First reading
2 Samuel 7:1–5, 8–12, 14, 16
Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me.
Responsorial psalm
Psalm 88(89):2–5, 27, 29
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Second reading
Romans 16:25–27
The mystery is revealed that was kept secret for endless ages.
Gospel acclamation
Luke 1:38
I am the servant of the Lord: may his will for me be done.
Gospel
Luke 1:26–38
‘I am the handmaid of the Lord.’
Images from the Word
- Sent by God
- Son of God
- Nothing is impossible
- Place for my people
- Obedience of faith
Liturgical notes
By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
—The Order of Mass, §24
Each time we celebrate Mass, this prayer is made while the wine and water are prepared in the chalice for the celebration. At every Mass, we are reminded of the mystery of Christmas: that God who is divine has become human in Christ Jesus, so that we who are human may become divine! Christmas is much greater than a story about a baby; it is a deep theological statement about the very nature of humanity: we are called and empowered by our God to be his ambassadors in today’s world. God has taken flesh among us and has not abandoned us, even in all our brokenness. The story of each and every human person is sacred to God. We who are the ambassadors of God must live with God’s vision of love for our world.
‘Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour’
—entrance antiphon