Christmas Reflection: Today a Light Will Shine Upon Us
Entrance Antiphon
Today a light will shine upon us,
for the Lord is born for us;
and He will be called Wondrous God,
Prince of Peace, Father of future ages:
and His reign will be without end.
℣: A light will shine on us today; the Lord is born for us.
Collect
Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we are bathed
in the new radiance of Your Incarnate Word,
the light of faith, which illumines our minds,
may also shine through in our deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever. Amen.
These are the chants and collect for the Mass at Dawn on Christmas day. How fitting that they should speak of sunrise, of new light shining brilliantly. The light is God Himself, the Word, divine Son of the divine Father. Although He forever holds the whole universe in being, He has burst upon it in an entirely new way by becoming human, taking on our flesh and blood and mind and heart. In keeping with what is human, this happened in a particular moment of time, more than 2000 years ago. Now we are celebrating this in-breaking once again, as we do every year just after the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen and the sun of our world seems to triumph over darkness.
But Christmas is not, and cannot be, just a celebration of a past event. God has shone upon us in Christ once and for all; His reign will be without end. The Sun of Justice and Prince of Peace came as a man so that all who believe in Him may share in His divine life through faith and baptism. “The light of faith” says the collect “illumines our minds.” We are bathed in His new radiance now, today. We pray the Almighty Father that this radiance may shine through in our deeds. In that way we become living signs and witnesses that He who is called Wondrous God and Father of future ages is indeed still present and active among us, shining His light over our darkened world.
May God bless you with light and life and peace, this Christmas Day and always!
