First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (52:7-10)

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, saying to Zion, "Your God is King!".

Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the Lord restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord comforts His people, He redeems Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of earth will behold the salvation of our God.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6)

(R) All the ends of the Earth have seen the saving power of God.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for Him, His holy arm. (R)

The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice. He has remembered His kindness and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R)

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)

Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the Lord. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews (1:1-6)

Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He has spoken to us through the Son, whom He made heir of all things and through whom He created the universe, who is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being, and who sustains all things by His mighty word. When He had accomplished purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my son; this day I have begotten you Or again: I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me? And again, when He leads the firstborn into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship him.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (1:1-18)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 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. These are they 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.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Here is a story. In a small village there was a tradition - if somebody finds anything that belongs to another, the person must go to the village square and loudly shout ten times: I have found this thing. If no one claims even after ten shouts then it would belong to the finder. One day a man who had found a gold ring on the street went to the village square, followed the ritual and shouted ten times that he had found something as required and then returned home. Upon his return his wife asked him, "Where have you been?" He said, "Oh! I had found a gold ring. So following the tradition of our village I went to the square." His wife said, "How foolish you are. You went in the middle of the night when everybody is asleep. Did you really shout ten times?" The man said, "Yes, I shouted, but not so loudly. In fact, I could not even hear it myself. I just mumbled, because I saw a beggar sleeping nearby and I was afraid that he may wake up and claim it. But I have followed the rule; now there is no trouble. We can keep it forever."

Friends, Christian faith does not end with us finding Christ and experiencing his promises of hope, peace, joy, love and light and following certain rituals to show our faithfulness to him but also proclaiming these glad tidings as loud as possible to those who have lost him and who are yet to find and believe in him because Christ the Messiah has come for all people. He is for you, for me and for everyone. Glad tidings of hope, peace, joy, love and light belong to all mankind.

In today's text, the prophet Isaiah who has predicted the coming of Christ speaks about the beauty of the feet of the Messiah who brings good news. Isn't it very strange that he compliments Jesus for his feet? You may have complimented someone for their face, eyes, hair and even legs. But how many times have you complimented anyone for their beautiful feet? We usually don't. Because feet are something people generally do not like to look at or touch. But the prophet says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, saying to Zion, "Your God is King!""

Yes. For the prophet the feet of the Messiah are beautiful. Why are the feet of the Messiah beautiful? They are beautiful because they carry the message of salvation - a message of hope, peace, joy, love and light. They bring only good and joyful news to all mankind. The prophet predicts the time when people would see for themselves as he goes from place to place, person to person, preaching the good news of the kingdom, speaking in synagogues, cleansing lepers, bringing sight to the blind, making the deaf hear and the mute speak, offering forgiveness, performing miracles, raising the dead, healing the wounded and restoring peace. Jesus manifested hope, peace, joy, love and light in all his teachings and miracles. We read the work of the Messiah while he walked on earth among the people; how people waited for him and followed him wherever he went. Finally his beautiful feet took him to the mount of Calvary to be crucified.

However, after Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection the message becomes a message for us and is about us. Jesus invites all believers to carry the same message to others who are yet to believe in him. He says, "Everyone who has left house or brother or sister or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." Matthew (19:29)

Friends, Jesus' disciples and early Christians and missionaries crossed lands and seas and literally walked mountains and hills to bring the glad tidings to us. Otherwise you and I would not be sitting here today. Today, it is our duty to spread the glad tidings that we have found in and through Jesus Christ. Moreover it is also much easier for us.

What do you have to offer to others? Do you have any of the glad tidings or good news that our Messiah has brought to you? Or do you have only thoughts, words and actions that bring sadness to others? Our glad tidings could be very simple: I love you. I remember you. I forgive you. I pray for you. I thank you. I appreciate you. I share with you. Do not be afraid. God is with you. I can help you and so on. These are important as they will bring so much hope, peace, joy, love and light to others. Let us today ask our Lord to bless our efforts to bring the glad tidings to everyone in need.

Merry Christmas!

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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