Today's First Reading is taken from the Book of Isaiah, beginning at the 52nd Chapter and the 7th Verse (Isaiah 52:7-10)
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns. Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.” The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
La Primera Lectura es de la Libra del Profeto Isaias, empezando en el 52mo Capitulo, y el Verso 7o. (Isais 52:7-10)
¡Qué hermosos son sobre los montes los pies del mensajero que anuncia la paz, que trae la Buena Nueva, que pregona la victoria, que dice a Sión: "¡Tu Dios es rey!" Escucha: tus vigías gritan, cantan a coro, porque ven cara a cara al Señor, que vuelve a Sión. Romped a cantar a coro, ruinas de Jerusalén, que el Señor consuela a su pueblo, rescata a Jerusalén; el Señor desnuda su santo brazo a la vista de todas las naciones, y verán los confines de la tierra la victoria de nuestro Dios.
Today’s Song of Praise is taken from Psalm 98 (Ps 98:1,2-3,3-4,5-6)
R.
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.
El Salmo Responsorial se toma del Libro del Psalma 97
R.- LOS CONFINES DE LA TIERRA HAN CONTEMPLADO LA VICTORIA DE NUESTRO DIOS.
Cantad al Señor un cántico nuevo,
porque ha hecho maravillas:
su diestra le ha dado la victoria,
su santo brazo.
R.- LOS CONFINES DE LA TIERRA HAN CONTEMPLADO LA VICTORIA DE NUESTRO DIOS.
El Señor da a conocer su victoria,
revela a las naciones su justicia:
se acordó de su misericordia y su fidelidad
en favor de la casa de Israel.
R.- LOS CONFINES DE LA TIERRA HAN CONTEMPLADO LA VICTORIA DE NUESTRO DIOS.
Los confines de la tierra han contemplado
la victoria de nuestro Dios.
Aclama al Señor, tierra entera;
gritad, vitoread, tocad.
Tañed la cítara para el Señor,
suenen los instrumentos:
con clarines y al son de trompetas,
aclamad al Rey y Señor.
R.- LOS CONFINES DE LA TIERRA HAN CONTEMPLADO LA VICTORIA DE NUESTRO DIOS.
Today's Epistle is taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews, beginning at the 1st Chapter, and the 1st Verse (Hebr 1:1-6)
In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. For to what angel did God ever say, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
Epistolo de la Carta de San Pablo a los Hebreos (Heb 1:1-6)
En distintas ocasiones y de muchas maneras habló Dios antiguamente a nuestros padres por los profetas. Ahora, en esta etapa final, nos ha hablado por el Hijo, al que ha nombrado heredero de todo, y por medio del cual ha ido realizando las edades del mundo. Él es reflejo de su gloria, impronta de su ser. Él sostiene el universo con su palabra poderosa. Y, habiendo realizado la purificación de los pecados, está sentado a la derecha de su majestad en las alturas; tanto más encumbrado sobre los ángeles, cuanto más sublime es el nombre que ha heredado. Pues, ¿a qué ángel dijo jamás: "Hijo mío eres tú, hoy te he engendrado", o: "Yo seré para él un padre, y él será para mí un hijo"? Y en otro pasaje, al introducir en el mundo al primogénito, dice: "Adórenlo todos los ángeles de Dios."
+The Beginning of the Gospel of St. John, beginning at the 1st Chapter and the 1st Verse. (John 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 were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world
was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own
home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received
him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of
God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of
the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as
of the only Son from the Father.
(John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'")
And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. : No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.
+Comienzo del Santo Evangelio segun San Juan, empezando en el Capitulo Primo, y la Versa Prima (Juan 1:1-18)
En el principio ya existía la Palabra, y la Palabra estaba junto a Dios, y la Palabra era Dios. La Palabra en el principio estaba junto a Dios. Por medio de la Palabra se hizo todo, y sin ella no se hizo nada de lo que se ha hecho. En la Palabra había vida, y la vida era la luz de los hombres. La luz brilla en la tiniebla, y la tiniebla no la recibió.
Surgió un hombre enviado por Dios, que se llamaba Juan: éste venía como testigo, para dar testimonio de la luz, para que por él todos vinieran a la fe. No era él la luz, sino testigo de la luz.
La Palabra era la luz verdadera, que alumbra a todo hombre. Al mundo vino, y en el mundo estaba; el mundo se hizo por medio de ella, y el mundo no la conoció. Vino a su casa, y los suyos no la recibieron. Pero a cuantos la recibieron, les da poder para ser hijos de Dios, si creen en su nombre. Éstos no han nacido de sangre, ni de amor carnal, ni de amor humano, sino de Dios. Y la Palabra se hizo carne y acampó entre nosotros, y hemos contemplado su gloria: gloria propia del Hijo único del Padre, lleno de gracia y de verdad.
Juan da testimonio de él y grita diciendo:
-- Este es de quien dije: "El que viene detrás de mí pasa delante de mí, porque existía antes que yo."
Pues de su plenitud todos hemos recibido, gracia tras gracia. Porque la Ley se dio por medio de Moisés, la gracia y la verdad vinieron por medio de Jesucristo. A Dios nadie lo ha visto jamás: el Hijo único, que está en el seno del Padre, es quien lo ha dado a conocer.
Today, we celebrate the Great Miracle of the Ages – the Almighty and Transcendent God reaching out to us, and stepping down to be a limited, simple human being. The first five verses of the Gospel of John have rung out and celebrated this Incarnation in the Church's languages over the centuries:
John 1:1-5
Greek: En arche hen o Logos, kai o Logos pros ton Theon, kai Theos hen o Logos. Outos hen en arche pros ton Theon. Panta di auton egeneto, kai khoris autou egenteto oude hen ho gegonen, En auto Zoe hen, kai he Zoe hen to Phos ton anthropon, kai to phos en te skotia phainei, kai he skotia auto ou kateleben.
Latin: In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum Hoc erat in principio apud Deum Omnia per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est In ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum, et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non conprehenderunt.
English: 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 were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Spanish: En el principio ya existía la Palabra, y la Palabra estaba junto a Dios, y la Palabra era Dios. La Palabra en el principio estaba junto a Dios. Por medio de la Palabra se hizo todo, y sin ella no se hizo nada de lo que se ha hecho. En la Palabra había vida, y la vida era la luz de los hombres. La luz brilla en la tiniebla, y la tiniebla no la recibió.
The Maker and Shaper of the whole Universe – who sees every place and every time at once, so limited Himself, for love of us, to exist and be as we are – poor limited souls, trapped in time and space. From Mastery and Glory, He slipped into flesh – In-carn-atus – and was born in a stable, teh humblest of the humble.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, makes the same point:
Philippians 2:5b-7 -- Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
At another place in his Gospel, John says it another way:
John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It is that belief which is our Justification – the key to the door to heaven. That key – Justification – does not open the door – the energy of our work and conformance to the Will of God – as Matthew records Jesus saying:
Matt 7:21 -- Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord!' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
We must Love, and Believe, and Work – as Jesus loved us enough to come into the world and flesh, and God calls us to believe in His Word and Jesus' message, and as Jesus worked and suffered on our behalf.
The world and the flesh are not evil in themselves – else god would not have entered in – but they are imperfect, and in need of our prayer and energy to reform them, and bring them to the Father as our Gift of Faith.
Let us then pray that God give us the strength and wisdom to do as we ought, crying “Lord, Lord!”, but putting our shoulders to the work of stewardship of God's world.
In the name of the Father +
And of the Son +
And of the Holy Spirit +
Amen