The Catholic Church has different readings at the various Masses of Christmas: The Vigil Mass,the Mass at Night, and the morning Masses of Christmas Day, including the Mass at Dawn. These readingsproclaim the genealogy of Jesus; the shepherds making known the message of the angels; the Decree from CaesarAugustus; and, the Word Made Flesh, respectively.
The point of these various readings is to tell us of the fullness of God’s gift of His Son, Jesus, the Savior of the World and the pending impact of the intersection of Divinity and humanity, for the salvation of all peoples.
As we listen to the readings for the Nativity of the Lord, we hear that God can bring froth form both the weak and flawed state of humanity His Plan for Salvation. As we listen to the names of Jesus’ family members we see the holy and righteous as well as the selfish and the unholy; but in every situation of human life, “Nothing is impossible for God.”
While our readings mean to tell us of the whole story of the birth of the Savior, we also must take these readings and ponder them when it comes to our own spiritual life, our vocation from Baptism and the ongoing call to be a Disciple of Christ: that while we are also imperfect and that we may view ourselves as “unworthy” to serve the Lord, we are in fact called and commanded by God to serve Him—for He has “counted us worthy to be in His Presence and minister to Him” by the way we minister to others in need—our spouses and children, our parents and friends and neighbors; to serve Him in a ministry of the Church, perhaps as a lector our Eucharistic Minister or musician or in feeding the hungry or serving on parish council... There are many ways to serve God, and perhaps the most powerful way—the most transformative and confirmative way is to deepen our personal
relationship with Him by better knowing His Word and His Way.
That begins with a first step: “prepare the way of the Lord” to enter into your heart more firmly and to then allow that presence of Christ in us to become the prime mover in what we choose to say and do or not say and do. This first step begins with an inward look and recognizing that while I am not perfect, that does not matter. The Lord will use me, a “crooked pencil” to draw a straight line. His Grace will reduce the mountain of my pride
to a humble level, and He will raise up the valleys of my self-doubt. Listen to the Word of God at whatever Christmas Mass you are attending, and then over the 12 Days of Christmas, read the other Mass readings and take the whole account of Christ’s birth to heart. Let His Sacred Words resonate in our hearts and minds, and then digest them so that they nourish you and lead you to action—action that builds the kingdom of God within us
and outside of us, in all that we say and do.
The readings for the various Masses at Christmastime are as follows:
Vigil Mass: Isaiah 62: 1-5; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1: 1-25
Mass at Night: Isaiah 9: 1-Titus 2: 11-14; Luke 2: 1-14
Mass at Dawn Isaiah 62: 11-12; Titus 3: 4-7; Luke 2: 15-20
Mass of the Day Isaiah 52: 7-10; Hebrews 1: 1-6; John 1: 1-18