[00:00:02] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore, in four bonus episodes, all of the Gospels that will be proclaimed at the Catholic Masses of Christmas on December 24th and December 25th.
In each of these four special episodes, we will take an in-depth look at one of the Gospels featured at the Masses of Christmas: The Vigil Mass, the Midnight Mass, Mass at Dawn, and Mass During the Day. Each episode will begin with the same prayer and the same introductory information, then dive into the particular Gospel assigned to each Mass.
This episode, Episode 81, is Part III of Happy Birthday Jesus, in which we will accompany the shepherds as they visit the newborn Savior.
As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
The Gospels we hear at Christmas teach us many important lessons about the person of Jesus - everything from who he is, what his heritage is, and how his birth came about… to his identity as the divine Word of God, the Logos. But we still need to ask ourselves, who is Jesus to each one of us? And are we willing to invite him into our hearts, our homes, and our lives?
Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of your Son. Help us to truly appreciate the wonder of his Incarnation and to treasure his time here on Earth. Teach us how to grow closer to him each day so that we welcome him with joy into our hearts and acknowledge him as Lord of our lives. We ask this through your Beloved Son, Jesus, born to us in the quiet of this Bethlehem night. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:20] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's take a few moments to understand a bit more about how the Gospels begin, in general, before we listen to what God's message for us is in this Gospel for the Mass at Dawn.
The first thing I want to mention is that every Gospel begins with a Preface or Prologue of some sort - some are quite short while others are quite lengthy. The Prologue of John's Gospel is the longest… we'll hear that in the Mass During the Day on Christmas.
The next point I want to make is that not all Gospels contain Infancy Narratives, those stories relating to Jesus’ birth and childhood, only Matthew and Luke have those. The last thing I want to point out is that Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels that include the genealogy of Jesus, and what each Evangelist does with their genealogy is quite unique. Luke traces the line of Jesus backward through time, beginning with Jesus and ending with Adam. Matthew, on the other hand, traces the line of Jesus forward through time, beginning with Abraham and ending with Jesus. Beyond those specific details, we should understand that there are stories unique to each Evangelist, told from the perspective of a number of different individuals, and that every story offers a treasured glimpse into the life of Jesus and his family before he reaches adulthood and begins his public ministry.
[00:04:07] With all that in mind, let's dive into the Gospel for the Mass at Dawn, which can be celebrated anytime during the morning of Christmas Day.
It is from the Gospel of Luke 2:15-20.
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, as it had been told to them.”
[00:05:07] This particular passage from Luke picks up where the passage proclaimed at Midnight leaves off. We join the shepherds just as the song of the angels concludes… and what happens next?
“When the angels went away from them into heaven,”
The angels, the messengers of God, return to the heavenly realm after delivering their news. Finding themselves in the stillness after the angels’ departure…
“the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’”
Let's take just a moment to put ourselves into the place of those shepherds. They have just witnessed the glorious song of the angelic multitude and are now in the profound silence left behind. They had to be looking at each other and thinking… wait, did that just happen? Did we really see that? And their very next thought had to be… let’s go see if this was real, right? That's what I would do. I'm sure that's what you would do. So…
“They went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.”
In other words, they go to Bethlehem - in haste - do those words sound familiar? They should! Mary went in haste to see her kinswoman, Elizabeth… the shepherds go in haste, in their excitement… to see with their own eyes if what they were told was true. And they found everything just as the angels had told them it would be!
I will include photos on my Instagram this week of the type of cave in which the Holy Family would have sought shelter when there was no room in any of the inns or public houses in the very crowded town of Bethlehem.
“And when they saw it”
In other words, when they saw Jesus - when they confirmed the details of what the angels had told them…
“they made known the saying which had been told them concerning the child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.”
They spread the good news of the birth of a Savior to anyone and everyone they encountered! They evangelized! And everyone they spoke to wondered at this news… not wondered as in - gee, are these shepherds really telling the truth? (Although there may have been some of that as well.) But wondered as in - being in awe of such strange yet fantastic news.
“But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
What a beautiful detail about this tired young mother. At that moment, she has no idea of what the future will hold for her or her baby, but - like any new mother - she cherishes the experience. Any woman who has ever given birth knows what Mary is feeling in that moment… exhaustion, satisfaction, trepidation, excitement, and a surge of immeasurable love and wonder… all jumbled together!
I can remember the first moment I held each of my two sons when they were newborns, along with countless other treasured memories throughout their lives. That's part of being a mom, and Mary was no different in that respect.
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
The shepherds were the first witnesses to the wonder of the Savior's birth. How difficult it must have been to simply return to their flocks after that! But return they did, to their fields and their flocks, to the same existence they had before, yet forever changed by their experience.
And Luke tells us they glorified and praised God, thankful for the message from the angels, grateful for the opportunity to bear witness to the birth of the Savior. And really, isn't that the sincere and genuine response to any encounter with the divine? Think back to a particularly amazing event in your own life… perhaps it was graduating from high school, your first romantic kiss, becoming engaged, your wedding, the birth of a child, an amazing vacation, or a special retreat. We are so full of joy that we want to share those experiences with others, with our family or our friends. I imagine that the shepherds were no different.
That brings us to the end of our Christmas Gospel for the Mass at Dawn, but not the end of the Christmas season. That will not end until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. We learn a great deal about Jesus from the Christmas Gospels… who he is, what his human lineage is, how his birth came about, his relationship with God his Father, his identity as Son, King, Messiah, and divine Logos.
What we cannot learn from the words of Scripture is what Jesus means to each of us. That is something that every person must determine for themselves. So, I will end with one final question… are we willing to open ourselves to God's gift of grace by inviting Jesus into our hearts, our homes, and our lives? Not just at Christmas, but always?
[00:11:49] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you - safe and secure - in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show is assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening. Have a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you richly.
