Vigil of Christmas (December 24), 성탄 전야

1st Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5

Names of the new Jerusalem
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[1] For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication goes forth as brightness, 
and her salvation as a burning torch.
[2] The nations shall see her vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
which the mouth of the Lord will give.
[3] You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
[4] You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate.
but you shall be called My delight is in her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
[5] For as a young man marries a virgin,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

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Commentary: 

The new city of Jerusalem is now explicitly named; it is “Zion” (v. 1). It will be
praised in this new hymn placed on the prophet’s lips, in which he plays poeti-
cally
with the names given the city. The depiction of Zion as the spouse of the Lord
became popular among prophets from Hosea onwards.

The first stanza (vv. 1-9), addressed to the city, describes the new situation that
awaits her in terms of a series of names: no one will any longer feel alone or
unprotected, for God has shown Jerusalem the tenderness of a young husband 
(he calls her “My delight and “Married”: v. 4). The advantages that derive from
spousal covenant can be seen (as in Hosea: cf. Hos. 2:11-15) in metaphors to
do with rich harvests (vv. 8-9).

The second stanza (vv. 10-12), spoken to those living in the city, is an exhortation
to be prepared for when the Saviour will enter in glory in the last days (vv. 10-11;
cf. 40:3). The poem ends (v. 12) with further plays on the names given the city
and its inhabitants.

Since the sixth century, Christian tradition has used this poem in the liturgy of
Christmas Day. The birth of Jesus has brought about the joyful union of God and
mankind in a way that surpasses that described in terms of spousal union. A 
monk of the Middle Ages makes this beautiful comment: “Like the bridegroom 
who comes out of his chamber the Lord came down from heaven to dwell on earth
and to become one with the Church through his incarnation. The Church was
gathered together from among the Gentiles, to whom he gave his dowry and his
blessings – his dowry, when God was made man; his blessings, when he was
sacrificed for their salvation” (Fausto de Riez, Sermo 5 in Epiphania).

2nd Reading: Acts 13:13-25

They Cross into Asia Minor
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[13] Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga
in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem; [14] but they
passed on from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia.

Preaching in the Synagogue of Antioch of Pisidia
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And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. [15]
After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent
to them, saying, "Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people,
say it." [16] So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of
Israel, and you that fear God, listen. [17] The God of this people Israel chose
our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt,
and with uplifted arm He led them out of it. [18] And for about forty years He
bore with them in the wilderness. [19] And when He had destroyed seven
nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them their land as an inheritance, for
about four hundred and fifty years. [20] And after that He gave them judges
until Samuel the prophet. [21] Then they asked for a king; and God gave them
Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. [22] And
when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king; of whom He
testified and said, "I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after My heart,
who will do all My will.' [23] Of this man's posterity God has brought Israel a
Savior, Jesus, as He promised. [24] Before His coming John had preached a
baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. [25] And as John was finishing
his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. No, but
after me One is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'"

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Commentary:

15. Sabbath services in synagogues went right back to the post-exilic period
(after the Babylonian Captivity, which lasted from 586 to 539 B.C.), and by now
they had a very settled form. They consisted of readings from Sacred Scripture,
preaching and public prayers. No one was especially appointed to preside over
these services; the president or ruler of the synagogue could ask any member
of the community to take the ceremony (cf. 18:8); he supervised the preparations
and made sure that everything was done properly.

16-41. Paul's address here is an excellent example of the way he used to present
the Gospel to a mixed congregation of Jews and proselytes. He lists the benefits
conferred by God on the chosen people from Abraham down to John the Baptism
(verses 16-25); he then shows how all the messianic prophecies were fulfilled in
Jesus (verses 26-37), and,by way of conclusion, states that justification comes
about through faith in Jesus, who died and then rose from the dead (verse 38-41).

This address contains all the main themes of apostolic preaching, that is, God's
saving initiative in the history of Israel (verses 17-22); reference to the Precursor
(verses 24-25); the proclamation of the Gospel or "kerygma" in the proper sense
(verses 26b-31a); mention of Jerusalem (verse 31b); arguments from Sacred
Scripture (verses 33-37), complementing apostolic teaching and tradition (verses
38-39); and afinal exhortation, eschatological in character, announcing the future
(verses 40-41). In many respects this address is like those of St. Peter (cf.
2:14ff; 3:12ff), especially where it proclaims Jesus as Messiah and in its many
quotations from Sacred Scripture, chosen to show that the decisive event of the
Resurrection confirms Christ's divinity.

