9781644135945

The Light of the World
in the crib. Christ is the Son, the heir of all that the eternal Father possesses; and all things are
placed in His hands. He is Master of all that exists, and has placed His throne at the right hand
of the Father on high. His reign is eternal and is a reign of justice. Heaven and earth are to pass
away, but Christ and His kingdom shall remain.
The Gradual of the Mass is a commentary on the theme that St. Paul introduces. Christ’s
reign is a reign of grace and will accomplish the redemption of the human race. “All the ends of
the earth have seen the salvation of our God. . . . The Lord hath made known His salvation. . . .
This day a great light hath descended upon the earth.” The Gospel continues this thought.
Blessed are they who receive the light. To them will be given the grace and the strength to
become the children of God. This is the great mystery of Christmas: the Son of God becomes
man in order that men may share the life of God.
At the Offertory we approach with gifts in our hands to lay them at the feet of the divine King,
Christ. The heavens and the earth are Thine. Thine, too, is my heart, my body, my soul, all that
I am and all that I possess. My gift is the bread and wine which will be offered by the priest. To
this gift I add my heart, which I wish to unite to Christ, who is my real gift to God; I wish to
join with the whole Church triumphant and the Church militant in making the holocaust to
the heavenly Father.
Heaven will soon descend upon the altar, “for this day a great light hath descended upon
the earth” (Alleluia verse). The altar becomes a throne, and the dominion of this throne extends
over all men and all the kingdoms of the earth. “A child is born to us, whose government is upon
His shoulders” (Introit). We are not only privileged to see this child, but He is ours to take in
our hands and offer to the heavenly Father as a sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, petition, and
reparation. “Hath he not also with Him given us all things?” (Rom 8:32.) Above our own hearts,
too, the heavens have opened. At Holy Communion heaven will descend upon us, and Christ
will begin the reign of grace in our hearts. “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of
our God” (Gradual). Be thou, O Christ, King and Lord of all nations, and Lord and Master
of my heart.
Christmas (1)
Today the liturgy takes us to Bethlehem, to the crib of the newborn King. There we cast ourselves
on our knees in adoration and contemplate the words of the Credo and the Gospel.
“I believe . . . in the one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father
before all ages. God of God, light of light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made; consubstantial
with the Father; by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven; and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was
made man” (Credo).
In the Gospel of the third Mass, St. John announces the Incarnation of the Son of God:
In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him
was made nothing that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And
the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man
sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of
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