SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD
FEAST DAY ~ CHRISTMAS DAY: DECEMBER 25, 2024
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Merry Christmas!
We thank God for blessing us all with the special gift of His precious Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
On this Special Feast day, the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world and we continue to remember the souls of the faithful departed and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their abors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏
Watch “The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) Mass, December 25, 2024” EWTN on YouTube |
Watch “POPE FRANCIS’ OPENING OF THE HOLY DOOR | HOLY MASS ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE JUBILEE 2025 INAUGURATION | LIVE FROM THE VATICAN | DECEMBER 24, 2024” | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/24/pope-francis-opening-of-the-holy-door-and-christmas-eve-mass/
Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord | Pope Francis Christmas Eve Homily | December 24, 2024 | https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2024/documents/20241224-omelia-natale.html
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door Ushering in the Jubilee of Hope | ‘Hope is Alive’ | Vatican News | December 24, 2024 |
Pope Francis Christmas Message and “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing | Live from the Vatican | December 25, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | December 25, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | December 25, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| December 25, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings (Christmas Day): Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Reading 1, Isaiah 52:7-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Reading 2, Hebrews 1:1-6
Gospel, John 1:1-18
THE LITURGICAL YEAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/03/the-liturgical-year-in-the-catholic-church/
THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/
THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/
PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/
SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD: Today, we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice in God’s overwhelming love for us, expressed through His Son Jesus Christ. We celebrate His birth with unrestrained joy. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” The Son of God became man to give us a share in that divine life which is eternally His in the Blessed Trinity. The feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the greatest Christian holy day after Easter. “Christ Mass” is the Eucharistic feast celebrating the birth of Christ, the Incarnation of Second Person of the Holy Trinity in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who came to suffer and die on a cross to save us from our sins.
Today is the first day in the octave of Christmas. The octave of Christmas lasts from December 25th until January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. In the current Roman Catholic calendar the Christmas season begins on December 24 with the first Vespers of the feast and ends on the feast of the Baptism of Christ, on the Sunday following Epiphany; on the ancient liturgical calendar Christmastide continues until Candlemas, or the Presentation of Jesus on February 2nd. Three Masses are celebrated at Christmas: Midnight Mass, or “The Angel’s Mass”; Mass at Dawn, or “The Shepherd’s Mass; and Mass during the Day, or “The King’s Mass.” Christmas is a Holy Day of Obligation.
The Christmas feast is a festival full of joy. The Eternal Word has become Man and dwells among us. The longings of the patriarchs and prophets are fulfilled. With the shepherds we hurry to the manger and adore the Incarnate Son of God, who for us and for our salvation descended upon earth. The purpose of the Christmas feast is beautifully expressed in the Preface of the Nativity: “For by the mystery of the Word made flesh the light of Thy glory hath shone anew upon the eyes of our mind; so that while we acknowledge Him a God seen by men, we may be drawn by Him to the love of things unseen.”
The Advent Gospels have helped us prepare for this day! We have been encouraged through the words of the prophets, John the Baptist, and the angel Gabriel, who said – “Do not be afraid.” God knows that we yearn to be free, and thus sends Christ into our midst. Through Christ we are once again invited into the “fulness of life” – where hope and joy are realities, not dreams. Our joy is the Good News of salvation in Christ, the Incarnate One, Emmanuel, God-with-us. Look at a scene of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. In that humble moment, God comes as an infant child for one reason and one reason only, for us to have the opportunity for salvation.
According to history, about twenty hundred years ago, a decree went forth from the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, commanding a general census in which all the people of the empire should be enrolled, “each in his own city,” that is, in the place to which his tribe and family belonged. Joseph and Mary went from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, because they were of the family of that king. Bethlehem is situated about five or six miles south of Nazareth. There, in a stable, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, was born, according to tradition, at midnight, or soon after, on December 25. And it came to pass that, when they were there, Mary “brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him up in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk 2:7).
The history of the first Christmas is made familiar to Catholics by the devotion of the “Christmas Crib.” In the year 1226, St. Francis of Assisi, with the permission of the Pope, set up the first of these cribs for the purpose of instructing the people and increasing in their hearts love and devotion for the Infant Savior. Christmas takes its name from the central and supreme act of Christian worship. Christmas means “Christ’s Mass,” the Mass offered in honor of the birth of Christ. Nearly all European languages, except English, use a word signifying nativity or birthday of Christ to designate the feast of Christmas. In all lands and languages the great fact commemorated is the birth of Christ, and the great action by which that fact is commemorated and renewed is the Mass. On Christmas priests may celebrate three Masses to honor the threefold birth of the Son of God: His birth in time and in our humanity in the stable of Bethlehem; Hid spiritual birth by faith and charity in the souls of the shepherds, and in our souls, and in the souls who earnestly seek Him; and lastly, His eternal generation in the bosom of the Father.