Paul gives a general outline of salvation history and then locates Jesus in it as
the expected Messiah, the point at which all the various strands in that history
meet and all God's promises are fulfilled. He shows that all the steps which lead
up to Jesus Christ, even the stage of John the Baptist, are just points on a route.
Earlier, provisionalelements must now, in Christ, give way to a new, definitive
situation.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 1:1-25

The Ancestry of Jesus Christ
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[1] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the
son of Abraham.

[2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3] and Judah the father of
Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron
the father of Ram, [4] and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab
the father of Nahson, and Nahson the father of Salmon, [5] and Salmon
the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz due father of Obed by Ruth, and
Obed the father of Jesse, [6] and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, [7] and
Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
and Abijah the father of Asa, [8] and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, [9] and
Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz
the father of Hezekiah, [10] and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and
Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, [11] and
Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the depor-
tation to Babylon.

[12] And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of
Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13] and Zerubbabel
the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the
father of Azor, [14] and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father
of Aching and Achim the father of Eliud, [15] and Eliud the father of
Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of
Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of
whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

[17] So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations,
and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from
the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

The Virginal Conception of Jesus, and His Birth
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[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together
she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; [19] and her husband
Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to
send her away quietly. [20] But as he considered this, behold, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of
David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit; [21] she will bear a son, and you shall
call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." [22]
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and His name shall
be called Emmanuel" (which means God with us).

[24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded 
him; he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had borne a son; 
and he called his name Jesus.

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Commentary:

1. This verse is a kind of title to St Matthew's entire Gospel. The pro-
mises God made to Abraham for the salvation of mankind (Gen 12:3)
are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, as is Nathan's prophecy to King David
of an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam 7:12-16).

The genealogy presented here by St Matthew shows Jesus' human
ancestry and also indicates that salvation history has reached its
climax with the birth of the Son of God through the working of the Holy
Spirit. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is the expected Messiah.

The genealogy is presented in a framework of three series, each
consisting of fourteen links which show the progressive development
of salvation history.

For the Jews (and for other Eastern peoples of nomadic origin) genea-
logical trees were of great importance because a person's identity was
especially linked to family and tribe, with place of birth taking secondary
importance. In the case of the Jewish people there was the added reli-
gious significance of belonging by blood to the chosen people.

In Christ's time each family still kept a careful record of its genealogical
tree, since because of it people acquired rights and duties.

6. Four women are named in these genealogies--Tamar (cf. Gen 38; 1
Chron 2:4), Rahab (cf. Josh 2:6,17), Bathsheba (cf. 2 Sam 11:12, 24)
and Ruth (cf. Book of Ruth). These four foreign women, who in one way
or another are brought into the history of Israel, are one sign among
many others of God's design to save all men.

By mentioning sinful people, God's ways are shown to be different from
man's. God will sometimes carry out his plan of salvation by means of
people whose conduct has not been just. God saves us, sanctifies us
and chooses us to do good despite our sins and infidelities--and he
chose to leave evidence of this at various stages in the history of our
salvation.

11. The deportation to Babylon, described in 2 Kings 24-25, fulfilled
the prophets' warning to the people of Israel and their kings that they
would be punished for their infidelity to the commandments of the Law
of God, especially the first commandment.

16. Jewish genealogies followed the male line. Joseph, being Mary's
husband, was the legal father of Jesus. The legal father is on a par
with the real father as regards rights and duties. This fact provides a
sound basis for recognizing St Joseph as Patron of the whole Church,
since he was chosen to play a very special role in God's plan for our
salvation; with St Joseph as his legal father, Jesus the Messiah has
David as his ancestor.

Since it was quite usual for people to marry within their clan, it can
be concluded that Mary belonged to the house of David. Several early
Fathers of the Church testify to this--for example, St Ignatius of
Antioch, St Irenaeus, St Justin and Tertullian, who base their
testimony on an unbroken oral tradition.

It should also be pointed out that when St Matthew comes to speak of
the birth of Jesus, he uses an expression which is completely different
from that used for the other people in the genealogy. With these words
the text positively teaches that Mary conceived Jesus while still a
virgin, without the intervention of man.

