December 24, 2017

This will contain the Mass readings from the 4th week of Advent Sunday Mass, the Christmas Vigil Mass, and the Mass During the Night. We wish you a very merry Christmas!

Morning Mass

First Reading

Second Samuel 7: 1-5, 8- 12, 14, 16

7:1 Now it happened that, when the king had settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,
7:2 he said to the prophet Nathan, “Do you not see that I live in a house of cedar, and that the ark of God has been placed in the midst of tent skins?”
7:3 And Nathan said to the king: “Go, do all that is in your heart. For the Lord is with you.”
7:4 But it happened in that night, behold, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:
7:5 “Go, and say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build a house for me as a dwelling place?
7:8 And now, so shall you speak to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pastures, from following the sheep, so that you would be the leader over my people Israel.
7:9 And I have been with you everywhere that you walked. And I have slain all your enemies before your face. And I have made you a great name, beside the name of the great ones who are upon the earth.
7:10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall live there, and they shall no longer be disturbed. Neither shall the sons of iniquity continue to afflict them as before,
7:11 from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give rest to you from all your enemies. And the Lord foretells to you that the Lord himself will make a house for you.
7:12 And when your days will have been fulfilled, and you will sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will go forth from your loins, and I will make firm his kingdom.
7:14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. And if he will commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and with the wounds of the sons of men.
7:16 And your house shall be faithful, and your kingdom shall be before your face, for eternity, and your throne shall be secure continuously.’ ”

Second Reading

The Letter Of Saint Paul to the Romans  16: 25-27

16:25 But to him who is able to confirm you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, in accord with the revelation of the mystery which has been hidden from time immemorial,
16:26 (which now has been made clear through the Scriptures of the Prophets, in accord with the precept of the eternal God, unto the obedience of faith) which has been made known among all the Gentiles:
16:27 to God, who alone is wise, through Jesus Christ, to him be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel

The Holy Gospel According to Luke  1:  26-38

1:26 Then, in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent by God, to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.
1:28 And upon entering, the Angel said to her: “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”
1:29 And when she had heard this, she was disturbed by his words, and she considered what kind of greeting this might be.
1:30 And the Angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God.
1:31 Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name: JESUS.
1:32 He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. And he will reign in the house of Jacob for eternity.
1:33 And his kingdom shall have no end.”
1:34 Then Mary said to the Angel, “How shall this be done, since I do not know man?”
1:35 And in response, the Angel said to her: “The Holy Spirit will pass over you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And because of this also, the Holy One who will be born of you shall be called the Son of God.
1:36 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has herself also conceived a son, in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her who is called barren.
1:37 For no word will be impossible with God.”
1:38 Then Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” And the Angel departed from her.

Christmas Vigil

First Reading

Isaiah 62: 1- 5

62:1 For the sake of Zion, I will not be silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest, until her Just One advances in splendor, and her Savior is kindled like a lamp.
62:2 And the Gentiles will see your Just One, and all the kings will see your Renown One. And you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will choose.
62:3 And you shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
62:4 You will no longer called Forsaken. And your land will no longer be called Desolate. Instead, you shall be called My Will within it, and your land shall be called Inhabited. For the Lord has been well pleased with you, and your land will be inhabited.
62:5 For the young man will live with the virgin, and your children will live with you. And the groom will rejoice over the bride, and your God will rejoice over you.

Second Reading

Acts 13: 16- 17, 22- 25

13:16 Then Paul, rising up and motioning for silence with his hand, said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen closely.
13:17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people, when they were settlers in the land of Egypt. And with an exalted arm, he led them away from there.
13:22 And having removed him, he raised up for them king David. And offering testimony about him, he said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man according to my own heart, who will accomplish all that I will.’
13:23 From his offspring, according to the Promise, God has brought Jesus the Savior to Israel.
13:24 John was preaching, before the face of his advent, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
13:25 Then, when John completed his course, he was saying: ‘I am not the one you consider me to be. For behold, one arrives after me, the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to loosen.’

