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Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne
December 25, 2025
On this page you will find:
The readings for Mass, the Mass leaflet with the choice of hymns
A sample universal prayer available for download, in PDF and editable Word formats.
A meditation on the Sunday Gospel, a spiritual text and commentary by Marie-Noëlle Thabut
Nativity of the Lord
Solemnity
The people who walked in darkness
saw a great light rise;
and on the inhabitants of the land of shadows,
A light shone forth.
Isaiah 9:1
Readings from the Mass
Mass leaflet
Universal Prayer
Night Mass
Mass of the day
Consult the Lectio Divina page, which invites you to read the Gospel in a prayerful atmosphere so that you may be touched in your heart. It is important not to rush to read commentaries or homilies before having this personal experience of encountering Christ in Scripture.
Next, if you wish, you can read the meditations below which will enrich your personal reading and meditation.
HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
“On those who dwelt in the land of darkness, a light has dawned” ( Isaiah 9:1). This prophecy from the first reading was fulfilled in the Gospel: indeed, while the shepherds kept watch over their land at night, “the glory of the Lord shone around them” ( Luke 2:9 ). In the darkness of the earth, a light appeared from heaven. What does this light that appeared in the darkness mean? The Apostle Paul suggests it to us, he who told us: “The grace of God has appeared.” The grace of God, which “has appeared, bringing salvation to all people” ( Titus 2:11), enveloped the world that night.
But what is this grace? It is divine love, the love that transforms life, renews history, liberates from evil, and spreads peace and joy. Tonight, God's love has been revealed to us: it is Jesus. In Jesus, the Most High made himself small, to be loved by us. In Jesus, God became a Child, to let himself be embraced by us. But we can still ask ourselves, why does Saint Paul call God's coming into the world "grace"? To tell us that it is completely free. While here on earth, everything seems to follow the logic of giving to receive, God arrives freely. His love is non-negotiable: we have done nothing to deserve it, and we can never repay it.
God's grace has appeared. Tonight, we realize that while we were falling short, He humbled Himself for us; while we went about our business, He came among us. Christmas reminds us that God continues to love every person, even the worst. To me, to you, to each of us today, He says: "I love you and I will always love you; you are precious in My eyes." God doesn't love you because you think rightly and behave well; He loves you, and that's all. His love is unconditional; it doesn't depend on you. You may have wrong ideas, you may have created very complicated situations, but the Lord doesn't stop loving you. How often do we think that God is good if we are good and that He punishes us if we are bad? It's not like that. In our sins, He continues to love us. His love doesn't change; He isn't sensitive. He is faithful, he is patient. This is the gift we find at Christmas: we discover with awe that the Lord embodies all possible generosity, all possible tenderness. His glory does not blind us, his presence does not frighten us. He is born poor in everything, to win us over with the riches of his love.
The grace of God has appeared. Grace is synonymous with beauty. Tonight, in the beauty of God's love, we also rediscover our own beauty, because we are God's beloved. In good times and bad, in health and in sickness, happy or sad, in his eyes we appear beautiful: not for what we do, but for who we are. There is within us an indelible, intangible beauty, an irrepressible beauty that is the very core of our being. Today God reminds us of this, lovingly embracing our humanity and making it his own, "embracing" it forever.
Truly, the “great joy” announced to the shepherds this night is “for all the people.” Among these shepherds, who were certainly not saints, we too are there, with our frailties and weaknesses. As he called them, God calls us also, because he loves us. And, in the nights of life, to us as to them he says: “Do not be afraid” (Lk 2:10). Courage, do not lose faith, do not lose hope, do not think that loving is a waste of time! This night, love has conquered fear, a new hope has appeared, the gentle light of God has conquered the darkness of human arrogance. O Humanity, God loves you and for you he became man; you are no longer alone!
