Bible Readings Wednesday The Nativity of the Lord Christmas At the Vigil Mass December 24 2008

December 24 2008 Wednesday Fourth Week of Advent
The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas Vigil Mass
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About the sources used. The readings on this site are from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/122408b.shtml

Isaiah 62:1-5
Douay-Rheims Challoner

For Sion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest till her just one come forth as brightness, and her saviour be lighted as a lamp. And the Gentiles shall see thy just one, and all kings thy glorious one: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. And thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be called Forsaken: and thy land shall no more be called Desolate: but thou shalt be called My pleasure in her, and thy land inhabited. Because the Lord hath been well pleased with thee: and thy land shall be inhabited. For the young man shall dwell with the virgin, and thy children shall dwell in thee. And the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and thy God shall rejoice over thee.

Responsorial Psalm 88:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29 (Ps 89 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

I have made a covenant with my elect:
I have sworn to David my servant:
Thy seed will I settle for ever.
And I will build up thy throne
unto generation and generation.
Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation.
They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance:
And in thy name they shall rejoice all the day,
and in thy justice they shall be exalted.
He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father:
my God, and the support of my salvation.
I will keep my mercy for him for ever:
and my covenant faithful to him.

Acts 13:16-17, 22-25
Haydock New Testament

Then Paul rising up, and with his hand bespeaking silence, said:

Ye men of Israel, and you that fear God, give ear: The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people, when they were sojourners in the land of Egypt, and with a mighty arm brought them out from thence. And when he had removed him (Saul), he raised them up David to be king: to whom giving testimony, he said: I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my own heart, who shall do all my will. Of this man’s see God, according to his promise, hath raised up to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, John first preaching before his coming the baptism of penance to all the people of Israel. And when John was fulfilling his course, he said:

I am not he, whom you think me to be: but behold he cometh after me, the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 1:1-25
Haydock New Testament

THE book of the generation of JESUS CHRIST, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and Zara, of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot David, the king. And David, the king, begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abias. And Abias begot Asa. And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. And Ozias begot Joatham. And Joatham begot Achas. And Achas begot Ezechias. And Ezechias begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. And Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were carried to Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud. And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob.

And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David, are fourteen generations: and from David until the carrying away to Babylon, fourteen generations: and from the carrying away to Babylon till Christ, fourteen generations.

Now the birth of Christ was thus: When Mary, his mother, was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shall call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that the word might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. And he knew her not till she brought forth her first-born son, and he called his name Jesus.

Haydock Commentary Isaiah 62:1-5

• Ver. 1. Rest, as long as God grants me life, or till I behold the Saviour; or Cyrus, the figure of Christ. C.—True preachers will not be silent on account of any threats, but will labour for the Church. 2 Tim 2. W.
• Ver. 2. One. No profane historian mentions what Cyrus did for the Jews; but all the world knows how much Christ has favoured his Church. C.—Name. Thou shalt be no longer the rebellious Jerusalem, but the spouse and chosen people, the Church of Christ. S. Ignatius ad Magnes. S. Jerome.
• Ver. 3. Hand. Chal. “before.” Heb. “by the protection.”
• Ver. 4. Forsaken. Yet the synagogue was again rejected, at the death of Christ. The promises naturally relate to his Church. C.—Inhabited. Prot. retain the Heb. words Chephtsi-bah, “my delight in her,” and Beulah, (marg.) “married.” H.
• Ver. 5. Dwell. Heb. “marry.” They shall be attached to their country.—Thee. He shall love thee as a bridegroom does one whom he has lately married. Christ never abandons his virgin spouse. C.—Isaias speaks of some state of the Jews which has not yet taken place. Houbigant.

Haydock Commentary Acts 13:16-17, 22-25

• Ver. 24. &c. He then brings the testimony, which John the Baptist gave of Jesus, as it is likely many of them had heard of John, and of the great esteem that all the people had of his virtue and sanctity. He tells them that salvation was offered and sent them by Jesus, against whom the chief of the Jews at Jerusalem obtained of Pilate a sentence, that he should be crucified; but that God raised him up from the dead the third day. And we, says he, publish to you this promise, the Messias, promised to our forefathers.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 1:18-25

