Dear friends in Christ

On this Second Sunday of Christmas, as at the Mass of Christmas Day itself, we listen to the Prologue of Saint John’s Gospel. These are the opening verses which, poetic in style, are reminiscent of the opening verses of the Book of Genesis. These words proclaim Jesus Christ’s life on earth, praising His divine and eternal nature. Jesus is the uncreated Word, God the Only-begotten, who takes on our human condition and offers us the opportunity to become sons and daughters of God, that is, to share God’s own life in a real and supernatural way. St John Chrysostom comments on these words of the Gospel in a Homily thus: “In the beginning” what this means is that He always was and that He is eternal…For if He is God, as indeed He is, there is nothing prior to Him; if He is the Creator of all things, then He is the First; if He is Lord of all, then everything comes after Him—created things and time. Until the revision of the Mass following the Second Vatican Council, this Gospel was read at the end of every of Mass. This was so that Catholics would leave church filled with the remembrance that what they had encountered at Mass was the re-presentation of the Word made flesh, who came to dwell amongst us on earth. This belief should still fill us with awe as we go from Holy Mass each time, conscious of the reality that God became flesh, lived on earth, and shows us the way to Heaven.

On this first Sunday of the New Year, I extend my good wishes and assurance of prayers for a happy and holy 2026!

Msgr Kevin Hale