Vol. 37  No. 5                     (Cycle C)     CHRISTMAS  MIDNIGHT MASS   Today a Saviour is born to us, who is Christ the Lord   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Let us rejoice in the Lord, for our Saviour is born to the world. True peace has descended from Heaven. PENITENTIAL RITE God became incarnate so that we might become one with God. Tonight as we express our heartfelt gratitude to God for all He has done for us let us remember all those millions of our brothers and sisters who do not know Him yet. Now, let us ask pardon from God for our failure to live a true Christian life that mirrors His love for all people. I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Father, you make this holy night radiant with the splendour of Jesus Christ our light. We welcome him as Lord, the true light of the world. Bring us to eternal joy in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING (These words of the prophet Isaiah are intended to console the “remnant” of Israel. Even though things look dismal and depressing, a day will come when God will bring joy and happiness once more to the land and to its people—that will be the Messianic time.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah (9:2-4,6-7) 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. Thou hast 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. 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. 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, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 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 ever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (95) Response: Today a Saviour has been born to us; who is Christ the Lord. O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name. R./ Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples. R./ Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad, let the sea and all within it thunder praise, let the land and all it bears rejoice, all the trees of the wood shout for joy at the presence of the Lord for he comes, he comes to rule the earth. R./ With justice he will rule the world, he will judge the peoples with his truth. R./ SECOND READING (St Paul gives Titus instructions to guide him in his Episcopal office. Salvation has been given to all people through God’s merciful love—His “grace”.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to Titus (2:11-14) The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 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. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Lk 2:10-11) Alleluia, alleluia! I bring you good news of a great joy. Today a Saviour has been born to us, who is Christ the Lord. Alleluia! GOSPEL (In his account of the birth of Jesus our Saviour, the evangelist Luke shows us that the new-born babe in the lowly circumstances, poorer than the poorest, is not only the expected Messiah, the heir of the royal David, but he is also the Lord—a title reserved to God alone in the OT.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (2:1-14) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrolment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. 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, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. 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. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us thank and praise God our loving Father for sending His Son Jesus into our world. Today in Jesus a new light has dawned upon the world. Let us bring before the Lord all our needs, saying: Response: Father, help us to radiate the light of your Son to all the people. 1. Lord, we pray for our Pope, bishops, priests and religious: that the light of truth and hope may shine through all they say and do. Grant them the grace to be faithful to their call to love and serve. R./ 2. Lord, we pray for all those who live in the darkness of sin: may they experience the power of your saving love to break the bondage of sin and come to the true light of Christ. R./ 3. Lord, we pray for people all over the world: that all may recognize Jesus as the Saviour of humanity and enjoy the freedom as children of God. R./ 4. Lord, on this holy night when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, we pray that all the people of this world may live in peace, joy and unity. R./ 5. Lord, we pray for all of us gathered in this holy assembly: may your love and joy fill our hearts and enable us to share what we are and what we have with our less privileged brothers and sisters. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, you show us the magnitude of your love by sending Jesus into our midst. May our celebration of Christmas bring joy to all peoples of our world. We make this prayer... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, accept our gifts on this joyful feast of our salvation. By our communion with God made man, may we become more like him who joins our lives to yours, for he is Lord for ever and ever. PREFACE (P 5) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today in him a new light has dawned upon the world: God has become one with man, and man has become one again with God. Your eternal Word has taken upon himself our human weakness, giving our mortal nature immortal value. So marvellous is this oneness between God and man that in Christ man restores to man the gift of everlasting life. In our joy we sing to your glory with all the choirs of angels: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON The Word of God became man; we have seen his glory. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION God our Father, we rejoice in the birth of our Saviour. May we share his life completely by living as he has taught. We ask this...   Liturgy and Life   ‘God is love’. In His love God gave us his Son Jesus. In St Luke’s account, we hear about the birth of Jesus at a particular time in history and in a particular place on the map. He is a Palestinian Jew born in the reign of Caesar Augustus and King Herod. So, the birth of the Saviour is located in space and time, the natural boundaries of every human life-story. Therefore, in its simplicity, the gospel text conveys an important message: the birth of Jesus as a sign of the historical reality of the visit of God and a witness to the fulfilment of God’s saving plan. In the person of Jesus, God has visited the people—he is “Emmanuel”, God-with-us. And that is why tonight we celebrate Christmas. God is revealed in Jesus Christ, in him “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” (Titus 2:11). Since Jesus was born in poverty, it is fitting that the news of his birth was first announced to simple shepherds. The faith of the shepherds serves as a model for future believers, and their joy anticipates the blessings that will come to those who accept Jesus as the Saviour sent by God. Christ is born to us today in order that he may appear to the whole world through us. The mystery of Christmas lays upon us all a debt to God and an obligation to the rest of humankind. Bethlehem is no longer a hillside cave. It is, rather, every place where we create justice, freedom, peace and love. We do this not only by preaching the Good News, but by living it and thus revealing Jesus. Every time we do a good deed, in God’s sight we are creating some of the joy that Jesus came to bring. Every time we act as peace-makers, every time we go to help another, every time we try to be understanding, every time we show compassion to another, God sees us as continuing the joy that we celebrate today. In our modern world, Christmas has taken on the character of a grand commercial bazaar. The confusion of today was aptly expressed by a little Catholic school girl, who said, “I’ve been taught in school that the meaning of Christmas is ‘giving’, but when I see the store windows and watch TV, I can’t help thinking of all the stuff I’ll be ‘getting’.” Christmas is not just about giving presents. It’s more about being a present—which means, giving of ourselves. God didn’t give us a present of a thing; He gave us a present of a person. Jesus is God’s gift to the poor and the lowly, to assure them that love has not passed them by. —Fr Sebastian Kattackal, ssp We, the Editor and the Staff, Wish you a very Happy Christmas!     