Good Night. Good Morning. Good day.

December 25, 2013 9:34 pm

The Church celebrates tonight and today the Holy Mass of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ three times: the Mass during the night, the Mass at dawn and the Mass during the day. Three times with different readings and different prayers we celebrate the same Mystery. Sharing the same joy – we are not alone, there is no more darkness, we have God who has become a man, “today true peace has come down to us from heaven” (from Entrance Antiphony). 

We celebrate the first Mass with the Angels: “And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angels, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rest” (Lk 2:13-14).

It is my private idea – if you are in darkness, in the night, spiritual or just natural – remember about the Angels. Ask them for help. They were there during this the most important night. (And also they appeared to announce the Miracle of Resurrection – they know where they should be).

The Mass at dawn is with shepherds. “When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Lk 2:15)

Let us go. Simple reaction. Be ready to go. When Good News arrives, you can’t stay in the same place. You should go. “When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child” (Lk 2:17). Spread the message. I know – it is so hard. But it could be your different face, or A word of forgiveness or A phone call after years of silence – because you got the message, you went to confession, you prepared your heart and He visited you. Spread the message, and if you don’t know how – ask the shepherds – they will tell you.

The Mass of light. “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). His word is a true light. “In the begging was the Word, nad the Word was God… What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (J 1:1, 3b-5).

God’s Word in our life. He came as a Child and stayed with us as a Word. And He – the Word is a light and life.

No more darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”.

“Grant us, Lord, as we honor with joyful devotion the Nativity of your Son, that we may come to know with fullness of faith the hidden depths of this mystery and to love them ever more and more” (Prayer after Communion, Mass at Dawn). 

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Categorised in: Fr Jarosław Szymczak