Gospel

Matthew 1: 1- 25

1:1 The book of the lineage of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
1:2 Abraham conceived Isaac. And Isaac conceived Jacob. And Jacob conceived Judah and his brothers.
1:3 And Judah conceived Perez and Zerah by Tamar. And Perez conceived Hezron. And Hezron conceived Ram.
1:4 And Ram conceived Amminadab. And Amminadab conceived Nahshon. And Nahshon conceived Salmon.
1:5 And Salmon conceived Boaz by Rahab. And Boaz conceived Obed by Ruth. And Obed conceived Jesse.
1:6 And Jesse conceived king David. And king David conceived Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
1:7 And Solomon conceived Rehoboam. And Rehoboam conceived Abijah. And Abijah conceived Asa.
1:8 And Asa conceived Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat conceived Joram. And Joram conceived Uzziah.
1:9 And Uzziah conceived Jotham. And Jotham conceived Ahaz. And Ahaz conceived Hezekiah.
1:10 And Hezekiah conceived Manasseh. And Manasseh conceived Amos. And Amos conceived Josiah.
1:11 And Josiah conceived Jechoniah and his brothers in the transmigration of Babylon.
1:12 And after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechoniah conceived Shealtiel. And Shealtiel conceived Zerubbabel.
1:13 And Zerubbabel conceived Abiud. And Abiud conceived Eliakim. And Eliakim conceived Azor.
1:14 And Azor conceived Zadok. And Zadok conceived Achim. And Achim conceived Eliud.
1:15 And Eliud conceived Eleazar. And Eleazar conceived Matthan. And Matthan conceived Jacob.
1:16 And Jacob conceived Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
1:17 And so, all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the transmigration of Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the transmigration of Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.
1:18 Now the procreation of the Christ occurred in this way. After his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to have conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit.
1:19 Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly.
1:20 But while thinking over these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife. For what has been formed in her is of the Holy Spirit.
1:21 And she shall give birth to a son. And you shall call his name JESUS. For he shall accomplish the salvation of his people from their sins.”
1:22 Now all this occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and she shall give birth to a son. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us.”
1:24 Then Joseph, arising from sleep, did just as the Angel of the Lord had instructed him, and he accepted her as his wife.
1:25 And he knew her not, yet she bore her son, the firstborn. And he called his name JESUS.

Mass During the Night

First Reading

Isaiah 9: 1- 6

9:1 In the earlier time, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali were lifted up. But in the later time, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, the Galilee of the Gentiles, was weighed down.
9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. A light has risen for the inhabitants of the region of the shadow of death.
9:3 You have increased the nation, but you have not increased the rejoicing. They will rejoice before you, like those who rejoice at the harvest, like the victorious exulting after capturing the prey, when they divide the spoils.
9:4 For you have prevailed over the yoke of their burden, and over the rod of their shoulder, and over the scepter of their oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
9:5 For every violent plunder with a tumult, and every garment mixed with blood, will be burned up and will become fuel for the fire.
9:6 For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. And leadership is placed upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called: wonderful Counselor, mighty God, father of the future age, Prince of Peace.

Second Reading

Titus 2: 11- 14

2:11 For the grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men,
2:12 instructing us to reject impiety and worldly desires, so that we may live soberly and justly and piously in this age,
2:13 looking forward to the blessed hope and the advent of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ.
2:14 He gave himself for our sake, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse for himself an acceptable people, pursuers of good works.

Gospel

Luke 2: 1- 14

2:1 And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, so that the whole world would be enrolled.
2:2 This was the first enrollment; it was made by the ruler of Syria, Quirinius.
2:3 And all went to be declared, each one to his own city.
2:4 Then Joseph also ascended from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
2:5 in order to be declared, with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.
2:6 Then it happened that, while they were there, the days were completed, so that she would give birth.
2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son. And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn.
2:8 And there were shepherds in the same region, being vigilant and keeping watch in the night over their flock.
2:9 And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood near them, and the brightness of God shone around them, and they were struck with a great fear.
2:10 And the Angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. For, behold, I proclaim to you a great joy, which will be for all the people.
2:11 For today a Saviour has been born for you in the city of David: he is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
2:13 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the celestial army, praising God and saying,
2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.”