• Ver. 18. The account of the birth of Jesus Christ follows his genealogy. From these words, “before they came together,” Helvidius and others have started objections, which have been answered long ago by S. Jerome, where he shews in many examples from Scripture, that the words before and until do not signify what happened afterwards; for that point is left indefinite, but only what was done before, or not done. Thus when it is said, Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool, Ps. cix, by no means signifies, that after the subjection of his enemies, the Son of God is no longer to sit at the right hand of his Father. In common conversation, when we say that a man died before he reached his 30^th year, we do not mean that he afterwards attained it. Or, should we say that Helvidius died before he did penance, we cannot mean that afterwards did penance: the same conclusion should be deduced from the words, “before they cam together,” the end being accomplished by the power of the operation of the Holy Ghost, without their going together. If we should advance, that such a man was cured before he went to a physician, the natural inference would be, that he did not go to a physician at all. Thus also in the language of Scripture, the word first-begotten does not mean after whom others were born, but before whom no one was born, whether there were further issue or not. And the reason is, because the law required that a sacrifice should be offered for the first-born, and that he should be redeemed very soon after his birth; nor did it allow the parents to wait and see if any other son should be born. E.—True and perfect marriage, and continual living in the same, without knowing each other. S. Aug. l. ii. Consen. Evang. c. i. B.
• Ver. 19. And Joseph her husband, knowing her strict virtue, was surprised at this her pregnancy, but “being a just man,” and not willing to expose her, by denouncing her, or giving her a bill of divorce, he had a mind to dismiss her privately, committing the whole cause to God. Let us learn from Joseph to be ever tender of our neighbour’s reputation, and never to entertain any injurious thoughts, or any suspicions to his prejudice. A.
• Ver. 20. Fear not to take, &c. i.e. fear not to marry her, if we suppose them not yet married, or if married already, the sense is fear not to keep and remain with thy chaste wife; lay aside all thoughts of dismissing and leaving her. Wi.—As the incarnation of the Son of God was effected by the whole blessed Trinity, it may be asked why this operation is peculiarly attributed to the Holy Ghost, not only here, but in Luke ii, and in the apostles’ creed? The answer is, because as power is attributed to the Father, wisdom to the Son, so goodness is attributed to the Holy Ghost, and the gifts of grace which proceed from it. Estius in diff. loca.
• Ver. 21. Jesus … he shall save, &c. The characteristic name of Saviour was peculiar to the Messias, by which he was distinguished, as well as by the adorable name of Jesus. The expectations of both Jew and Gentile looked forward to a saviour. S. Augustine, in the 18^th book, 23d chapter, de Civitate Dei, introduces a curious anecdote. He mentions there, that he received from the eloquent and learned Proconsul Flactianus, a book containing in Greek the verses of one of the Sybils, which related to the coming of Christ. The substance of them is much the same as occurs in the prophecies of Isaiah, from which Virgil has likewise copied into his Pollio, many of the sublime thoughts which we find in that beautiful eclogue. It is remarkable that of the initials of these verses, S. Augustine had formed an acrostic to the following import (Greek text) that is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Saviour. A.
• Ver. 22. The Greeks in general, after S. John Chrysostom, look upon this as a continuation of the angel’s speech to S. Joseph. The other Fathers and commentators think it is a reflection of the evangelist.
• Ver. 23. Behold a virgin, || &c. The Jews sometimes objected, as we see in S. Justin’s dialogue with Tryphon, that the Hebrew word alma, in the prophet Isaias, signified no more than a young woman. But S. Jerome tells us that alma signifies a virgin kept close up. Let the Jews, says he, shew me any place in which the Hebrew word alma, is applied to any one that is not a virgin, and I will own my ignorance. Besides the very circumstances in the text of the prophet, are more than a sufficient confutation of this Jewish exposition; for there a sign, or miracle, is promised to Achaz; and what miracle would it be for a young woman to have a child, when she had ceased to be a virgin? Wi.—How happens it that nowhere in the gospels, or in any other part, do we find Christ called Emmanuel? I answer, that in the Greek expression the name is given for the thing signified; and the meaning is: He shall be a true Emmanuel, i.e. a God with us, true God and true man. E.—The text says, they shall call, i.e. all men shall look upon Him as an Emmanuel. Again, his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty, the Prince of peace, &c. i.e. He shall be all these, not so much nominally, as really and in effect. A.
• Ver. 24. The heretic Helvidius argues from this text, and from what we read in the gospel of Christ’s brethren, that Christ had brothers, and Mary other sons. But it is evident that in the style of the Scriptures, they who were no more than cousins were called brothers and sisters. A.
• Ver. 25. See note on ver. 18.—S. Jerome assures us, that S. Joseph always preserved his virginal chastity. It is “of faith” that nothing contrary thereto ever took place with his chaste spouse, the blessed Virgin Mary. S. Joseph was given her by heaven to be the protector of her chastity, to secure her from calumnies in the birth of the Son of God, to assist her in her flight into Egypt, &c. &c. We cannot sufficiently admire the modest reserve of both parties. Mary does not venture to explain to her troubled husband the mystery of her pregnancy; and Joseph is afraid of mentioning his uneasiness and doubts, for fear of troubling her delicate mind and wounding her exquisite feelings. SO great modesty, reserve and silence, are sure to be approved by heaven; and God sends an angel to Joseph in his sleep, to dissipate his doubts, and to expound to him the mystery of the incarnation. A.

