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Fourth Sunday of Advent
20 December 2008
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
For the celebration of Christmas, the Church provides separate Scripture lessons and liturgical prayers for four different Masses: the Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, and Daytime, and you can read all of these texts in the missalette. Most of us, of course, never hear the readings proclaimed for the Mass at Dawn; we are still tucked warmly in our beds at that hour. This is an unfortunate loss, however, because the readings appointed for that Mass are filled with tender grace. I hope you will all take time to read quietly and prayerfully the Gospel for the Mass at Dawn (Luke 2:15-20) and the second lesson, taken from St. Paul’s letter to Titus (Titus 3:4-7).
Along with St. Timothy, St. Titus was a disciple of and assistant to St. Paul. Titus was a Gentile Christian and traveled with Paul from Antioch to the Council of Apostles at Jerusalem and accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey. Titus also served as the bearer of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, and in Corinth he took up a collection for the Christians in Jerusalem. At length, Titus became the founding Bishop of Crete and was charged by St. Paul to organize the Church on that island by appointing other bishops and priests. Much of Paul’s letter to Titus is a description of the qualities Titus should look for in candidates for the episcopate and presbyterate. Sts. Timothy and Titus are venerated together in the sacred liturgy on January 26th.
During the Mass at Dawn, these words from Paul’s letter to Titus are proclaimed, and they give voice to the heart of the Gospel: “Beloved, when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” As we celebrate with joy the birth of our Savior, we give thanks for the merciful love of God which is our justification and righteousness.
Father Newman
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.