Solemnity of Christmas (Midnight, December 25)

1st Reading: Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7

[1] But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time 
he brought into contempt the land of Zeb'ulun and the land of Naph'tali, 
but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land 
beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The prince of Peace
-----------------------------
[2] The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
[3] Thou has multiplied the nation,
thou hast increased its joy;
they rejoice before thee
as with joy at the harvest,
as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
[4] For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
thou hast broken as on the day of Midian.
[5] For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
[6] For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
and his name will be called
“Wonderful Counsellor, Might God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
[7] Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,
to establish it, and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

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Commentary: 

9:1-7. At this point, though not yet very clearly, we begin to see the figure of King
Hezekiah, who, unlike his father Ahaz, was a pious man who put all his trust in 
the Lord. After Galilee was laid waste by Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria, and its 
population subsequently deported (cf. 8:21-22), Hezekiah of Judah would recon-
quer that region, which would recover its splendour for a period. All this gave
grounds for hope again.

This oracle may have a connexion with the Immanuel prophecy (7:1-17), and the
child with messianic prerogatives that has been born (cf. 9:6-7) could be the child
that Isaiah prophesied about (cf. 7:14). For this reason, 9:1-7 is seen as the 
second oracle of the Immanuel cycle. This “child” that is born, the son given to 
us, is a gift from God (9:6), because it is a sign that God is present among his
people. The Hebrew text attributes four qualities to the child which seem to em-
brace all the typical features of Israel’s illustrious forebears – the wisdom of Solo-
mon (cf. 1 Kings 3: “Wonderful Counsellor”), the prowess of David (cf. 1 Sam 7:
“Mighty God”), the administrative skills of Moses (cf. Ex 18:13-26) as liberator,
guide and father of the people (cf. Deut 34:10-12), (“Everlasting Father”), and the
virtues of the early patriarchs, who made peace pacts (cf. Gen 21:22-34; 26:15-
35; 23:6), (“Prince of peace”). In the old Latin Vulgate, the translation gave six
features (“Admirabilis, Consiliarius, Deus, Fortis, Pater future saeculi, Princeps
pacis”); these have found their way into the liturgy. The New Vulgate has reverted
to the Hebrew text. Either way, what we have here are titles that Semite nations
applied to the reigning monarch; but, taken together, they go far beyond what
befitted Hezekiah or any other king of Judah. Therefore, Christian tradition has
interpreted them as being appropriate only for Jesus. St Bernard, for example,
explains the justification for these names as follows: “He is Wonderful in his
birth, Counsellor in his preaching, God in his works, Mighty in the Passion, Ever-
lasting Father in the resurrection, and Prince of Peace in eternal happiness”
(Sermones de diversis, 53, 1).

Because these names are applied to Jesus, the short-term conquest of Galilee by
Hezekiah is seen as being only an announcement of the definitive salvation 
brought about by Christ. In the Gospels we find echoes of this oracle in a number
of passages that refer to Jesus. When Luke narrates the Annunciation by the 
angel to Mary (Lk 1:31-33) we hear that the son that she will conceive and give
birth to will receive “the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house
of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk 1:32b-33; cf. Is
9:7). And in the account about the shepherds of Bethlehem, they are told that “to
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord …” (Lk
2:11-12; cf. Is 9:6). St Matthew sees the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee
(Mt 4:12-17) as the fulfillment of this Isaian oracle (cf. Is 9:1): the lands that in the
prophet’s time were laid waste and saw ethnic cleansing and transplantation were
the first to receive the light of salvation from the Messiah.

2nd Reading: Titus 2:11-14

The Incarnation, the Basis of Christian Ethics and Piety
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[11] For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, [12] training
us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and
godly lives in this world, [13] awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the
glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to
redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are
zealous for good deeds.

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Commentary:

11-14. This section is almost like a hymn in praise of saving grace and God's
loving kindness as manifested in Christ. The terse, sober style, with phrases
piled on one another, and very few verbs, is typical of St. Paul. The duties just
described (2L1-10)--of older men, women, young people and slaves--all point to
Christians' having a common lifestyle, which is the fruit of grace. God is the
source of that grace, and salvation its goal, and it is given to us through Jesus
Christ.

Thus, divine grace manifested in the Incarnation is actively at work to redeem us;
it brings salvation; it sanctifies us, enabling us to live godly lives; and it is the
basis of our hope in the second coming of the Lord. All these dimensions of the
action of grace summarize revealed doctrine on righteousness (justification) in
Jesus Christ. Thus, in the Incarnation, God's salvific will, embracing all men, is
manifested in a special way (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); in the Redemption, Christ, the only
Mediator and Savior (cf. 1 Tim 2:5) obtains for us the gift of grace, whereby man
becomes a sharer in the good things of salvation. Jesus is our model; by means
of grace he instructs the Christian on how to control his defects and grow in
virtue. The instruction we receive is not only an external one: God inwardly
moves us to seek holiness (cf. Rom 5:1-5 and note). Grace also channels our
hope, for Christians are motivated not only by the memory of a past event (our
Lord's life on earth) but also, and especially, by the fact that Jesus is in the
glory of heaven even now and that we are invited to share his inheritance (cf.
2 Pet 3:12-13).

