 | Christmas Day - Catholic Mass Online Search 10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Hopefully everyone will read the full reading rather than the shorter option, which skips the genealogy. descendant) all the nations of the earth will be blessed,” (Gen 22:18), and to David he promised “I will raise up your seed after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.   He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 7:12-13).Â. Matthew then proceeds to give Jesus’ genealogy.  Today we tend to regard genealogies as boring, which is part of the larger misanthropic, family-hating cultural movement in the modern West, in which family and everything pertaining to it: marriage, motherhood, fatherhood, bearing children, etc. The Apostles and New Testament authors understand Jerusalem to be the Church, the bride of Christ (see Hebrews 12:22-24; Rev. 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.R. Beloved:When the kindness and generous loveof God our savior appeared,not because of any righteous deeds we had donebut because of his mercy,He saved us through the bath of rebirthand renewal by the Holy Spirit,whom he richly poured out on usthrough Jesus Christ our savior,so that we might be justified by his graceand become heirs in hope of eternal life. We notice all the references to Davidic covenant fulfillment: Bethlehem, David’s birthplace; Joseph “of the house and lineage of David”; the presence of shepherds, who remind us of David the Shepherd. December 24, 2020. This cup is the New Covenant in my blood.”. In fact, we know from the historian Josephus that Herod grew gradually more insane toward the end of his life, trusting no one and killing off many of his immediate family members out of suspicion. There's perhaps no better year to remember that than 2020. Video Player is loading. MASS READINGS. This passage is speaking of a new covenant between God and his people, which, like marriage, will involve bodily union. Reading Catholic Community: Catholic Churches in Reading MA - Christmas 2020 - Reading, MA. The first Creation culminated in the formation of Adam, the first man and son of God (Luke 3:38). as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. St. Paul’s words here: “kindness,” “generous love,” “mercy”—are Greek equivalents of Hebrew terms like hesed, emunnah, tôv, associated with God’s faithfulness to his covenant. Matthew is using literary artistry to emphasize the Davidic descent of Jesus. A covenant established a familial relationship. This reading from Hebrews combines an emphasizes Jesus role in creation (“through whom he created the universe”) with Jesus’ role as heir of the Davidic covenant.  The author quotes two of the most important Davidic covenant texts (Ps 2:7 and 2 Sam 7:14) about the divine sonship of the heir of David in order to show Jesus’ superiority to the angels.  There is a theme throughout Scripture that God’s promises and covenant to creation (Genesis 1–2) are as firm as his promises and covenant to David (2 Sam 7:11-17).  We see this in Jeremiah 33, where the covenant with Creation and with David are explicitly correlated, and in Psalm 89, which juxtaposes doxology to God for his glory in creation with doxology for his fidelity to David.  The point is: in Jesus, natural history and salvation history flow together.  Benedict XVI made this point in the first chapters of his post-synodal exhortation on Sacred Scripture, Verbum Domini. banah) by God from the rib of Adam.  Eve is a type of the Temple and of the Church.  “Your sons shall marry you”: the young men of the Church shall espouse themselves to her, most dramatically by taking on apostolic celibacy, in which they have no other spouse but the people of God.  Every faithful priest is a “son” of the Church who has “married” her.”. Jesus will invite us to share in the father-son relationship he himself enjoys with God. St Mary Star the Sea & Corpus Christi Parish, Western Australia 25th December 2020 Page 4 ‘THE WORLD WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US’ Christmas Day Mass Readings Entrance Antiphon Is 9:5 A child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his sceptre of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Mes-senger of great counsel. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. december 25: christmas mass during the day prayers and readings. May 05, 2021 - Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter. The readings on this page are from the Jerusalem Bible, which is used at Mass in most of the English-speaking world. He is a missionary in Puerto Rico, the island of enchantment. Readings for the Christmas. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustusthat the whole world should be enrolled.This was the first enrollment,when Quirinius was governor of Syria.So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazarethto Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,because he was of the house and family of David,to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.While they were there,the time came for her to have her child,and she gave birth to her firstborn son.She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Sunday, December 27 2020 – The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – Year B. Monday, December 28 2020 – Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs. Why are we so often ineffective evangelists? Readings for the Dawn. Indeed, the inclusion of the Gentiles and sinners into God’s covenant has been foreshadowed already in the Old Testament.

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