Vol. 37 No. 6                           Cycle C   CHRISTMAS—DAWN & DAY MASS   The shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the Babe ENTRANCE ANTIPHON A light will shine on us this day, the Lord is born for us: he shall be called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace, Father of the world to come; and his kingship will never end. PENITENTIAL RITE The God we believe in is not someone who keeps himself aloof from us. He reaches out to us today by becoming one of us. Let us join in spirit those who celebrated the first Christmas – the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Joseph and the Shepherds. Now let us repent of our sins and invite the Spirit to transform us into a fitting place for the new-born Saviour to be born. I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Father, we are filled with the new light by the coming of your Word among us. May the light of faith shine in our words and actions. We ask this... FIRST READING (Prophet Isaiah has words of consolation and encouragement for his compatriots who have returned from the Babylonian exile.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah (62:11-12) Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” And they shall be called The Holy People, The redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought out, a city not forsaken. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (96) Response: This day a new light will shine upon the earth: the Lord is born to us. The Lord is King, let earth rejoice, the many coastlands be glad. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory. R./ Light shines forth for the just and joy for the upright of heart. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord; give glory to his holy name. R./ SECOND READING (Our salvation is not our merit but it is a gratuitous gift of God.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to Titus (3:4-7) When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Lk 2:14) Alleluia, alleluia! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased! Alleluia! GOSPEL (The shepherds—simple, honest and devout men—after seeing and adoring the new-born Saviour, return as new men, full of joy, glorifying and praising God.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (2:15-20) When the angels went away from the shepherds into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, today we rejoice in the birth of Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Let us thank our heavenly Father for his “goodness and loving kindness” towards us. With faith let us place before Him all our needs, saying: Response: Father, we praise and thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus. 1. We pray for our holy Father the Pope, bishops, priests and all the Christian leaders: grant them the wisdom to guide the people in the way of peace and joy. R./ 2. We pray for peace and harmony among all nations, races and religions: may everyone follow the path of justice and righteousness. May your saving love help all people to overcome hatred and violence. R./ 3. We pray for all those who are victims of hatred and violence, injustice and oppression; we pray for refugees, bonded labourers and prisoners that they may experience at this Christmas the liberating love of Jesus the Saviour. R./ 4. We pray for the elderly, the sick, the orphans and those in sorrow: Lord, be ever close to them, and may they find solace in their faith in you. R./ 5. We pray for all of us gathered here: may we have the courage and generosity to share the gift of love you give us at Christmas. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: God our Father, by giving us Jesus your Son, you tell us how deeply you love us. Teach us to appreciate your wondrous love towards us and make us also messengers of your love in our troubled world. We ask this … PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Father, may we follow the example of your Son who became man and lived among us. May we receive the gift of divine life through these offerings here on earth. We ask this… PREFACE (P 5) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today in him a new light has dawned upon the world: God has become one with man, and man has become one again with God. Your eternal Word has taken upon himself our human weakness, giving our mortal nature immorta l value. So marvellous is this oneness between God and man that in Christ man restores to man the gift of everlasting life. In our joy we sing to your glory with all the choirs of angels: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON Daughter of Zion, exult; shout aloud, daughter of Jerusalem! Your King is coming, the Holy One, the Saviour of the world. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, with faith and joy we celebrate the birthday of your Son. Increase our understanding and our love of the riches you have revealed in him, who is Lord for ever and ever.   DAY MASS ENTRANCE ANTIPHON A child is born for us, a son given to us; dominion is laid on his shoulder, and he shall be called Wonderful-Counsellor. PENITENTIAL RITE I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Lord God, we praise you for creating man, and still more for restoring him in Christ. Your Son shared our weakness: may we share his glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING (An Evangelist announces peace and good news of happiness and salvation.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah (52:7-10) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (97) Response: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation. R./ The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel. R./ All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy. R./ Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp, with the sound of music. With trumpets and the sound of the horn acclaim the King, the Lord. R./ SECOND READING (God’s revelation in His Son is definitive and constitutive.) A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (1:1-6) In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. For to what angel did God ever say, “Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION 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! GOSPEL (The new-born Babe in the crib is one with God and is the source of light and grace.) The beginning of the Holy Gospel according to St John (1:1-5,9-14) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Almighty God, the saving work of Christ made our peace with you. May our offering today renew that peace within us and give you perfect praise. We ask this… COMMUNION ANTIPHON All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, the child born today is the Saviour of the world. He made us your children. May he welcome us into your Kingdom where he lives and reigns with you for ever and ever.