Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received.
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.
He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’
(Luke 1:1–4, 4:14–21)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
It is highly unusual in the sequence of Sunday gospels to have two texts from completely different chapters, but such is the case this week. The opening text from Luke claims that he has a special purpose in writing his gospel. It is clear that Luke did not know Jesus personally—indeed, he places himself among those to whom the story of Jesus ‘was handed down’, first by eyewitnesses and then by ministers of the Word. Luke is of the second or third generation of Christians, and his purpose is to ‘write an ordered account’ to instruct Theophilus, so that ‘he can learn how well founded the teaching is’.
The Lectionary then moves to this central text in Luke, in which Jesus' mission and mandate are proclaimed. The text from Isaiah that Jesus chose relates to the coming of the Messiah or the ‘anointed one’. Two weeks ago, we read the text describing the baptism of Jesus, in which the Spirit had indeed been given to him and he had indeed been anointed by God as the one who carries God’s favour. In today's text, Jesus announces how he will fulfil his messianic mission of bringing hope to the hopeless. The gospel continues with Jesus accomplishing this mandate. Luke includes many stories of Jesus bringing good news to the poor, raising those who are downtrodden and bringing sight to the blind. His whole ministry centres on living to fulfil his mission. Indeed, ‘this text is being fulfilled today even as you listen’.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
Jesus deeply understood the Scriptures as the revealed word of God, and he was obviously nourished by the richness of the Scriptures. We encounter the word of God in many ways in our human experiences, such as in our conscience, the events of our lives and the people we meet—even in the beauty of nature. However, we hear God’s word to us most explicitly when we read the Scriptures or hear them proclaimed in the liturgy. ‘If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open our minds to understand the Scriptures”’ (CCC, §108).
In this passage, Jesus announces his mission: to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind and freedom to the downtrodden. The rest of the Gospel of Luke depicts how Jesus fulfils this mission! How will the Spirit coming to you at baptism give you a new mission?
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from—only the servants who had drawn the water knew—the steward called the bridegroom and said, ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.’
This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.
(John 2:1–11)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
The Gospel of John depicts Jesus' first public act—and it is a woman, his mother, who initiates this first display of his divine origins, in which he 'let his glory be seen’. Her total trust that he will respond to her observation helps explain why we regard Mary as a model of faith and discipleship. Jesus takes the symbol of the old rituals of Israel—the water for ritual cleanliness—and transforms it into something new. This is a recurring theme in the Gospel of John. Another recurring theme is that of ‘the hour’ of Jesus. In the Gospel of John, ‘the hour’ will not be fulfilled until the supreme moment when Jesus shows the fullness of his love for both his Father and for all people—the moment when he is ‘lifted up’ on the cross. This story is about much more than performing a miracle at a wedding feast. In performing this sign, Jesus reveals something of the power and glory of God that operates in and through him. It is this revelation of God's glory that has a transformative effect on Jesus' disciples as they come to believe in him. The miracle at Cana announces the richness of God's gifts that Jesus has come to dispense. For the disciples—and for all who come to believe in Jesus—this is a life-changing event.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
This gospel text has particular significance in relation to marriage, which is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. ‘The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence’ (CCC, §1613).
In the Old Testament, a feast of great abundance was one image often used to describe the coming of the Messiah and the kingdom of God. In this gospel, Jesus changes an extraordinary volume of water into wine. In describing this sign, John is saying that the Messiah has come, that the messianic banquet has begun and that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom of God. The abundance of God is already available.
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.' Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’
(Luke 3:15–16, 21–22)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
A small text later in the Gospel of Luke offers us a key to understanding today’s gospel. During his public ministry, Jesus says: ‘Up to the time of John it was the Law and the Prophets; since then the Kingdom of God has been preached’ (Luke 16:16). Jesus' baptism marks the turning point. Today’s gospel recounts a story of crossing the threshold from the old order into the new order. John clearly states that despite some people’s expectations, he is not the Messiah—his is not the one who will usher in the new order. John points beyond his own time to a future when God’s Spirit will be given at baptism, and he highlights that the first of such baptisms belongs to Jesus himself. Immediately after Jesus’ somewhat anonymous immersion alongside that of ‘all the people’, the Spirit does indeed come to Jesus, and the affirming voice from heaven announces Christ’s sonship. God has come among us indeed.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments of the Church. A sacrament is a sign through which God communicates his love, life and forgiveness to us. ‘Immersion in water symbolises not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal. Thus the two principal effects (of baptism) are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit’ (CCC, §1262).
Like Jesus, all Christians enter the water of baptism, or have it poured over them. The act of baptism, especially in the practice of full immersion, symbolises the tomb. The person enters the depths and darkness of the tomb with Jesus and rises to a new life in Christ, which is symbolised by the white garment worn at baptism.
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
(Matthew 2:1–12)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
The key to understanding this highly symbolic gospel lies in understanding how the various characters responded to Jesus. The wise men were not of the house of Israel; they were foreigners from the east. And yet, they were the ones who recognised the signs and embarked on a journey to find the Newborn king and worship him. The very people who should have known better had the opposite response. Herod, the Jewish political leader, and the chief priests and scribes, the religious leaders and interpreters of Scripture, did not see what was there before them—and when they did come to understand, they sought only to harm Jesus. This is the first hint of the harm that would ultimately come to Jesus from the same characters much later in his life. They were not open to the revelation of God in this child.
