Monday, December 24, 2007

The Feast of The Nativity of Our Lord

From the Introit:
A child is born to us, and a Son is given to us: whose government is upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called the Angel of great counsel.

Epistle from the letter of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews (1: 1-12)

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prohets, last of all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world: who being the brightness of His glory and the figure of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels as He hath inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels hath He said at any time: Thou art my Son, today have I begotten Thee? And again: I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith: And let all the angels of God adore Him. And to the angels indeed He saith: He that maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. But to the Son: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. And: Thou in the beginning, O Lord, didst found the earth: and the works of Thy hands are the heavens. They shall perish, but Thou shalt continue: and they shall all grow old as the garment: and as a vesture shalt Thou change them and they shall be changed: but Thou art the selfsame, and Thy years shall not fail.

Gospel according to St. John (The last Gospel at the end of the Mass):

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 the Light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the Light, but was to give testimony of the Light. That was the true Light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. he came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God to them that believe in His Name, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but God.

AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us: and we saw His glory, the glory as it were of the Only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

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