Introit
FIRST READING Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, 24 “‘The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.’ 27 “So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
SECOND READING Galatians 4:4-7
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
GOSPEL Luke 2:16-21
When the angels had left them the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
HOMILY
May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.
May the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East. [For the Christian communities in Palestine and in Israel, particularly in Gaza] where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war. May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region devastated by conflict [including the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this most delicate time] and for the Libyan people to seek solutions that enable national reconciliation.
May the birth of the Saviour bring a new season of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from an outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the people of the East of that country, and of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique. [For an end to the] humanitarian crisis that affects them caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism, aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, resulting in the loss of life and the displacement of millions of people. [For the] nations of the Horn of Africa, for the gifts of peace, concord and fraternity. May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire.
May the proclamation of Christmas bring comfort to the people of Myanmar, who, due to the ongoing clash of arms, suffer greatly and are forced to flee their homes.
May the Infant Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent to find as soon as possible effective solutions, in justice and truth, to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua. May they work, particularly during this Jubilee Year, to advance the common good and respect the dignity of each person, surmounting political divisions.
May the Jubilee Year be an opportunity to tear down all walls of separation: the ideological walls that so often mark political life, and also physical walls, such as the division that has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years now and has rent its human and social fabric. May a mutually agreed solution be found, a solution that can put an end to the division in full respect for the rights and dignity of all the Cypriot communities.
For all those children who suffer from war and hunger. For the elderly, so often forced to live in conditions of solitude and abandonment. For those who have lost their homes or are fleeing their homelands in an effort to find a safe haven. For all those who have lost their jobs or are unable to find work. For prisoners who, everything notwithstanding, are still children of God, always children of God. For all those – and there are many of them – who endure persecution for their faith.
In gratitude to those who spend themselves, quietly and faithfully, in doing good and in serving others: parents, educators and teachers, who have the great responsibility of forming future generations; healthcare workers, the forces of order and all those men and women who carry out works of charity, especially missionaries throughout the world: they bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty.
Most high God, you come near to us this Christmas season in the child born of the Virgin Mary. In the depths of darkness, she gave birth to light; in the depths of silence, she brought forth the Word. Grant that we who ponder these things in our hearts may recognise in her child our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)
OFFERTORY HYMN
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Let us begin the new this day.
Praising our God, who here on earth
Kept us in quietness and mirth!
Oh, like the glad New Year, may we
Wholly renewed this day be,
Praising our God eternally!
Child of our love, O Jesus dear,
Thou who art still our Savior here:
Thee do we pray with all our heart,
Nevermore leave us nor depart!
Save us from war, from hate, from fear;
Keep us in peace together here.
Grant us a tranquil, joyous year!
Gladly together then will we,
O highest God of heaven, to Thee
Bring through the year our songs of praise,
And evermore through endless days
Here while on earth our time shall be.
And then through all eternity
Singing with joyful hearts to Thee!