Theme:

A. A Recognizable God

B. God Comes as a Child

Readings:
Is 9:1-7; Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13
Tit 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14

       Both the playing of the organ and the lighting of the church remain subdued during the processional entrance of the ministers. One of the ministers goes to the lectern for announcing the Christmas Proclamation.

Christmas Proclamation

In the beginning God created the world.
God created the human person as a partner.
He guided this person all throughout his history.
God calls Abraham and Abraham gives up his idols.
He becomes a pilgrim.

God calls Moses and humanity gives up its chains.
The human person too becomes a liberator.
Gad calls David and humanity gives up its wanderings.
The human person becomes someone who hopes.
God calls the prophets
and people begin to give up sin.
The human person becomes God’s voice.
God calls up witnesses who believe in him
and people give up their security.
The human person becomes a martyr.

God calls a man named John:
John leaves everything and goes to the desert.
There God waits for him to speak to him.
And God gives his Son, born of Mary.
And to our great joy, everything begins anew.

Greeting

The Lord be with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A.    A Recognizable God

Tonight the world is reminded how God became flesh from our flesh and blood from our blood. He joined us in our human poverty as he was born from the Virgin Mary in a stable by the roadside. There people could see how God had eyes to smile at us, ears to hear our cries and stammering, arms to extend to us and embrace us, a heart to beat for us and to love us, a mouth to speak to us words of endearment and truth, a life to live for us and to give up for us. Has his coming changed us and brought us close to him?

B.    God Comes As A Child

Christmas: with great surprise and wonder we celebrate tonight that God comes among us as a child. He is flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood. He makes himself dependent upon people. Who can believe it? Only those who have the attitude of a child, those who know that they depend on God and on people, those aware how vulnerable they are, those who are trusting and unpretentious. Let us welcome Jesus among us in the poverty of our heart.

       Because of the Christmas Proclamation, the Penitential Act could perhaps be omitted. If you prefer to keep it:

Penitential Act

A.    A Recognizable God

Jesus came among us as our Savior,
to liberate us from our sins.
Have we become better because of him?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you came to bring us peace.
Let it also be the peace of your forgiveness.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you came to bring us light.
Let it brighten all we do:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you came to bring us life:
Let our lives reflect the goodness of yours:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Deliver us, Lord, from the sadness of sin
and fill us with the joy of your life and love.
Lead us to the happiness of everlasting life. R/ Amen.

B.    God Comes As A Child

Aware of our own poverty, let us ask in all humility
that the Lord may forgive us our sins.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, as a little child
you were dependent on Mary and Joseph:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you entrusted yourself
into the hands of people,
and it led you to the cross:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you put yourself
into the hands of the Father in heaven:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, bring us the peace of your forgiveness
and make us grow in faith and love
until you receive us into everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray that from now on
Christ may live in us and in our world
                        (pause)
Kind and loving God,
we sing out our joy and gratitude this night
that you are a God of people, a God of life,
who have made yourself near to us
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Let your Son Jesus grow in us
and be born through us to this world.
Help us to give him a voice to heal
and a heart to love and serve,
that he may live among us
and that all may accept him with joy.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Scripture Readings

First Reading Introduction: A Light In Our Darkness
      A child to be born to us will bring us light and peace from God.

First Reading: Is 9:1-7

The people who walk in darkness
have seen a great light.
A light has dawned
on those who live in the land of the shadow of death.
You have enlarged the nation;
you have increased their joy.

They rejoice before you,
as people rejoice at harvest time
as they rejoice in dividing the spoil.

For the yoke of their burden,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressors,
you have broken it as on the day of Midian.

Every warrior's boot that tramped in war,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be thrown out for burning,
will serve as fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us,
a son is given us;
the royal ornament is laid upon his shoulder,
and his name is proclaimed:
"Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

To the increase of his powerful rule
in peace, there will be no end.
Vast will be his dominion,
he will reign on David's throne
and over all his kingdom,
to establish and uphold it
with justice and righteousness
from this time onward and forever.
The zealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this.

The Lord has sent a word against Jacob: the sentence fell upon Israel.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13

R. (Lk 2:11) Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.

Second Reading Introduction: Jesus Our Savior, the Gift of God’s Grace
     The coming of Jesus was God’s gift of grace to all people. But he depends on our cooperation.

