2 Sunday Christmas C / 31 Dec

Friday December 31

7TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

LAST DAY OF THE YEAR

 

Introduction

Today the liturgy fits in very well with the celebration of New Year’s Eve: it both looks forward to the end of time (first reading) and back to the beginning: to the Word that created all and came among people as the living Word, Jesus, to make a new beginning with us. And that’s life: the end of what is past, a new beginning to be made ever anew. It was a mixture of joys shared together and miseries that were lighter when they too were borne together. And a time for which, after all, we are grateful to one another and to God. A turning point is also a time of hope. The past is gone; we look forward. We say goodbye and we welcome what is coming with hope, for the Lord is with us; we resume our journey together as God’s pilgrim people.

 

Opening Prayer

Loving Father,

You gave us your Son Jesus Christ

and let him share our poverty.

He brought us grace upon grace,

for all that comes from you is a free gift.

Accept our thanks for the moments

when we accepted your gifts

and shared them with one another.

Accept our thanks for the times

we listened attentively to your Son’s words

and put them into practice.

Help us go forward with hope and joy

with joy and mutual encouragement.

with the companion in life you have given us,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Reading 1: 1 Jn 2:18-21

The Jews then said to Him,

“What sign do You show us as your authority

for doing these things?”

Jesus answered them,

“Destroy this [b]temple,

and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years

to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13

(11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Give to the LORD, you families of nations,

give to the LORD glory and praise;

give to the LORD the glory due his name!

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Bring gifts, and enter his courts;

worship the LORD in holy attire.

Tremble before him, all the earth.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Say among the nations: The LORD is king.

He has made the world firm, not to be moved;

he governs the people with equity.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

 

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia.

A holy day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.

Today a great light has come upon the earth.

Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Jn 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through Him,

and apart from Him nothing came into being

that has come into being.

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

The Light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness did not [b]comprehend it.

There [c]came a man sent from God,

whose name was John.

He came [e]as a witness,

to testify about the Light,

so that all might believe through him.

He was not the Light,

but he came to testify about the Light.

There was the true Light which,

coming into the world, enlightens every man.

He was in the world,

and the world was made through Him,

and the world did not know Him.

He came to His own,

and those who were His own did not receive Him.

But as many as received Him,

to them He gave the right to become children of God,

even to those who believe in His name,

who were born, not of blood

nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh,

and dwelt among us,

and we saw His glory,

glory as of the only begotten from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John testified about Him and cried out, saying,

“This was He of whom I said,

‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I,

for He existed before me.’”

For of His fullness we have all received,

and [o]grace upon grace.

For the Law was given through Moses;

grace and truth [p]were realized through Jesus Christ.

No one has seen God at any time;

the only begotten God

who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him

 

Intercessions

In gratitude to our generous Father for all his blessings and graces received in the past year, we pray:

–    For all those with whom we are united in one common friendship and concern, that he may keep us all in his love, we pray:

–    For all whom we have disappointed in the past, for those whom we have hurt or neglected, and for those who have pained and irritated us, we pray:

–    For those who have lost someone dear to them, that their hope in Christ may give them strength; for those who have died this year, that they may live in the Lord’s peace, we pray:

–    And for all of us here, that we may be grateful for life, for all the joys we have experienced, and for one another, we pray:

God, let your Son speak his word among us and live among us, now and for ever.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Loving Father,

it is easy for us here to break this bread

and to share it with one another,

to drink this cup and offer it to one another.

As we offer you these gifts

we pray you for strength,

for it is difficult for us the whole year long,

to keep sharing ourselves with one another

to offer our hand to give and receive help

and to forget ourselves for the sake of others.

Let us be always each other’s food and drink

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,

in this celebration we have looked back

to the past, to what is done and gone.

With Jesus in our midst

we look now forward to the future.

Let neither the past nor the present, nor the future,

neither joys nor sorrows

ever separate us from him.

Let you Son be the center of our lives

and the bond that binds us to you

and to one another,

in faith, hope and lasting love.

Go with us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Blessing

Let us go in the peace of the Lord. May the Lord be with you wherever you go. May he bless your coming and your going, your work and your care, your joys and your suffering. As he blessed you the past year, may he bless you even more in the new year: The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

As the year ends, we are told of the beginning of everything. “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We are reminded that everything comes from God and belongs to Him. God is our true origin and destiny. But things did not go well, for human beings loved darkness more than the Light. Hence, the need for a new creation, a new birth, a new beginning. We are invited to be born of God through His Only Son who offers us the fullness of Truth and Loving-kindness.

        We might have begun this year with God, and with several noble resolutions. But things may not have gone too well and we might have digressed from the path. As the year ends, let us take stock and review our life over the last twelve months. Let us be thankful for the many blessings received this year; sorry for the many blessings wasted along the way. And we shall resolve to start again, with God and His Son who offers us the fullness of life. Every end is a new beginning, and we shall walk along in God’s Light.

Come, Lord Jesus, and walk with us!