PRAYER: God, in an admirable fashion You established the dignity of human nature and You reformed it in a more admirable manner. Grant that we may come to share in the Dignity of Your Son Who chose to share our humanity. Amen 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
*Bible Readings for today, The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) | USCCB | Wednesday December 25, 2024 | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Reading 1, Isaiah 52:7-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Reading 2, Hebrews 1:1-6
Gospel, John 1:1-18
25th December – Gospel Readings / Reflections for Christmas – Matthew 1:1-25 / Luke 2: 1-14 / Luke 2:15-20 / John 1:1-18:
‘A Saviour has been born to you’
Gospel Reading ~ John 1:1-18
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”
“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 came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.
In today’s Gospel reading, St. John the evangelist expressed the mystery of this feast of Christmas, by declaring in the words of today’s Gospel reading, ‘a light… shines in the darkness, a light that darkness could not overpower… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’. Many of us today experience a sense of darkness in one form of another. It might be the darkness of depression, of illness, of a broken relationship, of a deep loss, or the darkness that envelopes us when we look at what is wrong with our world, or what is wrong with the church. At Christmas we celebrate the good news that Jesus continues to come as light into all forms of darkness. God gives His Son to us as light in our darkness, as life in our dying, as strength in our weakness, as mercy in our failure, as hope in our losses, as a sure way in all our searching. God gives His Son to us, not because we deserve Him, but because we need Him, because at the deepest level of our being we long for Him. Christmas calls out to us to be as open to God’s gift of his Son as the shepherds were on that first Christmas night. Having heard the good news of the Saviour’s birth from angels, they rushed to Bethlehem to see the child. Having looked upon the child, they returned to their sheep ‘glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen’. This Christmas we are all invited to open our hearts to receive the gift of God’s Son. Here is a gift that is ‘full of grace and truth’. God wants us all to receive from that fullness. Let us all share the true joy of Christmas, that is the joy in the Light and Hope that Christ our Lord and Saviour had brought into our midst, in His coming into the world that all of us now have the assurance of eternal life and true happiness with Him. Let us be the bearers of this joy, this Hope and Light that we have received from Him, and help others who are suffering, sorrowful and are in difficult moments, to be able to see the Light and the Hope of God’s salvation, through our faith and actions.
Our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, is the Lord’s proclamation of joy and salvation for His people Israel. God proclaimed to them that He would restore the glory of His people and erase from them the shame of their forebears. Back then, the people of God had been suffering humiliations and sufferings one after another as they encountered various hardships and challenges, all of which were caused by their lack of faith and trust in God. Their disobedience and wickedness led to them being punished for their wrongdoings. But God did not despise them, as He still cared for them and loved them despite their constant disobedience and lack of faith. He showed them His love by sending them His salvation in the person of Jesus Christ, His own only begotten Son. Through the prophet Isaiah and the other prophets, God made it clear that they are indeed His beloved people, and as their loving Father and Master, He desires to see that all of them ought to be restored in grace and reconciled to Him. And all has been fulfilled through His Son, the One He had sent into our midst to call us all back to Him, and to gather all the scattered children of God back to their most loving, patient and compassionate Father. God has never forgotten us and He has always had us all in His mind, ever concerned about us in each and every moments, and desiring that we should reject the evils and wickedness of this world, and instead embracing His righteousness and truth, His grace and love, as we should have done.
Our second readings this Christmas celebrations, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, as well as from the Epistle of St. Paul to his protege, St. Titus, is the affirmation of the revelation of God’s love, kindness and grace which He has revealed through His Son, the Light of salvation and the ultimate proof of Love which God has given us, as the most perfect gift of all, the assurance of His patient persistence in guiding and leading us from the darkness into His light and loving embrace. All of us mankind have long been enslaved and put under the chains and dominions of evil and darkness, by our disobedience against God and His ways. And God alone is capable of leading us all out of this darkness and evil into the light, by His mercy and most generous forgiveness of our many sins.