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Daily Bible Readings Morning Mass Wednesday December 24 2008 4th Week of Advent

December 24 2008 Wednesday Fourth Week of Advent
Morning Mass, not Christmas
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About the sources used. The readings on this site are from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/122408a.shtml

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, He said to Nathan the prophet:

Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins?

And Nathan said to the king:

Go, do all that is in they heart: because the Lord is with thee.

But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

Go, and say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build me a house to dwell in? I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel: And I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great man, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before, From the day that I appointed judges over my people Israel: and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house. And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of the bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne shall be firm for ever.

Responsorial Psalm 88:2-5, 27 and 29 (Ps 89 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever.
I will shew forth thy truth with my mouth
to generation and generation.
For thou hast said:
Mercy shall be built up for ever in the heavens:
thy truth shall be prepared in them.
I have made a covenant with my elect:
I have sworn to David my servant:
Thy seed will I settle for ever.
And I will build up thy throne
unto generation and generation.
He shall cry out to me:
Thou art my father: my God,
and the support of my salvation.
I will keep my mercy for him for ever:
and my covenant faithful to him.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 1:67-79
Haydock New Testament

And Zachary, his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost: and he prophesied, saying:

Blessed by the Lord God of Israel,
because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up a horn of salvation to us,
in the house of David, his servant.
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us:
To shew mercy to our fathers:
and to remember his holy covenant.
The oath which he swore to Abraham, our father,
that he would grant to us:
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the most High:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord,
to prepare his way.
To give knowledge of salvation to his people,
unto the remission of their sins.
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God:
in which the Orient, from on high, hath visited us.
To enlighten them that sit in darkness,
and the shadow of death:
to direct our feet into the way of peace.

Haydock Commentary 2 Samuel (2 Kings) 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. Enemies, before he had made war upon the surrounding nations. 1 Par. xviii. 1.
• Ver. 2. Nathan. An admirable courier, (Grot.) and a great saint, Eccli. xlvii. He was neither too rough, nor too complaisant. — Cedar. This was the most esteemed species of wood. The palace of the Persian kings, at Ecbatana, was chiefly built of it, and of cypress wood. Polyb. x. — Houses were not there built in such a solid manner, as they are in colder climates. They consisted mostly of wood. — Skins. The outer veils of the tabernacle were made of skins, as others generally were. C. — Heb. and Chal. “of curtains.”
• Ver. 3. Thee. David did not, perhaps, consult him as a prophet; and Nathan thought that the proposal was so just, that it might be safely carried into effect. The prophets are not inspired in all their actions. Joseph was of a different opinion from his father. Gen. xlviii. 19. Samuel supposed that Eliab should have been king; (1 K. xvi. 6,) and Eliseus confesses, that God had concealed from his the affliction of the woman with whom he lodged. 4 K. iv. 24. C. — God afterwards sent the same Nathan to rectify his former decision, that he might not pass sentence, in future, without consulting him. M.
• Ver. 10. Before, provided they be faithful. These promises are conditional.
• Ver. 11. House, or give thee children, who shall hold the sceptre. M.
• Ver. 12. I will establish his kingdom. This prophecy partly relates to Solomon; but much more to Christ, who is called the Son of David in Scripture, and the builder of the true temple, which is the Church, his everlasting kingdom, which shall never fail, nor be cast off for any iniquity of her children. Ch. — God passes over all the children whom David had already, 3 K. ii. 15. The temporal kingdom was enjoyed by David’s posterity for a long time, sufficient to verify the expression for ever, as it is often used in Scripture. C. — But the spiritual kingdom of the Messias will last till the end of time, and be perfected in eternity. H. — In these predictions we must always distinguish the type from the reality. C.
• Ver. 14. Men, who are not to be entirely destroyed, like the Chanaanites. C. — This is not unlike the human temptation of which S. Paul speaks. 1 Cor. x. 13. See Ps. lxxii. 5. and lxxxviii. 33. H. — The rod of men denotes war, and stripes signify those punishments which God inflicts. S. Jer. Trad. — Some parts of this declaration regard Christ; others Solomon. Heb. i. 5. D.
• Ver. 16. Faithful; or continue a long time. M. 3 K. xi. 38. — Where is not the house of David? or how is this accomplished, except in the Church? — Thy face. Sept. “before me,” which is conformable to Ps. lxxxviii. 38. David saw Solomon on the throne, and beheld the Messias in spirit. C. — Souls departed still see what regards them, (Sa.) if they be happy. H.

