THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD - VIGIL MASS - Gospel (Mt 1:1-25) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1:21)

FIRST READING - Is 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,

for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines forth like the dawn

and her victory like a burning torch.

Nations shall behold your vindication,

and all the kings your glory;

you shall be called by a new name

pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.

You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,

a royal diadem held by your God.

No more shall people call you “Forsaken,”

or your land “Desolate,”

but you shall be called “My Delight,”

  and your land “Espoused.”

For the LORD delights in you

and makes your land his spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin,

your Builder shall marry you;

and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride

so shall your God rejoice in you.

SECOND READING - Acts 13:16-17, 22-25

When Paul reached Antioch in Pisidia and entered the synagogue,he stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing, listen.The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and exalted the people during their sojourn in theland of Egypt.With uplifted arm he led them out of it.Then he removed Saul and raised up David as king;of him he testified,‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;he will carry out my every wish.’From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am?  I am not he.Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 1:1-25

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,

whose mother was Tamar.

Perez became the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab.

Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz,

whose mother was Rahab.

Boaz became the father of Obed,

whose mother was Ruth.

Obed became the father of Jesse,

Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,

whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.

Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asaph.

Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Uzziah.

Uzziah became the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amos,

Amos the father of Josiah.

Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers

at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,

Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.

Abiud became the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor the father of Zadok.

Zadok became the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud the father of Eleazar.

Eleazar became the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations

from Abraham to David

is fourteen generations;

from David to the Babylonian exile,

fourteen generations;

from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,

fourteen generations.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

    Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

        and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

He had no relations with her until she bore a son,

and he named him Jesus.

THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD - VIGIL MASS - Gospel (Mt 1:1-25)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, God calls on all humanity to give thanks to God, for His love, for He was born to become a human to be with and nourish the souls of mankind.

God wants mankind to know the origin of or the way God sent His only Son to become a human being. All of the mysterious plans of God's incarnation to become a human being were planned by God from the beginning of time.

All is in the authoritative hands of the Supreme God. God is the one who bestows all blessings, and when the time comes, He will carry out His plan according to what He has taught to humankind. The Supreme God arranges everything. When God sees how mankind responds to Him, He will bestow upon mankind all things in His loving plan at each stage.

As in the beginning, God spoke a word and all things in heaven and on earth were created. Then, in time, God sent His prophets to speak His Word to all mankind. All those who fear and worship God should listen to the words of the prophets and put them into practice. Because the words of the prophets come from God and are fulfilled in the hands of the Providence of God.

God knows how human history progresses. Everything is arranged by Him, as in the birth of the Son of God becoming a human. He is the One who bestows all blessings on mankind. No one can interfere with His work. All creatures created by God must worship and turn to Him. God is absolutely and incomparably powerful. All creatures must kneel before Him. He is the supreme and unique love. No one has love as magnificent as His. It is this love that the enemy, Satan, must submit to. Satan is only afraid of God's absolute love. God loved mankind so much that He sent His only Son to earth to become a human to be with and love mankind. This is the greatest happiness for mankind.

Today's Word of God, God calls all mankind to come to God, to come to His love, Jesus Christ, born to become a human. He is Emmanuel, given to mankind freely. It is God's desire that mankind listen to God's words through the prophets, through those words that have been given to mankind since ancient times: The Savior will come and live among mankind. For more than two thousand years until now, God's words have been fulfilled: the Son of God Himself came to earth to become a human being and has been, and is, with mankind until the end of the world.

God is perfect and faithful. He will bestow blessings on all those who are faithful, fear, worship, and submit to Him alone. God wants all the children of mankind to run to Him with absolute trust and confidence and to follow the example of His love, the only One. Put our love in God and love our fellow human beings as God loves us.

God wants people all over the world to come to submit, worship, and follow the example of the prophets and messengers and believe in what He has said that The only Son of God will come to earth to become a human being to love and accompany mankind. Humans will never be lonely, suffer, or die forever, because God is always loving us and is always by our side. He will give us eternal life.

Therefore, mankind should run to God to change our lives, convert, turn away from the path of sin, and return to a God of love, who was born in a plan that God had pre-destined. God wants mankind to also know how to follow the example of the prophets, follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph to be faithful, worship God, and practice according to what God has taught so that the soul will be happy in the Kingdom of Heaven in the future.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 December 25th, 2024 Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven