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Our Sunday Reflection - December 25, 2025
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Jesus is the son of David and the Son of God.
Romans 1:1-7
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
Merry Christmas! Good news of great joy comes to us today. The Son of God, the Word Made Flesh, Our Savior, has been born into the world. Together we gather to celebrate this blessed event. We see our joy reflected in the faces of those around us. We join in songs and acclama tions of praise for our God for the wonderful gift we have received. We realize that Christ did not come merely once over two thousand years ago, but comes to us every moment and is present with us here and now. Let us open our hearts to receive our Messiah, who has come to save us from our sins and bring us new life. Joy to the world, indeed!Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
We are God’s holy people. So says Isaiah in this morning’s first reading, explaining that when the Savior comes, they will be redeemed. When the Savior is born, we hear that the first people to be told were not kings or wealthy people, but lowly shepherds who then immediately leave their flocks to see the newborn Messiah. Many years later, Saint Paul writes to Titus to emphasize the saving power of Christ. May we take today’s scripture and treasure it in our hearts.Reflections
- Vigil: “You shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the LORD,” proclaims Isaiah in this evening’s first reading (Isaiah 62:2). He certainly recalled that Abraham, our forefather who begins Matthew’s lengthy genealogy, and Sarah were originally named Abram and Sarai. God changed their names when establishing the covenant with them. Jesus is the new covenant, the fulfill ment of God’s promise to us, the One who saves us from our sins. We each are baptized with a Christian name, a name that reflects our faith in Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate today. May God, who calls us each by name, rejoice in us, as God promised Isaiah.
- Dawn: What do you suppose the shepherds’ first reaction was at seeing the infant Jesus? They had been told that this was the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord, the Savior. This baby lying in a wooden trough in a stable, attended to by only a young mother and her older husband? Not in a palace? Not surrounded by a midwife and servants? Not even in a bed? At first glance, it must have seemed wrong. But Luke tells us the shepherds left “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them” (Luke 2:20). That night, the shepherds saw with eyes of faith. They didn’t see the humble surroundings; they saw the glory of the Lord in this infant who could be one of them, who had come to save us. What seems to human eyes disappointing—a feeling we may have ourselves by the end of our Christmas celebrations—to eyes of faith is our salvation enfleshed.
- Day: Each evangelist begins his Gospel at a different point. Mark begins with John the Baptist emerging from the desert. Luke starts with the news that the Blessed Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth will conceive sons. Matthew writes a genealogy, going all the way back to Abraham. But John goes much further, going back to before God created the world. God spoke the words of creation, first speaking light into being. In Jesus, the Word becomes flesh, making his dwelling among us. The light of the whole human race shines in the darkness of sin and death, becoming the light of the world. John’s poetry is dense and deep, for so are the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation. As we welcome the very imprint of God’s being to make his dwelling in our hearts and shine a light to our salvation, may we treasure the mysteries of our faith, for who can truly fathom the mind of God?
Question of the Week
Day: How do I see Jesus dwelling in me, my neighbor, and the world? from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, December 25, 2025
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, December 25, 2025
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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News from the Vatican
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2 days agoA laconic statement from the press office of the Holy See announced the developments on Monday. -
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