Second Reading: Tit 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God, while we await our blessed hope - the glorious manifestation of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. He gave himself for us, to redeem us from every evil and to purify a people he wanted to be his own and dedicated to what is good.

Gospel Introduction: Today a Savior Has Been Born to Us
     This is the Good News of today: a Savior has been born to us. Let us give glory to God.

     The Glory to God in the highest could be transferred until before the homily, so as to tie in with the last words of the gospel.

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:1-14

At that time the emperor issued a decree for a census of the whole empire to be taken. This first census was taken while Quirinus was governor of Syria. Everyone had to be registered in his own town.

So everyone set out for his own city; Joseph too set out from Nazareth of Galilee. As he belonged to the family of David, being a descendant of his, he went to Judea to David's town of Bethlehem to be registered with Mary, his wife, who was with child.

They were in Bethlehem when the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger, because there was no place for them in the living room.

There were shepherds camping in the countryside, taking turns to watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, with the Glory of the Lord shining around them.

As they were terrified, the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the people. Today a Savior has been born to you in David's town; he is the Messiah and the Lord. Let this be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

Suddenly the angel was surrounded by many more heavenly spirits, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth for God is blessing humankind."

• Additional Commentaries & Reflections from Diario Biblico (English edition)

General Intercessions

Let us pray to Jesus Christ, who made God recognizable and close to us. As he became one of us and led our life, we can go to him with our cares and concerns. Let us pray:
R/ Lord, hear your people.

–    Jesus, you were born in insecurity. Let the People of God accept the risks of faith together with the many joys it brings; reassure us that you are with us even in the hardships and questions of life, we pray to you: 
R/ Lord, hear your people.

–    Jesus, you were born in poverty. Make us aware of our own emptiness, give us a deep concern for the poor, and enrich us with compassionate hearts, we pray to you:
R/ Lord, hear your people.

–    Jesus, you were born in humility. Help us to be happy with a simple lifestyle, to make us accessible to the humble and the weak, to be unpretentious and undemanding, we pray to you:
R/ Lord, hear your people.

–    Jesus, you were born as a child. Make us a bit more like children, too small to intimidate others, to kill or make war, and bless all children of the world, we pray to you:
R/ Lord, hear your people.

–    Jesus, you were born in a human family. Unite all families in faithful love, make our community a family that serves, bless the family of our nation, we pray to you:
R/ Lord, hear your people.

Welcome, Son of Mary and our mighty Lord of peace. Stay with us, make us grow up in you, and go with us all the way to the Father. You are our Lord for  ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Father,
with bread and wine we celebrate
the family feast of your Son.
He is one of us, and we are happy.
Let our joy be shared by all,
that people from all races and nations
may come and share his table.
Let there be no end to our feast
and no limit to our love and generosity,
for now there lives among us your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let our joy for the coming of God’s Son flow into a prayer of thanksgiving to our generous Father in heaven.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

God has indeed become our Father
through Jesus, who made himself our brother.
With him we say with the fullest trust: R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ,
your birth was the beginning
of a new peace for all the people you love.
May this Christmas sing of the glory of God
by leading us to walk hand in hand
and to share your tenderness.
Be our God with us,
that there may be peace,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

May the peace of the Lord be always with you
R/ And also with you.

Let us generously share the peace of the Lord
with one another.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,
God’s Son and our brother,
our God-with-us.
He is our living bread come down from heaven.
Happy are we to receive him
as our joy and peace. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Father,
what more can we say tonight
than “Thank you, thank you again”
for coming to us in a way
we did not even dare to expect.
Do not allow us to get so accustomed
to the presence of your Son among us
that we forget that he is here
and that we fail to recognize him
in the heart of our lives
and in the faces of our brothers and sisters.
Let his justice rule our earth
and his peace and love be alive in us,
for he is our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing:

What a surprising God we have met tonight:
God with the face and the smile of a child!
How he puts us to shame
with all our pretensions!
Let us become approachable and open with God
to one another, to the weak and the humble.
There is room for growth in us
if we become receptive like God.
May God bless you all,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go and take the Lord’s peace with you. R/ Thanks be to God.