Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

Homily by Franklin Fong, OFM

Remember that the first candle is called the Prophet’s candle representing HOPE of the arrival of the Messiah.

The second candle is called the Bethlehem candle representing the FAITH that Joseph and Mary had in their journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is call Gaudete Candle or Shepherd’s Candle representing the JOY of Christ’s coming when announced to the shepherds.

The fourth candle is called the candle of PEACE or the Angel’s Candle. Angels announced that Jesus came to bring peace with God and with each other.

This central candle is called the Christ Candle and represents the LIGHT and PURITY of Jesus Christ coming into the world. It is placed in the middle of the wreath as a reminder of the central role of Christ in our spiritual journey!

So now let’s look at the three readings for today.

The first reading from Isaiah is from the time when the Jews were returning to their homeland at the end of the Babylonian Captivity. The setting is in the desolate city Jerusalem, where a remnant of people is awaiting the exiles' return. The city is rhetorically called "Zion," after the hill in its middle where the Temple stood. Isaiah first imagines that the waiting people can hear, even on a distant hill, the footsteps of their returning kin. The returnees are pictured as singing exultantly, "Your God is King!" this is a clear example of how God can bring joy back to a suffering people.

Psalm 98 reminds us how the saving power of God has been seen everywhere on Earth through the signs of justice, mercy, kindness and faithfulness. We respond with joyful songs of praise!

In our second reading from St Paul’s letter to Hebrews we hear about how Jewish converts to Christ had many struggles they felt because they missed so many of the institutions of Judaism. St Paul points out to them that they have more now in Christ than ever before. This passage compares God's communication through the prophets versus how God has just communicated in Christ, and how Christ is superior to the angels as mediator.

It is clear then that this reading is about the superiority of Jesus to everything and everyone else. Specifically, it states how Jesus is superior to angels. Implied here is that Jesus is superior to the institutions of Judaism, from which the Hebrew Christians were cut off and for which they were feeling nostalgic.

The reading from the Gospel of John focuses our attention on the ways that God has shown up for us as the WORD ! This word of God is compared to being the light to humans to guide us through the darkness of the world. In addition, God sent an angel to tell the elderly couple Elizabeth and Zechariah that they will be given a child John to help spread the good news and to testify to the light of Christ. John’s role in life was clearly seen and understood as “to prepare the way” for Jesus as the Son of God.

The word of God comes forth in flesh in the life of Jesus. God is with us, and God still trusts us.

Christmas is a feast of joyful hope, for God has become one with us in the person of his Son, true God and true man. He showed his love for us by becoming part of our world, with all its conflicts, its suffering and its poverty. Jesus is truly Emmanuel: God among us. This is the great “gift” which he brings: a divine love, which heals and transforms our hearts, overcoming all uncertainty and pessimism.

Our joyful contemplation of the mystery of Christmas should make us realize that, as God has become one of us, we too are called to become like God: humble, close to others, especially the poor, and ever attentive to their needs.

In these verses by St John, we also hear about the rejection of Jesus by his fellow Jews. This rejection is an opportunity seized by God to open the reign of grace and mercy to all people, to show the world finally and definitively that there is only one God for all people, and that all people can be united as children of this one God.

So here are some reflection questions to consider in the coming week:

• If you want to find God today where might you start looking?

• In what ways have you been humble? Close to others?

• Has there been a positive side of rejection to something you have done in ministry?

• What are some of the various ways God speaks to you?

• Do you look for God in the lowly/painful events of your life as well as the great ones?

• What do persons look like if they are like an imprint of Christ? Where in your life have you found imprints of Christ?

So brothers and sisters of the Chinese Catholic Community,

that is the Good News for this Christmas Sunday !

Alleluia Alleluia !

