Christmas night Mass B
A Jewish man was becoming increasingly nervous. His son was coming of age and his 13th year was drawing closer. The man was concerned that his young son was not well versed in the Jewish faith and wanted to better educate him on his roots before his Bar Mitzvah. The father decided to send his young son to Israel to see their homeland and study his heritage.
The time came for the young boy to return home. The boy came in and fell to his father’s feet thanking him over and over for sending him to Israel. “Oh father,” he exclaimed excitedly. “I learned so much while I was there…but I have some bad news…”Pausing… a second or so he concluded: “While I was there I converted to Christianity.”
The father fell to his knees, “Oh, no! What have I done?”
Worried he rushed to his closest friend. After explaining what happened to him, his friend replied: Funny you should bring this to me! I also sent my son to Israel and he too converted to Christianity!”
The two friends in their distress decided to immediately go to the Rabbi and ask for guidance. After explaining the Rabbi replied: “Funny you should bring this to me. I too sent my son to Israel and he also converted to Christianity!”
All the three men in unison fell to their knees and blurted out prayers to God begging for guidance. God quickly replied: “Funny you should bring this to me… I too sent my son to Israel.”
The Christmas mystery offers to us and to the whole world a fundamental truth about God, that God is not distant. God is Emmanuel. God is with us. The Infant Jesus of Bethlehem who is truly God and is also truly one of us. God is fleshed in the infant Jesus and is born of the Virgin Mary.
The first reading from the Book of Isaiah describes the Messiah and his Kingdom. This is an enthronement anthem, to be sung when a new king ascended the throne, expresses faith in the new king. He will do better than his predecessors. “For a child is born to us,” refers to the fact that the enthronement of the king was conceived as God’s adoption of the king as his son. But in the context of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, these words refer to his birth. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful…he confirms and sustains judgment and justice both now and forever.
Prophet Isaiah announced: “The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of glooma light has shone.” Ancient peoples, living before the electronic age, feared darkness more than we do. Darkness stands for isolation, uncertainty, evil, and also ignorance. We still speak of actions that shun daylight, and of the dark Middle Ages, a time of ignorance and decay. Light especially bright daylight, changes a dark situation. This contrast of light and darkness is used in today’s liturgy to explain the mystery of Christmas.
We have no evidence of Christmas earlier than approximately 330 A.D., and it appears to have been determined not primarily by Our Lord’s birth date, which is unknown, but rather by the pagan festivals of the winter solstice, when worshippers of the Sun celebrated the return of light after shortest day. Winter Solstice normally takes place around 21st of December. At Christmas, Christians celebrate the dawn of God’s light shining upon human beings, who go through a valley of darkness. The tradition of having the midnight Mass also signifies that in the dark night turns to bright day light because the true light because the Messiah is born.
As a result of coming into this Light of Christ, every Christian is to reject godless ways and live temperately, justly and devoutly. This the way, Christians try to live between the two comings of Christ: his first coming as the grace of God appearing in Bethlehem and his final coming as awaiting the blessed hope.