2024-12-27 8:30 am Celebration of the Holy Mass for the 3rd Day in the Octave of Christmas.

Good morning and welcome to our time of adoration followed by the celebration of the Holy Mass for Friday, the 3rd day of the Octave of Christmas. Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John, the Apostile and Evangelist. Christmas is so big that it cannot be contained in one day and so we now celebrate the Octave of Christmas. We will conclude the Octave of Christmas on January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. You will recall that yesterday we reflected upon birth and death. Today we look at the birth of Jesus and the resurrection. In our reading from 1 John, we hear the words: "We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have seen with our eyes , what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life". In our Gospel, Peter and John discover an empty tomb -- the only thing they see are the linen wrappings. The empty tomb gives reason for our hope. The Lord has indeed risen! Yes, we celebrate an entire Octave of Christmas. It is the time to rejoice and be filled with joy over the coming of Jesus in our lives. May we see, hear and touch the Word who is Life through our time of adoration, through participation in the Holy Mass and for the times we spend praying and meditation with Scripture. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 97: "Let the just rejoice in the Lord".