The Boy Jesus At The Temple (FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY - C)

DECEMBER 26, 2021, SUNDAY
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH (White)
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 17

Reading I
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;

    a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.

Whoever honors his father atones for sins,

    and preserves himself from them.

When he prays, he is heard;

    he stores up riches who reveres his mother.

Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,

    and, when he prays, is heard.

Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;

    he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old;

    grieve him not as long as he lives.

Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;

    revile him not all the days of his life;

kindness to a father will not be forgotten,

    firmly planted against the debt of your sins

    —a house raised in justice to you.

OR:

1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28

In those days Hannah conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son

whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.

The next time her husband Elkanah was going up

with the rest of his household

to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows,

Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband,

“Once the child is weaned,

I will take him to appear before the LORD

and to remain there forever;

I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite.”

Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him up with her,

along with a three-year-old bull,

an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,

and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.

After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,

Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:

“Pardon, my lord!

As you live, my lord,

I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

Hannah left Samuel there.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.

R. (cf. 1)  Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,

   who walks in his ways!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;

   blessed shall you be, and favored.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

   in the recesses of your home;

your children like olive plants

   around your table.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Behold, thus is the man blessed

   who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion:

   may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

   all the days of your life.

R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

OR:

Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10.

R. (cf. 5a)  Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

    My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Happy they who dwell in your house!

    Continually they praise you.

Happy the men whose strength you are!

    Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

O LORD of hosts, hear our prayer;

    hearken, O God of Jacob!

O God, behold our shield,

    and look upon the face of your anointed.

R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Reading II
Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:

Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,

heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

bearing with one another and forgiving one another, 

if one has a grievance against another; 

as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

And over all these put on love, 

that is, the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, 

the peace into which you were also called in one body.

And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 

as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, 

singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs 

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, 

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him.  

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, 

as is proper in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives, 

and avoid any bitterness toward them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, 

for this is pleasing to the Lord.

Fathers, do not provoke your children, 

so they may not become discouraged.

OR:

Brothers and sisters:

Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,

heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

bearing with one another and forgiving one another, 

if one has a grievance against another; 

as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

And over all these put on love, 

that is, the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, 

the peace into which you were also called in one body.

And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 

as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, 

singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs 

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, 

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him.  

OR:

1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24

Beloved:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us

that we may be called the children of God.

And so we are.

The reason the world does not know us

is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now;

what we shall be has not yet been revealed.

We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,

we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask,

because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

And his commandment is this:

we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,

and love one another just as he commanded us.

Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,

and the way we know that he remains in us

is from the Spirit he gave us.

Alleluia
Col 3:15a, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

OR:

Cf. Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Open our hearts, O Lord,

to listen to the words of your Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 2:41-52

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast

of Passover, 

and when he was twelve years old, 

they went up according to festival custom.

After they had completed its days, as they were returning, 

the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, 

but his parents did not know it.

Thinking that he was in the caravan,

they journeyed for a day

and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 

but not finding him,

they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple, 

sitting in the midst of the teachers, 

listening to them and asking them questions, 

and all who heard him were astounded 

at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him,

they were astonished, 

and his mother said to him, 

“Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them,

“Why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

But they did not understand what he said to them.

He went down with them and came to Nazareth,

and was obedient to them; 

and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor

before God and man.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Like every other mother, Mary was the person who had the greatest influence on her son's heart. She taught him how to love, share, pray, be compassionate. She was the first to speak to him about God, and in her he could see these values come alive. Mary, shape and teach my heart to be as close to the heart of Jesus as your own heart was.

PRAYER:

Lord, today I remember all the missing children of our world through slavery, bonded labor and trafficking. I pray for their distraught parents who frantically seek for the child entrusted to them

SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (CHRISTMAS DAY - C)

DECEMBER 25, 2021 SATURDAY
SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (CHRISTMAS DAY) (White)
MASS DURING THE DAY
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 16

Reading I
Is 52:7-10

    How beautiful upon the mountains

        are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,

    announcing peace, bearing good news,

        announcing salvation, and 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 the earth will behold

        the salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6.

