Greeting

The Lord proclaims to you:
Look, your Savior comes.
You are called "The Holy People,"
"The Lord's Redeemed."
May Jesus, our Lord and Savior,
be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

Today's morning Mass is the shepherds' Mass. The shepherds have heard the angel and hurry to find the babe in the manger. Because of the coming of God in our world in the form of a child, a lot of people start to move and travel: Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem, the shepherds go and look for the child, the magi will make a long journey. To us today, because a Savior has come among us, comes the constant invitation: journey within yourself, find Jesus in a new way, and when you have found him, take him to others, to the poor and the weak and the discouraged. Look, here is our Savior.

Penitential Act

The birth of Jesus is an urgent call
for us to give up sin and to be reborn.
We pray to the Lord for pardon and strength.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, prisoners of sin cry out to you:
Lord, set us free!
Lord, have mercy:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, the downcast cry out to you:
Lord, be our power and joy!
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, people in darkness cry out to you:
Lord, be our light and life!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
take our sins away and live among us.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God
that we may be open
to the coming of his Son among us
(PAUSE)
Glory to you, our Father in heaven,
for showing us how deep your love is
by giving us Jesus your Son.
Make us aware of the poverty of our hearts,
to let him make us rich
with his forgiveness and life;
make us see how small we are,
to let him make us great;
make us hungry for goodness and justice,
to let him fill us with concern
for all our brothers and sisters far and near.
In this way, may he be born again in us today
and make a new beginning with us,
for he is our Lord and Savior for ever. R/ Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction: The Savior Comes: All Will Be New
      The prophet encourages the people: God will make them new. The liturgy applies these words to the coming of Jesus. He will give a new youth to people and make God's people holy.

First Reading: Is 62:11-12

See, the LORD proclaims
to 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.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12

R A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.

The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.

Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us.

Second Reading Introduction: God's Greatest Gift: A Savior
       God never tires of being good; his Son was born as our Savior; we were reborn in baptism. God's love keeps making us new and leads us to eternal life.

Second Reading: Titus 3:4-7

Beloved:
When the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
He saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Gospel Introduction: Let Us Go To Bethlehem
       The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see the Savior and they told the good news to others. Should we not go and find him too, make him known to others, and with Mary treasure him in our hearts.

Gospel Reading: Lk 2:15-20

When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

Commentary

Today our Savior is born." These words of St. Leo the Great ring out with great joy in churches across the world this Christmas morning. Today, He is born. We do not celebrate this day as the anniversary of the Lord's birth, but rather as the solemn commemoration of His presence with us this very day.

Today, in Word and Sacrament, the Lord Jesus pitches His tent among us. We see His glory through the eyes of faith, and for that we have every reason to rejoice.

It is time to cry out, to announce glad tidings: Our God is King. Our God has come to bring us joy and to see the restoration of all our lives, to comfort and redeem us. Our God now belongs to all the nations and his bare arm is for all. This is the power of God, the power of a newborn who is the Son of God made flesh, through whom he created the universe. He is the reflection of the Father's glory and he is the sustaining power of life for all in the Spirit. We are called to worship the Trinity as we stand before the crèche and wonder at our God among us. But we must be careful not to get caught up in the piety of the child, for this child is the grown man, beloved of God, the Word since the beginning, the light, the truth, God of God. This child/man/God, when he came, was even rejected by his own. This child is the enduring love of God and we have been given a share in this fullness of God. This is the only God we have ever seen. This is Jesus revealing God. This is what it means to be human. God is incarnated as one of us-we now meet God in every human being, in the Word, and in God's enduring Love/Eucharist/the Body of Christ-all humanity. The way we love one another is the way we love God. God is born in us today.

May God bless you and your loved ones with a truly Blessed Christmas.