13. "The glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ": an explicit confession
of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ, who is stated at one and at the same time
(with only one article in the original Greek) to be God and Savior. This expression
is the hinge on which the entire hymn turns: Jesus Christ our God is the one who
came at the Incarnation, who will manifest himself fully at his second coming,
and who through his work of redemption has made it possible for man to live a live
pleasing to God.

This verse is reminiscent of Romans 9:5, where St. Paul wrote: "to them belong
the patriarchs, and of their race according to the flesh is the Christ, who is God
over all, blessed for ever. Amen."

14. The mention of Jesus Christ at the end of the previous verse leads St. Paul
to summarize the doctrine of the Redemption in this lovely passage. Four
essential elements in redemption are listed: Christ's self-giving; redemption
from all iniquity; purification; and Christ's establishment of a people of his own
dedicated to good deeds. The reference to Christ's self-giving clearly means
whereby we are set free from the slavery of sin; Christ's sacrifice is the cause
of the freedom of the children of God (analogously, God's action during the
Exodus liberated the people of Israel). Purification, a consequence of redemp-
tion, enables a man to become part of God's own people (cf. Ezek 37-23). The
expression "a people of his own" is a clear allusion to Exodus 19:5: through
the covenant of Sinai God made Israel his own people, different from other
nations; through the New Covenant of his blood Jesus forms his own people,
the Church, which is open to all nations: "As Israel according to the flesh which
wandered in the desert was already called the Church of God, so, too, the new
Israel, which advances in this present era in search of a future and permanent
city, is called also the Church of Christ. It is Christ indeed who has purchased
it with his own blood; he has filled it with his Spirit; he has provided means
adapted to its visible and social union [...]. Destined to extend to all regions of
the earth, it enters into human history, though it transcends at once all times
and all racial bounda- ries" ("Lumen Gentium", 9).

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:1-14

The Birth of Jesus
--------------------------
[1] In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world
should be enrolled. [2] This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was
governor of Syria. [3] And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. [4]
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea,
to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house
and lineage of David, [5] to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with
child. [6] And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
[7] And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped Him in swaddling
cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in
the inn.

The Adoration of the Shepherds
----------------------------------------------
[8] And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over
their flock by night. [9] And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. [10] And
the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of
great joy which will come to all the people; [11] for to you is born this day in
the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be a sign
for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts
praising God and saying, [14] "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among men with whom He is pleased!"

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Commentary:

1. Caesar Augustus was Roman emperor at this time, reigning from 30 B.C. to
A.D. 14. He is known to have commissioned various censuses, one of which
could well be that referred to by the evangelist. Since Rome normally respected
local usages, censuses were carried out in line with Jewish custom whereby
every householder went to his place of origin to be listed in the census.

6-7. The Messiah is born, the Son of God and our Savior. "He made Himself a
child [...] to enable you to become a perfect man; He was wrapped in swaddling
clothes to free you from the bonds of death [...]. He came down on earth to
enable you to rise up to Heaven; He had no place in the inn so that you might
have many mansions in Heaven. He, being rich, became poor for our sake--St.
Paul says (2 Corinthians 8:9)--so as to enrich us with His poverty [...]. The
tears of this crying child purify men, they wash away my sins" (St. Ambrose,
"Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").

The new-born Child does not yet speak, but He is the eternal Word of the
Father. Even from the manger in Bethlehem He teaches us. "We must learn
the lessons which Jesus teaches us, even when He is just a newly born child,
from the very moment He opens His eyes on this blessed land of men" (J.
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 14). The main lesson He gives us concerns
humility: "God humbled Himself to allow us to get near Him, so that we could
give our love in exchange for His, so that our freedom might bow, not only at
the sight of His power, but also before the wonder of His humility.

"The greatness of this Child who is God! His Father is the God who has made
Heaven and earth and there He is, in a manger, `because there was no room at
the inn' (Luke 2:7); there was nowhere else for the Lord of all creation" (J.
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 18).

Our hearts should provide Jesus with a place where He can be born spiritually;
that is, we should be born to a new life, becoming a new creature (Romans 6:4),
keeping that holiness and purity of soul which we were given in Baptism and
which is like being born again. We contemplate the birth of our Savior when we
pray the "third mystery" of the Holy Rosary.

7. "First-born son": it is usual for Sacred Scripture to refer to the first male child
as "the first-born" whether or not there were other brothers (cf., for example,
Exodus 13:2; 13:13; Numbers 15:8; Hebrews 1:6). The same practice is to be
found in ordinary speech; take, for example, this inscription dating from
approximately the same time as Christ was born, which was found near
Tell-el-Jedvieh (in Egypt) in 1922, which states that a woman named Arsinoe
died while giving birth to "her first-born son". Otherwise, as St. Jerome explains
in his letter "Adversus Helvidium", 10, "if only He were first-born who was followed
by other brothers, He would not deserve the rights of the first-born, which the Law
lays down, until the other had been born"--which would be absurd, since the Law
ordains that those first-born should be "ransomed" within a month of their birth
(Numbers 18:16).

