The Nativity of the Lord (Mass during the Day)
Solemnity
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Greeting (See Second Reading)
In our own time God has spoken to us
through his own Son,
the radiant light of God’s glory
through whom he made everything.
May this Son, Jesus the Lord, be with you. R/ And also with you.
1. The Word Became Flesh
Today God tells us something very important about the meaning of our Christian faith. Our faith is not just a doctrine in which we believe. God’s Word is not just a doctrine but a person: Jesus. In him God’s Word and promises become alive. God’s Son becomes our brother and the center of our lives. In Jesus God shows us who he is: a saving, loving God, near to people. Through Jesus God binds us to himself and himself to us: he shares our life. Through and with Jesus we can respond to God’s love in faithful commitment to God and each other. Let us celebrate all this with Jesus.
Penitential Act
Let us seek pardon from God and one another
for the times we did not accept
the word and the person of Jesus Christ.
(pause)
Lord, you are the Word which your Father spoke
to create us and all things.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you have spoken to us
the liberating words of the Good News
about forgiveness and life.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are God’s living Word
who made the love of the Father visible
by your life and your death.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, you are here among us.
Speak to us your Word
that sets us free from sin.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
2. God’s Definitive Word
Many times in the course of history God spoke and his Word was effective and liberating. He spoke, and the world was made. He spoke, and man and woman were created. He spoke, and he created the free nation of Israel, his Chosen People. But Israel refused to listen to God in the prophets and the gloom of sin over the world settled also over his people. God did not give up on humanity. He spoke his definitive Word, Jesus, and Jesus came and was born a child of people. He came to save us. Do we listen to his Word? Do we give him our word of acceptance and love?
Penitential Act
We hear God’s Word in the Good News
and in the life of Jesus.
Do we respond to Jesus’ message?
Let us examine ourselves.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you have brought to all nations
God’s justice and truth and love:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we sing a new song to you,
we sing out our joy at your coming:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we acclaim you as our Lord
for you have worked wonders among us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy
Be merciful to us, Lord,
and speak your Word that sets us free from sin.
Lead us to the joy of everlasting life. R/ Amen.
3. God Speaks His Word To Us
In days of suffering and confusion, people often cry out: God, where are you? God, why don’t you speak? Today’s celebration reminds us: The Lord has spoken. He still keeps speaking to us in his Son Jesus Christ, in his Gospel, in the Church. We must get attuned to hear his voice, and when we hear it, let us not stifle it when it becomes inconvenient. And let the Lord’s voice resound in our words and actions. Let his words light up our darkness.
Penitential Act
We complain that the Lord does not hear us.
But there are times when we do not listen to him.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, Word of pardon,
forgive us our sins and restore us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, Word of life,
speak to our hearts and stay with us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, Word of joy,
speak and we shall be new:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, let us hear your word of forgiveness
and make us look forward in hope
as you lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray
that God’s Word may be alive in us today
(pause)
Our faithful God,
you make yourself known
and speak to us through Jesus Christ,
your image and your living Word.
Open our ears and hearts,
that we may receive your Word and keep it.
Let your Word become flesh among us
also in our words of peace and truth
and in our deeds of justice and love,
of friendship and self-effacing service.
May this be the way by which people recognize
that your Son is alive among us today,
and may they praise you for ever. R/ Amen.
First Reading
The Good News of Liberation: God announces liberation to his people in captivity. This liberation is brought to us today by Jesus.
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.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (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.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. 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.
R. 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.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Second Reading
Now God Speaks To Us Through His Son: God has often spoken to people, but since the coming of his Son on earth, he speaks to us his definitive Word, Jesus. In him we see what God means and who God is.
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.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
For today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayers of the Faithful
God speaks to us his living Word, Jesus. Let us now speak our fumbling words to Jesus, our Lord and brother, as we say:
R/ Speak your word to us, Lord.
Jesus, for all who speak to the People of God the liberating words of your Good News, that they themselves may be filled with it and out of this fullness proclaim it with conviction and warmth, we pray:
R/ Speak your word to us, Lord.
Jesus, for all who hear your living Word, that they may receive it, treasure it in their hearts, and let it bear fruits of justice and love, we pray:
R/ Speak your word to us, Lord.
Jesus, for all who do not yet know you, that the lives of many convinced Christians may open their eyes to you, the true light of the world, we pray:
R/ Speak your word to us, Lord.
Jesus for those who speak words of bitterness and cry out their loneliness and misery, that we may speak to them comforting words of hope, we pray:
R/ Speak your word to us, Lord.
Jesus for your body on earth, our communities, that we may live in peace with God and each other, and that we may be of one heart and soul, we pray:
R/ Speak your word to us, Lord.
Lord Jesus, you entered our world and know our needs and desires. Do not always give what we ask but what we really need and stay with us, now and forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Our loving God and Father,
you let Jesus speak his mighty Word
and these gifts of bread and wine
become his flesh and blood
for the life of the world.
Let your Son also speak to us
from heart to heart,
that he may fill our empty words
with the power of integrity and truth
and that he may change us, timid as we are,
into people of peace and courage,
who live without compromise
the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Break into shouts of joy together, for the Lord has come to save his people. We thank and praise the Father in heaven for the gift of his Son to us and to the world.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
God will hear our stammering words if we pray to him with Jesus.
R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ,
you entered our world
as the Father’s Word of peace.
