Saints + Scripture: The Nativity of the Lord

The Popish Plot
Bonus Episode: "Signing 'Silent Night' in A.S.L."
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Bonus Episode: "I Just Need a Robe"

'Tis the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas): Nativity-link ūnus, Nativity-link duo, Wikipedia-link Nativity, & Wikipedia-link Christmas.

Commentary: Wayback Machine.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Vigil)
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-two, verses one thru five;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verses four & five, sixteen & seventeen, & twenty-seven & twenty-nine;
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter thirteen, verses sixteen, seventeen, & twenty-two thru twenty-five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses one thru twenty-five
(or, the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-five).

Mass Readings—Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Night)
The Book of Isaiah, chapter nine, verses one thru six;
Psalm Ninety-six, verses one & two, two & three, eleven & twelve, & thirteen;
The Letter to Titus, chapter two, verses eleven thru fourteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses one thru fourteen.

Mass Readings—Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Dawn)
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-two, verses eleven & twelve;
Psalm Ninety-seven, verses one, six, & eleven & twelve;
The Letter to Titus, chapter three, verses four thru seven;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses fifteen thru twenty.

Mass Readings—Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Day)
The Book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-two, verses seven thru ten;
Psalm Ninety-eight, verses one, two & three, three & four, & five & six;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter one, verses one thru six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter one, verses one thru eighteen
(or, the Gospel according to John, chapter one, verses one thru five & nine thru fourteen).

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God.

We hear at Mass one of the most magnificent passages in the Scriptures, indeed one of the gems of the Western literary tradition: the prologue to the Gospel of John. In many ways, the essential meaning of Christmas is contained in these elegantly crafted lines.

But today I would like to focus on two lines in particular. The first is this: "The world came to be through him, but the world did not know him." In that pithily crafted line, we sense the whole tragedy of sin. Human beings were made by and for the Logos and therefore they find their joy in a sort of sympathetic attunement to the Logos. Sin is the disharmony that comes when we fall out of alignment with God’s reasonable purpose.

Then comes the incomparably good news: "But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God." It is a basic principle of nature that nothing at a lower level of being can rise to a higher level unless it is drawn upward. For example, a plant can become ingredient in a sentient nature only if it is devoured by an animal. By this same principle, a human being can become something higher only when a superior reality assimilates him. The Church Fathers consistently taught that God became human so that humans might become God—which is to say, participants in the divine nature. In a word, we can become children of God precisely because God reached down to us and became a son of man.

Video reflection by Father Juan Molina, O.SS.T.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"God is so great that He can become small. God is so powerful that He can make Himself vulnerable & come to us as a defenseless Child, so that we can love Him."
—Pope emeritus Benedict XVI (born 1927, reigned 2005-2013)

Little Flower Quote o' the Day

"In this brilliant night which illuminates the joy of the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the gentle little Child of the hour, will change the darkness of my soul into torrents of light."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"Look upon the Baby born in Bethlehem Who is beside His Mother Mary. Draw hear to Him, prostrate yourselves to adore Him, & offer Him the gifts that you bear in your heart."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)