However, Jesus Christ is first-born in a much deeper sense independent of
natural or biological considerations--which St. Bede describes in these words,
summarizing a long tradition of the Fathers of the Church: "Truly the Son of God,
who was made manifest in the flesh, belongs to a more exalted order not only
because He is the Only-begotten of the Father by virtue of the excellence of His
divinity; He is also first-born of all creatures by virtue of His fraternity with men:
concerning this [His primogeniture] it is said: `For those whom He foreknew He
also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might
be the first-born among many brethren' (Romans 8:29). And concerning the
former [His being the Only-begotten] it is said `we have beheld His glory, glory
as of the only Son from the Father' (John 1:14). Thus, He is only-begotten by
the substance of the Godhead, and first-born through His assumption of humanity;
first-born by grace, only-begotten by nature. This is why He is called brother and
Lord; brother, because He is the first-born; Lord, because He is the Only-begotten"
("In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").

Christian Tradition teaches, as a truth of faith, that Mary remained a virgin after
Christ's birth, which is perfectly in keeping with Christ's status as her first-born.
See, for example, these words of the Lateran Council of 649: "If anyone does not
profess according to the holy Fathers that in the proper and true sense the holy,
ever-Virgin, immaculate Mary is the Mother of God, since in this last age not with
human seed but of the Holy Spirit she properly and truly conceived the divine
Word, who was born of God the Father before all ages, and gave Him birth without
any detriment to her virginity, which remained inviolate even after His birth: let
such a one be condemned" (Canon 3).

8-20. At His birth Christ's divinity and His humanity are perfectly manifested: we
see His weakness--the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7)--and His divine power.
Christian faith involves confessing that Jesus Christ is true God and true man.

The salvation which Christ brought us is offered to everyone, without distinction:
"Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11). That
is why, even at His birth, He chose to manifest Himself to different kinds of
people--the shepherds, the Magi and Simeon and Anna. As St. Augustine
comments: "The shepherds were Israelites; the Magi, Gentiles. The first lived
near-by; the latter, far away. Yet both came to the cornerstone, Christ" ("Sermo
De Nativitate Domini", 202).

8-9. These shepherds may have been from the neighborhood of Bethlehem or
even have come from further afield in search of pasture for their flocks. It was
these simple and humble people who were the first to hear the good news of
Christ's birth. God has a preference for the humble (cf. Proverbs 3:32); He hides
from those who consider themselves wise and understanding and reveals Himself
to "babes" (cf. Matthew 11:25).

10-14. The angel announces that the new-born Child is the Savior, Christ the Lord.
He is the "Savior" because He has come to save us from our sins (cf. Matthew
1:21). He is "the Christ", that is, the Messiah so often promised in the Old
Testament, and now born among us in fulfillment of that ancient hope. He is "the
Lord": this shows Christ's divinity, for this is the name God chose to be known
by to His people in the Old Testament, and it is the way Christians usually refer
to and address Jesus and the way the Church always confesses her faith: "We
believe [...] in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God."

When the angel tells them that the Child has been born in the city of David, he
reminds them that this was where the Messiah Redeemer was supposed to be
born (cf. Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6), who would be a descendant of David (cf.
Psalm 110:1-2; Matthew 22:42-46).

Christ is the Lord not only of men but also of angels, which is why the angels
rejoice at His birth and render Him the tribute of adoration: "Glory to God in the
highest." And, since men are called to share, like them, in the happiness of
Heaven, the angels add: "And on earth peace among men with whom He is
pleased." "They praise the Lord," St. Gregory the Great comments, "putting
the notes of their hymn in harmony with our redemption; they see us as already
sharing in their own happy destiny and rejoice at this" ("Moralia", 28, 7).

St. Thomas explains why the birth of Christ was revealed through angels: "What
is in itself hidden needs to be manifested, but not what is in itself manifest. The
flesh of Him who was born was manifest, but His Godhead was hidden, and
therefore it was fitting that this birth should be made known by angels, who are
ministers of God. This is why a certain brightness accompanied the angelic
apparition, to indicate that He who was just born `reflects the glory of the Father'
(Hebrews 1:3)" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q. 36, a. 5 ad 1).

The angel also tells the shepherds that Christ is a man: "You will find the babe
wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" (verse 12)--as foretold in the
Old Testament: "To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government
will be upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6).

14. This text can be translated in two ways, which are compatible with each other.
One is the version chosen by the RSV; the other, as an RSV note points out:
"other ancient authorities read `peace, good will among men'"; a variant is the
translation used in the Liturgy: "Peace on earth to men who are God's friends."
Essentially what the text says is that the angels ask for peace and reconciliation
with God, which is not something which results from men's merits but rather
comes from God's deigning to have mercy on them. The two translations are
complementary, for when men respond to God's grace they are fulfilling God's
good will, God's love for them: "Iesus Christus, Deus homo": Jesus Christ,
God-man. This is one of `the mighty works of God' (Acts 2:11), which we should
reflect upon and thank Him for. He has come to bring peace on earth to men of
good will' (Luke 2:14), to all men who want to unite their wills to the holy will of
God" (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 13).

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.


[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].