Imagine how disappointed the wise men might have felt when, at the end of their search, they found a poor child born in a simple house instead of a mighty king. However, they were open to the revelation of God and bowed down before him. Their expensive gifts are highly symbolic: gold was presented to kings, frankincense was offered to God and myrrh was used in anointing for burial. In offering these gifts, the wise men referred to the kingship of Jesus, his divinity and his salvific death.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
The feast of the Epiphany has been celebrated since the fourth century—and it has always been an important feast, especially in the Eastern Rites. One significant problem that the early Church faced was the realisation that even no-Jewish people were invited to have faith in Jesus as Lord. Even though his roots were in Judaism, Jesus is significant to all people who seek the truth.
The wise men were warned not to return the same way. So, instead of backtracking their path, the wise men took a new road in life after their encounter with the Christ child. How does this imagery speak to you in terms of your own journey?
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’
‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.
His mother stored up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.
(Luke 2:41–52)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
Jesus had likely travelled to Jerusalem many times before with his parents, but at the age of twelve, his experience was deepened significantly. His active listening and questioning may have been tied to the customary education in the Jewish faith that he would have been receiving to prepare for his ‘bar mitzvah’ at age thirteen. At thirteen, a Jewish boy becomes ‘bar mitzvah’—a ‘son of the law’—which means that from that point onwards, he must observe all the dietary and religious laws of Judaism.
This is the final episode in Luke’s story of the birth and childhood of Jesus, and it is Jesus himself who announces the project that will define the rest of the gospel: he will be ‘busy with my Father’s affairs’.
The natural responses of Mary and Joseph—consternation, anxiety, fear and confusion—cause them to ask in admonishment, ‘Why have you done this to us?’ But Jesus, in his confident response, shifts the discussion to another level: to the will of his heavenly Father.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
This special feast is always celebrated on the first Sunday after Christmas Day. Although expressing devotion to the family of Jesus has a long history, the feast of the Holy Family is relatively new in the Church’s calendar, having only been introduced in 1920. This feast day offers us an opportunity to reflect on human families and their significance in fostering our growth and nurturing; however, this is not its only strength. As this feast falls within the Christmas cycle, it also offers us an opportunity to continue reflecting on the reality of God’s incarnation in the human story. Jesus was born into a human family, whose members are all models of steadfast and committed service to God. We are not only members of our human families but also members of God’s family, and this comes with responsibilities.
Despite the worry that he caused Mary and Joseph in this text, Jesus returned to Galilee to live in obedience to them, mirroring his obedience to his heavenly Father. This text shows that even from an early age, Jesus is focused on the will of the one who sent him, and on his search to know God completely.
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
[Here we use the gospel reading for Midnight Mass.]
Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census—the first—took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s house and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.’
(Luke 2:1–14)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus strongly differs from Matthew’s—and this serves to remind us that we must read these texts as religious rather than historical stories. Luke goes to great lengths to situate Jesus in human history, underscoring that he was born at a specific time and place. This highlights how God works through human beings, human agencies and human institutions. No one could be further removed from Mary and Joseph than the Emperor of Rome, but it is through Augustus’ edict that the words of the prophets of Israel are fulfilled. Nevertheless, this astonishing news ‘of great joy’ is not given to the powerful but to the poor.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
Christmas Day is the climax of the second great season of the Church’s year (Advent/Christmas); however, the season of Christmastide continues for several more weeks as aspects of this child are further revealed. Christmas Day celebrates the mystery of the incarnation, which signifies that, in Jesus, God took human flesh, lived a human life and was fully one of us. As humans, of course we cannot see God; but through Jesus, we see God’s plans for us fully revealed. St Augustine, a great thinker of the early church, put it this way:
How much you have loved us, O God.
If your word had not become flesh
and had not dwelt among us,
we would have had to believe
that there was no connection
between God and humanity
and we would have been in despair.
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
Luke 1:38
Alleluia, Alleluia!
I am the servant of the Lord:
may his will for me be done.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, Alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!
Isaiah 52:7–10
Rejoice, for the Lord is consoling his people.
Psalm 97(98):1–6
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Hebrews 1:1–6
God has spoken to us through his Son.
A hallowed day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, worship the Lord, for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.
John 1:1–18
The Word was made flesh, and lived among us.
The nature of the ministerial priesthood also puts into its proper light another reality, which must indeed be highly regarded, namely, the royal priesthood of the faithful, whose spiritual sacrifice is brought to completeness through the ministry of the Bishop and the priests in union with the Sacrifice of Christ, the one and only Mediator. For the celebration of the Eucharist is an action of the whole Church, and in it each one should carry out solely but completely that which pertains to him or her, in virtue of the rank of each within the People of God.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §5
The days of Christmas remind us that through our Christian initiation, we come to share in the very life of Christ. As Christ was anointed priest, prophet and king, so we come to share in being one with Christ in his priesthood. Both the ordained and the baptismal priesthood must minister together for the fullness of the priesthood of Christ to be exercised in the Church.
‘Let us all rejoice in the Lord, for our Saviour has been born in the world. Today true peace has come down to us from heaven.’
—entrance antiphon
Today we celebrate the light of God come into the world. We pray that this light will bring peace, healing and justice to our world.
We pray for the needs of the Church. May the message of hope and inspiration we celebrate in Jesus’ birth go out to all nations.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for justice in our world. As we rejoice in the birth of our Saviour, let us strive to live as he did, reaching out to and welcoming all those in need.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all families during this Christmas season. May we experience the love and rejoicing of the first Christmas and remember to share our gift of family with those not so blessed.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray that the holiday season will be a time of peace and relaxation for us all, and that we will be safeguarded in our travels.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for …
Lord hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who have died recently and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May their family and friends be comforted in the knowledge that they now share in the banquet of heaven promised to them.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Loving Father, receive these prayers that come to you today. Bless and strengthen us, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.