18. St. Matthew relates here how Christ was conceived (cf. Luke
1:25-38): "We truly honor and venerate (Mary) as Mother of God, because
she gave birth to a person who is at the same time both God and man"
("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 7).

According to the provisions of the Law of Moses, engagement took
place about one year before marriage and enjoyed almost the same
legal validity. The marriage proper consisted, among other ceremonies,
in the bride being brought solemnly and joyously to her husband's
house (cf. Deuteronomy 20:7).

From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was
needed in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.

The entire account of Jesus' birth teaches, through the fulfillment of
the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23)
that: 1) Jesus has David as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal
father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who gives birth according to the prophecy;
3) the Child's conception without the intervention of man was miraculous.

19. "St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do
great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each
and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture
praises Joseph as `a just man'. In Hebrew a just man means a good
and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfills the divine will (cf.
Genesis 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezekiel 18:5ff.; Proverbs 12:10), or who is
honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tobias 7:6; 9:6). So
a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping
God's commandments and directing his whole life towards the service
of his brothers, his fellow men" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By",
40).

Joseph considered his spouse to be holy despite the signs that she
was going to have a child. He was therefore faced with a situation he
could not explain. Precisely because he was trying to do God's will,
he felt obliged to put her away; but to shield her from public shame
he decided to send her away quietly.

Mary's silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads
her to the extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She
prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of
grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human
terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of
God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a
severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult
trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them,
and remain faithful to Him, following the example they gave us.

20. God gives His light to those who act in an upright way and who
trust in His power and wisdom when faced with situations which ex-
ceed human understanding. By calling him the son of David, the angel
reminds Joseph that he is the providential link which joins Jesus with
the family of David, according to Nathan's messianic prophecy (cf. 2
Samuel 7:12). As St. John Chrysostom says: "At the very start he
straightaway reminds him of David, of whom the Christ was to spring,
and he does not wish him to be worried from the moment he reminds
him, through naming his most illustrious ancestor, of the promise made
to all his lineage" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 4).

"The same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when He as-
sumed human flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived
like other men, from the seed of man, but in a manner transcending the
order of nature, that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the same
person, remaining God as He was from eternity, became man, which
He was not before" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 1).

21. According to the Hebrew root, the name Jesus means "savior".
After our Lady, St. Joseph is the first person to be told by God that
salvation has begun.

"Jesus is the proper name of the God-man and signifies `Savior'--a
name given Him not accidentally, or by the judgment or will of man,
but by the counsel and command of God" [...]. All other names which
prophecy gave to the Son of God--Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6)--are comprised in
this one name Jesus; for while they partially signified the salvation
which He was to bestow on us, this name included the force and
meaning of all human salvation" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 3, 5 and
6).

23. "Emmanuel": the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, quoted in this verse,
foretold about 700 years in advance that God's salvation would be
marked by the extraordinary event of virgin giving birth to a son. The
Gospel here, therefore, reveals two truths.

First, that Jesus is in fact the God-with-us foretold by the prophet. This
is how Christian tradition has always understood it. Indeed the Church
has officially condemned an interpretation denying the messianic sense
of the Isaiah text (cf. Pius VI, Brief, "Divina", 1779). Christ is truly God-
with-us, therefore, not only because of His God-given mission but be-
cause He is God made man (cf. John 1:14). This does not mean that
Jesus should normally be called Emmanuel, for this name refers more
directly to the mystery of His being the Incarnate Word. At the Annun-
ciation the angel said that He should be called Jesus, that is, Savior.
And that was the name St. Joseph gave Him.

The second truth revealed to us by the sacred text is that Mary, in
whom the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is fulfilled, was a virgin before and
during the birth itself. The miraculous sign given by God that salvation
had arrived was precisely that a woman would be a virgin and a mother
at the same time.

"Jesus Christ came forth from His mother's womb without injury to her
maternal virginity. This immaculate and perpetual virginity forms,
therefore, the just theme of our eulogy. Such was the work of the Holy
Spirit, who at the conception and birth of the Son so favored the Virgin
Mother as to impart fruitfulness to her while preserving inviolate her
perpetual virginity" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 4, 8).



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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.


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