Luke 2:1-14

Isaiah 9:1-6

Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13

Titus 2:11-14

Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus

that the whole world should be enrolled.

This was the first enrollment, 

when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth 

to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, 

because he was of the house and family of David, 

to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

While they were there,

the time came for her to have her child, 

and she gave birth to her firstborn son.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, 

because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields

and keeping the night watch over their flock.

The angel of the Lord appeared to them 

and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 

and they were struck with great fear.

The angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid;

for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy 

that will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David 

a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.

And this will be a sign for you: 

you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes 

and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,

praising God and saying:

    “Glory to God in the highest

        and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have made this most sacred night radiant with the splendor of the true light. Grant that we who have come to know the mysteries of the light of your Son on earth, may also delight in the gladness of the heavenly light.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Nativity of Our Savior: When the angel of the Lord announced the joyful news of the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, the angel could have chosen any number of different titles. The angel chose three. What God first reveals through his angelic messenger is that the newborn baby is our “Savior.” From what did we need to be saved? We needed to be saved from the slavery of sin and the prospect of eternal death. As our newborn Savior, Jesus leads us to return to the Father, brings us to know the Lord God and experience divine love, transforms us by the unmerited gift of righteousness, makes us participants in his paschal mystery, and introduces us into the life of the Trinity (see Barber, Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know, xi). Second, the angel announces the newborn as the “Christ” (which means the Anointed One). This means that he is the long-awaited Messiah, the royal Son of David, foretold by the prophets. Third, our Savior and Messiah is the Lord, who now sits at God’s right hand and rules over all creation. 

2. Who is the True Son of God? All four Gospels open with contrasts. In Matthew’s Gospel, you immediately feel the opposition between the false king, Herod the Great, and the true King of Israel, Jesus Christ, the royal son of David. In Mark’s Gospel, there is tension between the crumbling reign of Satan and Jesus’ work to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, as well as the increasing opposition between the corrupt religious authorities and Jesus. The opening of the Gospel of John contrasts spiritual darkness with the light of God’s Word. Luke’s Gospel focuses on the opposing figures of Caesar Augustus and Jesus Christ. After Julius Caesar was declared a god by the Roman Senate in 42 B.C., Augustus began to refer to himself as the “son of a god” and had himself hailed as a “god” and “Savior” who established peace and whose birth brought “good news.” Luke knows this and narrates the birth of Jesus in such a way as to show that the real “good news” is the birth of Jesus in a small village. Jesus is the true “Son of God” (Luke 1:35) and “Savior” who ushers in the era of God’s peace (Luke 2:14) (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 61). “The supposed king of the world, Caesar Augustus, flaunts his power by uprooting families throughout the empire so he can collect the Roman tax, while the true King of the world is born quietly in Bethlehem and placed in a manger, escaping the notice of most of the people he has come to save” (Sri, Dawn of the Messiah, 75).

3. The Eucharistic Dimension of Jesus’ Birth: To understand why Jesus was laid in a feeding trough (manger), it is good to recall that some ancient houses, such as those in Bethlehem, had three main areas. First, there was a common area that could serve many functions throughout the day. Second, there was a guest room or sleeping quarters (katalyma). Third, there was an enclosed area, which, at night, functioned as a stable for the family’s domestic animals. If the stable area was located at the entrance of the house, then the warmth of the animals provided some much-welcome heat in the winter months. Luke tells us that there was no space in the guest room (katalyma) for Mary to give birth to Jesus, but he doesn’t tell us why. Mary, Luke tells us, gave birth in the stable area, and Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger, where the domestic animals would feed. At the end of his Gospel, Luke refers once again to the guest room (katalyma). This is where Jesus celebrates the Last Supper. In this way, Luke draws attention to the mystery of the Eucharist. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a name which means “House of Bread,” and was laid in a feeding trough since there was no space in the guest room. At the end of his life, in the guest room, Jesus gave himself in the Eucharistic bread and wine to his disciples. In Bethlehem, Jesus comes to save his people, who have become like beasts due to their sins. In the Eucharist, Jesus pours out his saving blood and comes to us to nourish us with the Bread that makes us sharers in divine life.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have restored the dignity of human nature by assuming our human nature and perfecting it through your suffering. You shared in our humanity so that we can come to share in your divinity.

Living the Word of God: As I contemplate the manger scene today, can I take some time to thank God for the gift of the Eucharist, which draws me into the mystery of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, the “House of Bread”?