Solemnity of Christmas (Years A, B, & C)

(Edited) Reflection (from) Christmas Mass for the Day (B), December 25, 2011

Author's note: The Liturgical readings for Christmas Mass for the Day is the same for all liturgical cycles: Year A, B, & C

Liturgical readings
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-6
John 1:1-18

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."

In a sermon for Christmas, St. Bernard (a Cistercian abbot of the monastery of Clairvaux in the beginning of the 2nd millenium), describes the mystery of Christmas as follows:

"A little child has been given to us, but in Him dwells all the fullness of a divine nature...the smaller He became through His human nature the greater was His goodness; the more He lowered Himself for us, the dearer He is to us."

What can humble some human minds is the challenge to have faith in this little child, who has that fullness of divinity which contains the Wisdom of God - a Wisdom not only for the known universe that everyone knows, but also for what is unknown. In a little child, the hope of humanity is borne in the lowliness of a baby, born of a simple maiden from Nazareth.

Looking at the traditional Christmas crèche, and taking time to contemplate how God-became-flesh-in-Jesus, can fill any soul with a hope not like any hope found in the other liturgical season of the Catholic faith. As present external circumstances appear to be heading towards negativity and a downtrend, the mystery of hope and joy which the Christ-Child presents every Christmas to all the faithful, is enough to dispel any form of discouragement or sorrow one may have encountered in the difficulties of life this past year. And it gives all a source of hope for a future that all anticipate. This hope for a future is found in the Christmas spirit of the Eucharist itself. And it is magnified with the knowledge that the Spirit of God is present in all who receive this hope in the Eucharist in every corner of the world. The Eucharist brings that Christmas hope to every heart until it overflows and benefits others as well.

It has been two millenia since that mystery of the Word-became-flesh quietly entered human history in a small town in Bethlehem. This Spirit of the Word-became-flesh from then on continued to be poured out all over the world through the zeal of the apostles and their followers. Until now, it continues to be poured out to all humanity through the Church and all its members of every culture and race. Though there are still others who may not as yet see the light of the truth of the Incarnation, everyone knows by heart that the spirit of joy and hope which the poor Bethlehem scene brings, can still inspire a world in need of this Christmas spirit. It is the task of every baptized Catholic not only to remain in this Christmas hope, but also to bring it to others in the very circumstances of each one's respective work and state of life.

Memorial of Saints (December 25)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• CHRISTMAS
• Anastasia of Sirmium, martyr
• Eugenia, virgin and martyr
• The Martyrs of Nicomedia

Related blog posts:

• Origin of the Christmas Crèche Custom, Learn more
• Advent, Christmas & Liturgical Hymns, Learn more

December 25 in the Byzantine Calendar

• The Nativity of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, or "Christmas Day"

Memorial of Saints (December 24)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Irmina, virgin
• Gregory of Spoleto, martyr
• Delphinus, bishop
• Tharsilla and Emiliana, virgins
• Adela, widow
• Sharbel Makhlouf, hermit

St. Irmina (died ca. 710 A.D.) was the daughter of St. Dagobert II of the Franks and was betrothed to Count Herman. When a jealous suitor lured Herman to his death over a cliff outside Treves, Irmina decided to become a nun at a monastery near Treves, which her father also either founded or restored. St. Irmina aided St. Willibrod in his missionary work and in 698 A.D., gave him the building and grounds on which he founded the famous Echternach Monastery. St. Irmina died at Alsace at Weissenberg Monastery, which her father had founded.

St. Sharbel Makhlouf (1828-1898 A.D.) was a hermit. Born in a remote village in Lebanon, he was a shepherd in his early years and spent time in a cave praying and meditating. He often visited a hermitage where two of his uncles were monks. In 1851 A.D., he entered the Maronite monastery of Our Lady of Maifouk. He took solemn vows in 1853 A.D. and then studied philosophy and theology. Ordained a priest in 1859 A.D., he began to live austerely. In 1866 A.D., he moved to a small hermitage owned by the great monastery of St. Maro in Annaya. St. Sharbel died in 1898 A.D. and was buried in a nearby cemetery. He was beatified in 1965 A.D. and canonized in 1977 A.D.

December 24 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• Sts. Eugenia, Venerable Martyr and her two slaves, Protus and Hyacinth

St. Eugenia (died ca. 257 A.D.) was a Roman martyr. She was the daughter of a Duke during the reign of Emperor Valerian.

Eugenia fled from her father's house dressed in men's clothing and was baptized by Helenus, bishop of Heliopolis. Helenus sent her to an abbey of which she became abbot. She got into a legal entanglement, but was exonerated, when she revealed she was a woman and the daughter of the judge - who was her father. St. Eugenia's father was converted to Christianity. And she converted many others, including her mother. She suffered martyrdom by the sword in Rome.

The Byzantine Calendar commemorates St. Eugenia today while the Roman Calendar commemorates her on the 25th of December.

This day (December 24) in the history of the Catholic Church

The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s had many official observers. One official observer was a Polish-born Hasidic rabbi who was a strong supporter of the civil rights and peace movements in the United States of America. His name was Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972 A.D.). He is quoted as saying,

"indifference to evil is worse than evil itself"

Abraham Heschel wrote works that recalled Christians to their Jewish roots, and his appreciation for the Catholic principle of sacramentality was reflected in his sense of "the holy dimension of all existence." Today, December 24, commemorates the day of his death. (SEARCHING IN THE WILDERNESS Jewish Christian Relations Today: The Legacy of Abraham Joshua Heschel Michael A. Chester, the Oxford Institute for Methodist Theological Studies, 2007, Learn more)