The feast of Christmas has four different liturgies. They celebrate the in-breaking of divinity into humanity in the person of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. The gospel for the Christmas vigil is from Matthew and begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, son of Abraham. This proclaims the human lineage of Jesus. The gospel reading for the Masses at night and dawn is Luke's account of Jesus’ birth, the presence of angels, and the shepherds tending sheep. The gospel during the day is the prologue to John's gospel, which proclaims the divine nature of Jesus, the Son of God.
This morning, I would like to reflect on Luke's passages from Mass during the night and Mass at dawn. Mary and Joseph had found shelter in a stable in Bethlehem. When Mary gave birth to her son, the child was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Meanwhile, shepherds tended their flocks in the hills. Because they cared for and stayed with their sheep, shepherds could not attend synagogue services or observe the prescribed cleansing and dietary laws. Religious authorities considered shepherds non-observant and held them in low esteem.
God chose to send an angel, probably Gabriel, to announce the birth of His Son to these lowly unwashed shepherds. Appearances of angels seem to instill fear in those who see them. The first words of an angel are often, “Do not be afraid” or “Do not fear.” After calming their fear, the angel proclaims to the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born for you, who is Christ the Lord.” The angel is then joined by a host of singing angels praising God: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom God's favor rests.”
According to Carol Perry, a sister of St. Ursula and scripture scholar, this is the only time in the entire Bible that humans hear the song of angels. Since Sister Carol's Zoom presentation last Advent, I have a heightened awareness and appreciation of angels. After the angels departed, the shepherds went in haste to the city of David, Bethlehem, and became the first known visitors to Mary, Joseph, and the infant in the manger. The shepherds could not contain their joy, so they became Jesus' first disciples by spreading the good news of all they had heard and seen.
Did Simeon and Anna hear their story in Jerusalem, causing them to have a heightened anticipation of the arrival of the Messiah? How will each of us spread the good news of God's love and mercy during the Holy Year of Hope, which began on Christmas Eve when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door? That is something to ponder and act on throughout the Holy Year.
Returning now to the coming of Christ, I would like to consider angels singing at the end of every preface of every Mass in the entire world. The Christmas preface ends: “And so with Angels, Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven we sing the hymn of your glory as without end we acclaim. . . .” Then the choir and congregation sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory.”
Have you ever considered that angels sing with us in this chapel, even if we do not hear them? To me, it seems fitting that choirs of angels and our guardian angels sing and then adore the host and wine when they become the Body and Blood of Christ.
Could angels also be present near every Tabernacle, adoring Christ's presence in the Blessed Sacrament? Did the artist who designed the stained glass window near our tabernacle imply this? If you look at the window from a distance and use your imagination, the outline of a hovering angel in white with a purple and brownish outer covering, whose dark auburn hair surrounds a bright face, can be seen or imagined looking toward the tabernacle.
Christmas celebrates the coming of Christ into the world. During Mass, we celebrate another very personal coming from Christ. At our reception of the Holy Eucharist, we receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
May you have a blessed and joyful Christmas.
– Sister Margaret Carey, OP
Sister Margaret resides in Dominican Convent where she is engaged in prayer ministry and community service.