Haydock Commentary Luke 1:67-79

• Ver. 69. As Christ was born of the race of David, he is here called the horn of salvation in the house of David. As Isaias says, a vineyard is planted in the horn, c. v. — A powerful salvation.[10] According to the letter both of the Latin and Greek text, a horn of salvation. But as it is generally agreed, that by horn, in the phraseology of the Scriptures, is understood strength and power, and that horn sounds awkwardly in English, and other languages, I hope it may be literally enough translated, a powerful salvation. Wi.
• Ver. 71. That he would save us, &c. Lit. salvation from our enemies. The construction and sense is, that God, as he had declared by his prophets, would grant us salvation, or would save us. Wi. — This is not to be understood of temporal, but of spiritual enemies. For the Lord Jesus, strong in battle, came to destroy all our enemies, and thus to deliver us from their snares and temptations. Origen, hom. xvi. — He is that King of Glory, the Lord strong and powerful, the Lord powerful in battle. Ps. xxiii.
• Ver. 72. To remember his holy covenant, i.e. of his promise, or of the covenant made with Abraham, that he would bless all nations in his seed. Wi. — At the coming of Christ, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were made partakers of his mercy. For, we cannot suppose that they who saw his day, and were glad, should not participate in the fruit of his coming; since S. Paul says: he maketh peace through the blood of the cross, both to the things that are on earth, and the things that are in heaven. Col. i. 20. Origen, hom. x.
• Ver. 73-4. According to the oath which he swore.[11] The words according to, are no addition to the letter of the text: they only barely express what is here signified; to wit, that God swore to Abraham, that he would grant us, or make it come to pass, that being delivered from our enemies, sin and the devil, we should be in a condition to serve him without fear, in holiness, &c. Wi.
• Ver. 75. It is possible, we here see, to have true justice, not only in the sight of man, or by the imputation of God, but in his sight; and the coming of Christ was to give men such justice.
• Ver. 77. Jesus is our salvation, and S. John was sent to give to the people the knowledge of this salvation: he bore testimony of Christ; (Theophy.) by whom alone remission of sins can be obtained.
• Ver. 78. The rising light,[12] or the rising sun, hath visited us from on high. The Rheims translation hath the Orient, the Prot. the day-spring. Both seem more obscure than they need be. The Latin, as well as the Greek, hath a noun substantive, by which Christ himself is signified. Yet the same word, in both languages, is sometimes taken for a rising light, and sometimes for a bud, or branch; in which latter sense it is expounded by S. Jerom. Comment in Zachar. p. 1737, tom. 3, Ed. Ben. But in this place it is rather taken for a light that riseth, by the following words, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, &c. Wi. — The Orient. It is one of the titles of the Messias, the true light of the world, and the sun of justice. Ch. — By this he shews that God has forgiven us our sins, not through our merits, but through his own most tender mercy; (Theophy.) and that we are to solicit this forgiveness through the bowels of his most tender mercy.
• Ver. 79. The Gentiles were in darkness, and given to the adoration of idols, till the light arose and dispelled the darkness, spreading on all sides the splendour of truth. S. Basil on Isai. — With reason it is said in this place, who sit in darkness; for we did not walk in darkness, but sat down, as if destitute of all hopes of being delivered. S. Chrys. hom. xiv. on S. Matt. . . . Then our steps are directed in the paths of peace, when in our every action we act conformably to the grace of the Almighty. S. Greg. hom. xxxii.