(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)

莊嚴的耶穌降生（聖誕節）
耶穌聖誕節
鄺神父 (Franklin Fong, OFM) 主日道理中譯本
讀經一: 依撒意亞先知書 52: 7-10
讀經二: 希伯來書 1:1-6
若望福音: 1:1-18
 
還記得將臨期第一根蠟燭被稱為先知的蠟燭，代表默西亞到來的希望。

第二根蠟燭被稱為白冷蠟燭，代表若瑟和瑪利亞在前往白冷的旅程中所懷有的信德。

第三根蠟燭被稱為牧羊人蠟燭 ，代表向牧羊人宣布基督來臨的喜悅。

第四根蠟燭被稱為和平蠟燭或天使蠟燭。天使宣布耶穌的到來帶來了與天主和人世間彼此的平安。

在中央的蠟燭被稱為基督蠟燭，代表了耶穌基督來到世界上的真光與純潔。它被放在花環的中間，提醒我們基督在我們靈性之旅中的核心作用！

現在讓我們看看今天的三篇讀經。

第一篇讀經依撒意亞先知書，是從猶太人在巴比倫結束被擄後返回家園的時候開始的。背景是在荒涼的城市耶路撒冷，那裡有一群殘餘的人正在等待流亡者歸來。這座城市被稱為 “熙雍”，以聖殿所在的山丘命名。先知依撒意亞首先想像等待的人們即使在遙遠的山上也能聽到歸來親人的腳步聲。回歸者被描繪成歡欣雀躍地唱著：“你的上主為王！”這是一個清晰的例子，說明上主如何將喜樂帶回給受苦的人民。

聖詠 98 篇提醒我們上主的拯救大能如何通過正義、憐憫、仁愛和信實的標誌在世界上隨處可見。我們用歡樂的讚美詩歌來回應！

在第二篇讀經，聖保祿寫給希伯來人的書信中，我們了解到皈依基督的猶太人如何經歷了許多掙扎，因為他們迷失於太多的猶太制度中。聖保祿向他們指出，他們現今在基督内比以往任何時候都擁有更多的恩寵。這段經文比較了天主通過與先知的聯系和天主以基督作聯系的方式，以及基督作為中保是如何超越天使。

那麼很明顯，這篇讀經是關於耶穌超越一切。具體來說，它說明了耶穌如何超越天使。與猶太分隔以後，希伯來人只是緬懷昔日的猶太傳統，耶穌既超越一切，也超越了猶太傳統制度。

 
若望福音將我們的注意力集中在上主以聖言的形式向我們顯現！上主的聖言被比作人類的光，引導我們穿過世界的黑暗。此外，上主還差遣天使告訴依撒伯爾和匝加利亞這對老夫婦，他們將懷有一個孩子若翰，以幫助傳揚福音並為基督的光作見證。若翰在生活中的角色被清楚地看到和理解到，他為天主子耶穌 “預備道路”。

聖言成了血肉，寄居在我們中間，天主仍然信任我們。

基督降生是喜樂希望的盛宴，因為上主在他真是天主又真是人的兒子身上與我們合而為一。他通過成為我們世界的一部分來表達他對我們的愛，包括所有的紛爭、苦難和貧困。耶穌真是厄瑪努爾(Emmanuel)：天主在我們中間。這是他帶來的珍貴“禮物”：一種神聖的愛，可以治愈和改變我們的心靈，克服所有的不確定性和悲觀情緒。

我們對基督降生奧秘的愉悦默思，應該讓我們意識到，當天主成為我們中的一員時，我們也被召喚變得像天主一樣：謙和、親近他人，尤其是窮人，並時刻關注他們的需要。

在若望福音的章節中，我們還看到耶穌被他的猶太人同胞拒絕。天主把握了這個機會，給了所有人恩典和憐憫，最終明確地向世界展示只有一位天主，所有人都可以成為天主的孩子而團結起來.
因此，以下是這週需要反思的一些問題：

• 如果你今天想找尋天主，你會從哪裡開始尋找？
• 你有那些謙和的素質？是否願意與他人接近？
• 你為教會處理事務被人拒絕，最終事情可有轉化成正面的結局？
• 上主曾以那些不同的方式與你說話？
• 除了在大事中尋找天主外，你曾否在生命中的細微瑣事和痛苦中    尋找天主？

• 如果人具有基督的印記，他們看起來像什麼？在你的生活中，你    在那裡找到基督的印記？

 
華人天主教會的兄弟姐妹們，這就是這個聖誕主日的好消息！

亞肋路亞，感謝天主！