As we rejoice and reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this special feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we are all again reminded of what and why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. It is the joyful celebration of the birth of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We rejoice at the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, through Whom all of us have seen the salvation and glory of God, made manifest through His Son. Today’s feast calls on us to receive God’s gift by committing ourselves to living as disciples of God’s Son. What better Christmas gift could we offer to God than this? Let us all therefore make good use of this time of Christmas to share the love of God which He has shown us to all of our fellow brethren, in becoming one like us and in dwelling with us, Incarnate in the flesh, by reaching out with love to all the people we meet and encounter, even to acquaintances and strangers. Christmas is not a time to love ourselves and to immerse ourselves in our self-indulgence, festivities, revelries and excessive merrymaking. Instead, it should be a time for us to be more generous in the giving and sharing of our love and joy with others, especially with all those who are less fortunate and not capable of celebrating Christmas in the manner that we do. We should do our best to show others around us what Christmas truly means, and share whatever extra blessings and graces we have received, with those who have less or even none at all. Each and every one of us as Christians are challenged to live up to the true essence and meaning of Christmas. And since Christmas is truly a celebration of God’s Hope, His Peace and Joy, and the manifestation of His Love in our midst, that is why we all should also show this same attitude in our lives, and especially in how we celebrate this Christmas. We should be generous in loving and giving to one another, and be ready and willing to share our joy and merriness with each other, with our brothers and sisters all around us. And there are so many people out there who may not be able to rejoice and celebrate Christmas the way we do, because they are suffering from hardships and challenges in life, and from persecution for their faith in God. Are we willing to share and be generous with our love, hope and comfort for all those around us, brothers and sisters? Are we capable of spending the time and effort to show the true hope of Christmas, the true reason for our joy and celebration, to all those whom we encounter daily in life? Let us all therefore be true and genuine Christians in each and every moments of our lives, and be the beacons of Christ’s Light and Hope in our world today. Let the joy and the true spirit of Christmas be in all and every parts of our lives from now on, and let us all be the good examples, role models and inspiration for all whom we encounter in life. As we enter into this Christmas season, let us all continue to make good use of the time and opportunity in order to deepen our relationship with God, and to immerse ourselves in the celebration of God’s love and compassion, to return our focus and attention, and all of our Christmas celebrations and joy on Christ as the reason why we rejoice throughout this glorious and most joyful season. Let us draw ever closer to the Lord and His love, and let us all be ever more exemplary in how we live our lives from now on, and also in how we share the love of God with one another. May the Lord, our Saviour and King, born to us and celebrated on this Christmas day, continue to be with us and bless us all in our every good endeavours and deeds now and always. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the strength, courage and joy to live in our world today with true Christian virtues, and bear with us the joy of His love and grace, now and always. Wishing all of us a most blessed and wonderful Christmas season for all of us and our loved ones. Amen.🙏
SAINT OF THE DAY: SAINT ANASTASIA, MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 25TH: On this special Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Anastasia, Martyr.
SAINT ANASTASIA, MARTYR: St. Anastasia (c. 281-314 A.D.) was a Roman citizen of the noble class, born to a wealthy pagan father and a Christian mother. She was secretly baptized due to her mother’s desire to raise her as a Christian. St. Anastasia married a Roman pagan of her class, and, when he discovered that she was a practicing Christian, he became a cruel tyrant and inflicted much suffering upon her. After her husband’s untimely death, St. Anastasia devoted her life to acts of charity and to consoling Christians who were imprisoned for their faith. When she was discovered to be a Christian during the persecutions of Diocletian, St. Anastasia was captured, tortured, and starved before being crucified, burned alive, and beheaded. The place of her martyrdom is Sirmium in what is today Serbia, and afterwards she was venerated as a healer and exorcist. St. Anastasia is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Her feast day is December 25th.
Saint Anastasia, Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏🏽
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF DECEMBER:
MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Chosen before time to be the Mother of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, God created Mary perfect and full of grace, preserving her from the stain of Original Sin. Mary Immaculate is the most beautiful fruit of the work of redemption accomplished by her Son, thereby making her the perfect model of holiness for all Christians.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER – FOR PILGRIMS OF HOPE: We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthen our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in our daily lives, and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this special feast of Christmas, we humbly pray and thank God for the special gift of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the safety and well-being of all those traveling during this season of Christmas. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for an end to war and injustice in our world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏
Let us pray:
Lord, I gaze at the wonder of Your birth. You Who are God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, God from God and Light from Light, became one of us, a humble child, born of a virgin and laid in a manger. Help me to ponder this glorious event, to reflect upon the mystery with awe and to more fully grasp the meaning of what You have done for us. I thank You, dear Lord, for this glorious celebration of Your birth into the world. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏
Our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Joseph; Saint Anastasia ~ Pray for us🙏
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Journey mercies for all those traveling during this Christmas season. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe and joyful Christmas! Amen🙏.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!🎄
Blessings and love always, Philomena💖
Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
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