Give your people and every nation
a peace based on justice and truth.
Dispose us to offer to one another
signs of reconciliation
and to speak words of welcome and peace.
Unite us in the peace of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, God’s living Word, the true light that shines on all people. Happy are those who receive him, for he makes them children of God. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, Almighty Father,
you have filled us with the Word
and the body of Jesus your Son.
You have entrusted your Son to us;
may his Good News be on our lips
to tell it to one another
and may we give shape and life to it
by building up his community of justice and love.
Let us become with him
your word and your gift,
and your sign of hope to the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
God has spoken to us here today
not in mere promises
but in the living person of his own Son.
He came as the light brightening our darkness.
How could we still be in the dark?
He has made us children of God.
Do we live as sons and daughters of God?
He came to bring light and life to all the world.
Have we spread his light?
In the joy of Christmas,
let us not forget our task
to give him to the world.
And may God bless and keep you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of Christ
and bear witness to his love. R/ Thanks be to God
REFLECTIONS
Is 52:7-10
God does not abandon his people
I wish you the joys and blessings of Christmas!
The prophecy of Isaiah brings a huge promise: “All the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God!” At Christmas, the whole universe is allowed to behold God’s salvation. This prophecy has a history behind it:
In the year 587 B.C, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and burned the temple, the royal palace, and the houses. All healthy people were taken in exile to Babylon.
In Babylon, the first years were hard, painful, and sad. People in exile had just one question towards God: why did the Lord abandon his people into the hands of enemies?
They concluded that their rulers were responsible for the disaster. They realised that the people were also guilty of falling away from the ways of God by rejecting his commands. Now, will the Lord always be angry with them? Has he abandoned his bride Israel forever?
The Lord answered through the Prophet Isaiah: “Who could abandon his first beloved?” - says your God – “For a brief moment I have abandoned you, but with great tenderness, I will gather my people ... Though the mountains fall away and the hills be shaken,
My love shall never fall away from you.” (Is 54:6-10).
It is at this point of the story that our first reading takes place. A prophet sent by God promises consolation to his people and speaks as if the exile has already ended. The future for him is already a reality. He sees the caravan of exiles heading to Jerusalem. A messenger runs ahead as if he had wings on his feet because he wants to be the first to give the good news of the arrival of the deportees.
The prophet imagines himself contemplating the scene from the top of the mountain overlooking Jerusalem and exclaims: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who herald peace and happiness, who proclaim salvation” (Is 52:7).
His ‘dream’ continues. He observes the sentries who watch from the top of the city wall recognise the exiles returning from Babylon, and they suddenly run to proclaim good news to all. It is the Lord who leads his people to Jerusalem (v. 8). He has never abandoned her.
Slavery is over; suffering and humiliation are ended, and a new era starts where the Lord will guide his people.
The reading concludes with an invitation by the Prophet to the ruins of Jerusalem: “Break into shouts of joy” (v. 9). The ruined walls will be rebuilt, and all the peoples of the earth will see the incredible work that the God of Israel accomplished (v. 10).
Christmas resonates the message of the prophet. God never abandons his people. He has come to us to dwell among us. Of course, not many liked his coming, and those in power attempted to annihilate him. Yet, he chooses to live among us! He is God with us!
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Gospel: John 1:1-18
Renew us in your love.
O spoken Word of God before time began,
you are God, and with God in the beginning.
You are God’s pattern for all that he has made;
in you is life, life that is light for humankind,
light that triumphs over the darkness,
the true light that gives light to everyone.
O life-giving Word,
let your light shine in our hearts
to renew us in your love.
You came into the world,
that was made through you,
yet the world did not recognize you.
You came to your own,
but they did not receive you.
And to us who receive you and believe in your name,
you give us the right to become children of God.
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision
but born of God.
Send us your Spirit
that the Word may become flesh through us,
that you may dwell once again among us,
that people may see your glory,
the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Out of your fullness we have all received grace upon grace
For through you grace and truth came.
No one has ever seen God, but on this day when you were born,
you have made God known to us. Amen.
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The Word Made Flesh – the Light that guides us
The Prologue of John’s Gospel unveils the profound mystery of the Word becoming flesh, the light of God entering the world. From the creation narrative to the Incarnation, light symbolises God's revelation, grace, and love. The Old Testament witnesses this divine illumination through figures like Abraham and Moses, preparing humanity for its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist stands as the final herald of this light, pointing toward the one who embodies grace and truth.
The Word, existing with the Father from the beginning, reveals God’s love in its fullness through the person of Jesus. As the Torah was for Israel a beacon of divine wisdom and life, so the Word becomes flesh, dwelling among us, making God's glory visible and tangible. This is the ultimate epiphany: God's glory is no longer confined to the Temple or the Tabernacle but revealed in the human frailty of Christ.
The mission of the Church today is to witness this light in the world, especially in darkness. Pope Francis’ emphasis on accompaniment, mercy, and the joy of the Gospel reflects the light of Christ’s presence, which seeks out the lost and marginalised. The Eucharist and the Word become the visible signs of this light—a source of grace, communion, and transformation.
As we contemplate the Word-made flesh, we are invited to walk in the light, embracing our call to serve as witnesses. In Christ’s self-emptying love on the cross, we see the glory of God—a love without limits that transforms even death into life. May we reflect this light in our own lives, becoming beacons of hope, grace, and peace to a world yearning for God’s presence.