Today, the Octave Day of Chrismas, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, our Lady's greatest title. Exactly what are we celebrating? It is Mary’s role in the mystery of salvation brought to fruition through the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of her son, Jesus Christ. "Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. This Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, invites us to marvel at the God who comes to us in loving vulnerability and dependence. Following Mary, we are called to do nothing less than repeat her words: "May it be done in me according to your will." Christ is always needing to be born in and among us, and that calls for every year to be a New Year.

The Gospel for the Christmas Mass during the day is taken from the beginning of John’s Gospel, but this part of John’s Gospel is not an infancy narrative like those found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Instead, John’s Gospel starts at the very beginning and presents the Creation story as the framework for announcing the Incarnation. John’s opening words echo the first verse in the Book of Genesis. This framework invites us to view Jesus’ birth from God’s perspective. John’s Gospel,  emphasizes that Jesus’ birth was the divine intention from the moment of Creation.

Finally, on this the Fourth Sunday of Advent, our Gospel Reading permits us to begin our contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation, which we celebrate at Christmas: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about”. The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus from Joseph's perspective. In the preceding verses of the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel, the Evangelist has listed the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his lineage. Beginning with Abraham, coming down through generations forty-two in all! And “Jacob the Father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” All to prove that Joseph was the decedent of Abraham and of King David. The Angel tells Joseph to name this Child. In the naming, he can thereby claim fatherhood of Jesus, for legal purposes and to satisfy curious people in the community and culture. All of this fulfills the promises of the Covenant.

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete. Gaudete is the Latin word meaning “rejoice.” This Sunday is so named because the Entrance Antiphon calls us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near.”  Phil. 4:4-5.

In the Gospel Reading, for the Second Sunday of Advent, we are invited to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. Matthew describes the work and preaching of John the Baptist. John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets of Israel, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. In this reading, John directs a particularly pointed call to repentance to the Pharisees and Sadducees, parties within the Jewish community of the first century.....