R. (3c)  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. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

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 saving power of God.

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. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

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. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Reading II
Heb 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.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A holy day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.

For today a great light has come upon the earth.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 1:1-18

    In the beginning was the Word,

        and the Word was with God,

        and the Word was 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, 

to those 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.

OR:

Jn 1:1-5, 9-14

    In the beginning was the Word,

        and the Word was with God,

        and the Word was 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.

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, 

to those 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The Light of the World has come among us. He is born in the night, with his own star blazing above him. He lies in the dimness of a stable, that same Lord who, as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, led the Israelites to freedom. He has come to bring his people from darkness into light. As we gaze into the manger, at the tiny creature who is given to us as a light to the nations, we can only whisper ‘Come, let us adore him’.

PRAYER:

Lord, let me set aside some time today, to reflect back on how the light of your presence has impacted on my life during this past year. Let me be grateful and give thanks for all I have received from you directly and through the gift of other people.

The Birth Of Jesus (CHRISTMAS EVE - C)

DECEMBER 24, 2021 FRIDAY
THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (CHRISTMAS EVE) - VIGIL MASS 
(White)
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 13

Reading I
Is 62:1-5

    For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,

        for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,

    until her vindication shines forth like the dawn

        and her victory like a burning torch.

    Nations shall behold your vindication,

        and all the kings your glory;

    you shall be called by a new name

        pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.

    You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,

        a royal diadem held by your God.

    No more shall people call you “Forsaken,”

        or your land “Desolate,”

    but you shall be called “My Delight,”

        and your land “Espoused.”

    For the LORD delights in you

        and makes your land his spouse.

    As a young man marries a virgin,

        your Builder shall marry you;

    and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride

        so shall your God rejoice in you.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29.

R. (2a)  For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

   I have sworn to David my servant:

Forever will I confirm your posterity

   and establish your throne for all generations.

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;

   in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.

At your name they rejoice all the day,

   and through your justice they are exalted.

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

He shall say of me, “You are my father,

   my God, the rock, my savior.”

Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,

   and my covenant with him stands firm.

R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading II
Acts 13:16-17, 22-25

When Paul reached Antioch in Pisidia and entered the synagogue,

he stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, 

“Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing, listen.

The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors 

and exalted the people during their sojourn in the

land of Egypt.

With uplifted arm he led them out of it.

Then he removed Saul and raised up David as king;

of him he testified,

‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;

he will carry out my every wish.’

From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, 

has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.

John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance 

to all the people of Israel; 

and as John was completing his course, he would say, 

‘What do you suppose that I am?  I am not he.

Behold, one is coming after me; 

I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Tomorrow the wickedness of the earth will be destroyed:

the Savior of the world will reign over us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 1:1-25

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,

whose mother was Tamar.

Perez became the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab.

Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz,

whose mother was Rahab.

Boaz became the father of Obed,

whose mother was Ruth.

Obed became the father of Jesse,

Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,

whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.

Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asaph.

Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Uzziah.

Uzziah became the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amos,

Amos the father of Josiah.

Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers

at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,

Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.

Abiud became the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor the father of Zadok.

Zadok became the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud the father of Eleazar.

Eleazar became the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations

from Abraham to David

is fourteen generations;

from David to the Babylonian exile,

fourteen generations;

from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,

fourteen generations.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

He had no relations with her until she bore a son,

and he named him Jesus.

OR

MT 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

He had no relations with her until she bore a son,

and he named him Jesus.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Saint Joseph had a very important part in the birth of Christ. Our salvation depends on Mary’s obedience to the will of God. It also depends on Joseph’s. Our own obedience is very important too.

It all happened to fulfill what the prophets had foretold. God knows everything; plans everything. It is all for our good and we can accept it all in peace.

PRAYER:

We thank You Baby Jesus Christ for everything. For all the blessings and graces that you've showered for us not just for myself but also to our families & friends. In Your special day, let all of us do the honors to offer ourselves our praises and thanksgiving to celebrate with You in your birthday through the spirit of HOPE, PEACE, JOY & LOVE.