Sunday within Octave of Christmas...

Merry Christmas...

Today is the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas - here's some meditations based on the Traditional Latin Mass calendar's liturgy. Note: Latin Mass celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family on January 12th (not today.)
Introit (Wisdom 18:14-15) The Introit alludes to the night when the angel of God struck down the first-born of the Egyptians and thus prepared the deliverance of Israel, a symbol of the most holy night when Holy Mary brought the Savior into the world, the Word of God, Who has come to deliver mankind from the bondage of sin.
Epistle (Galatians 4:1-7) A child may not enter into possession of a heritage to which he has right before coming of age, until that time he is in a certain manner, a slave of those who administer the patrimony in his name. Thus were the Jews under the Mosaic Law. They had in view the patrimony of the New Law, but they were subject to the rites and prescriptions of the old alliance, which was rudimentary and concerned itself above all with the passing needs of this world. The Son of God, however, was made man, being born of a woman, and submitted Himself to the servitude of the law, in order to raise us to the dignity of sons of God and deliver us from the slavery of the law. As a pledge of this divine filiation, God the Father has given us, the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of His Son, so that becoming sons of God, with Jesus, we are together with Him heirs of the eternal riches. Upon the advent of the Messianic time the Mosaic Law ceases to be, and thus commences the majority, the coming of age, of the people of God to which we belong by baptism.
Gospel (Luke 2:33-40) This Gospel is the continuation of that for the feast of the Purification. The old man Simeon and the prophetess Anna, more than 80 years old, who passed her days in the Temple, give witness of Jesus. He it is, Who is the Messiah, and His coming implies of necessity, either a separation or a judgment. The secret thoughts of each man in relation to Christ will be revealed on the last day, since He will search the reins of our hearts. Those who, either from pride or cowardice, have rejected the Son of God, will be in their turn rejected by Him, and those who have welcomed Him, will participate in His glory, because it is to save His people that Jesus came. From the very commencement, this Divine Child was filled with the wisdom of His Father and His soul received the fullness of sanctifying grace. (St. Andrew Missal)

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