Adoration of the Shepherds
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy
Mother of God
The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
This is a Holyday of Obligation in the Philippines, the USA and some other countries.
Readings
(Jerusalem
Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,)
Readings (English
Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)
Readings (New
American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Luke 2:16-21 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
At
that time: the shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the
baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the
saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it
wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up 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.
And at
the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the
name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Léachtaí i nGaeilge
Adoration of the Shepherds
The alternative Entrance Antiphon of the Mass for this feast reads: Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us; and he will be called Wondrous God, Prince of peace, Father of future ages: and his reign will be without end.
Jacopo Bassano's painting Adoration of the Shepherds captures beautifully the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon: Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us. Light is breaking through from the heavens at the top but the much greater light at the bottom is radiating from the Child in the manger, lighting up the face of Mary and, behind her, that of St Joseph, and those of the shepherds in awe of what they are seeing: glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Even the cow and of the shepherds' dogs in the bottom right-hand corner seem to have some sense of the wonder of the occasion.
Caravaggio's light in his painting of the same scene below is much more subdued but so deeply touching.
The First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27) emphasises this: The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 66 [67]) in turn reinforces the theme of the light of love shining from the face of God: God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us.
The Preface of the Mass, addressed to the Father, draws our attention once again to the theme of the Light that has come into the world: For by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she conceived your Only Begotten Son, and without losing the glory of virginity, brought forth into the world the eternal Light, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Communion Antiphon reminds us that the Light that has come into the world in Bethlehem never goes out: Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).
The Prologue to St John's Gospel, read at the Mass During the Day on Christmas Day and at the Mass on the last day of the year, speaks of the same Light: 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. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world (John 1:4-9). This gospel used to be read at the end of every Mass, known as 'The Last Gospel'. It still is when the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated.
We need to focus on the reality that the Word of God, the Light of life, Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, is living among us and has conquered the darkness through his death and resurrection. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Six years ago on this very day, The Solemnity of Mary, The Mother of God, here in the Republic of Ireland abortion on demand up to twelve weeks came into law. This, for me, was the darkest day in our whole history. 34,009 children were legally aborted up the end of 2023, the vast majority in the early stages of pregnancy. Yet the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And the Light is the Divine Infant, Jesus, God who became Man
Despite the fact that in the whole Christmas Season, which ends this New Year on Sunday 12 January, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are celebrating the Light coming into the world, there are hints of the darkness that still lingers. We have the Feast of the Holy Innocents on 28 December where the infant boys in Bethlehem were slaughtered. This is echoed in the gospel for the Epiphany. We saw the pain of Mary and Joseph in last Sunday's gospel when they could not find the 12-year-old Jesus after their pilgrimage to the Temple.
Today's feast celebrates the mission that God chose for Mary from all eternity: to bring his Son Jesus to us and to bring us to Jesus. In the paintings by Bassano, Caravaggio and Rembrandt we see Mary presenting Jesus to the shepherds, presenting Jesus to all of us. She is not drawing attention to herself. And Bassano and Rembrandt show Jesus so clearly to be The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world (John 1:9). That Light, in God's plan, came into the world through Mary and she is, as it were, the lighthouse that guides us to that Light, Son of God and her Son.
Adoration of the
Shepherds
Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]
Traditional Latin Mass
Octave Day of the Nativity, The Circumcision of the Lord
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 01-01-2025 if necessary).
Epistle: Titus 2:11-15. Gospel: Luke 2:21.
Circumcision of Jesus
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:21; Gospel).
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