Dear brothers and sisters, what should we do in the face of this grace? Only one thing: welcome the gift. Before seeking God, let us allow ourselves to be sought by Him, who seeks us first. Let us not begin with our own abilities, but with His grace, because He, Jesus, is the Savior. Let us fix our gaze on the Child and allow ourselves to be enveloped in His tenderness. We will no longer have any excuses for not letting Him love us: what goes wrong in life, what doesn't work in the Church, what is wrong in the world will no longer be a justification. These things will fade into the background, because before the boundless love of Jesus, a love of all gentleness and closeness, there are no excuses. The question at Christmas is: "Do I let myself be loved by God? Do I surrender to His love that comes to save me?"
Such a great gift deserves profound gratitude. To receive grace is to know how to give thanks. But our lives are often lived far from gratitude. Today is the perfect day to approach the tabernacle, the manger, the manger, to say thank you. Let us welcome the gift that is Jesus, so that we may then become a gift like Jesus. To become a gift is to give meaning to life. And this is the best way to change the world: we change, the Church changes, history changes when we begin not to want to change others, but ourselves, by making our lives a gift.
Jesus shows us this tonight: he didn't change history by forcing anyone or through words, but with the gift of his life. He didn't wait for us to become good before loving us, but gave himself freely to us. We too should not wait for our neighbor to become good before doing them good, for the Church to be perfect before loving it, or for others to consider us before serving them. Let us begin first. That is what it means to receive the gift of grace. And holiness is nothing other than preserving this freely given gift.
A beautiful legend tells that at the birth of Jesus, shepherds rushed to the cave with various gifts. Each brought what they had: one the fruits of their labor, another something precious. But while everyone else gave generously, there was one shepherd who had nothing. He was very poor; he had nothing to offer. While everyone else vied to present their gifts, he stood aside, ashamed. At one point, Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary found themselves struggling to receive all these gifts, so numerous, especially Mary, who had to carry the Child. Then, seeing this shepherd with empty hands, she asked him to come closer. And she placed Jesus in his arms. As this shepherd received Him, he realized he had received what he did not deserve, that he held in his arms the greatest gift in history. He looked at his hands, those hands that always seemed empty to him: they had become the cradle of God. He felt loved and, overcoming his shame, he began to show Jesus to others, because he could not keep the gift of gifts to himself.
Dear brother, dear sister, if your hands feel empty, if you see your heart poor in love, this night is for you. God's grace has appeared to shine in your life. Welcome it, and the light of Christmas will shine within you.
AR — DE — EN — ES — FR — IT — PL — PT
NIGHT MASS
SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
PAPAL CHAPEL
HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
Vatican Basilica
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
[ Multimedia ]
Homily
Draw from the source
Throughout Advent, the liturgy spoke to us of the coming of Jesus. This good news had been proclaimed for centuries to a "people walking in darkness." This darkness was that of exile and foreign oppression. It had lasted 50 years. The Christmas message is set against the backdrop of the darkness that so painfully marks the life of our world: the darkness of war, terrorism, and violence, but also the darkness of illness and loneliness.
The good news is that God does not abandon us. He comes to us. He comes to “give us hope and save us.” Throughout the Gospels, we hear him speak of a God who is Father, a Father who loves each of his children. He came “to seek and save those who were lost.” The true God has nothing to do with a religion that massacres innocent people—men, women, and even children. The Christmas holiday reminds us that the true God is LOVE. He cannot be anything else. In a world polluted by hatred and violence, he is the one who brings us true light.
This Jesus, whose birth we celebrate, was announced to the shepherds. When we set up the Nativity scene in our homes, we give them pride of place, but many don't really know who they were. In fact, they belonged to a truly despised group. They were rough men who weren't accustomed to attending places of worship. Through them, the good news is proclaimed to the humble, the poor, and the excluded. And we find this throughout the Gospels. Jesus came to tell us that they have first place in God's heart.
It's true, the Gospels remind us of Jesus' mission to those burdened by suffering of all kinds. He welcomed all those who were considered outcasts because of their sinful lives. He opened the door of Light to Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, Matthew the tax collector, the Samaritan woman, and many others who were rejected by the respectable society of his time. With him, LOVE triumphed over evil and death.
This good news isn't just for people of the past. It's for all people of all times. It must be proclaimed throughout the world, including in the most marginalized areas. Organizations are forming to reach out to the poorest, the lonely, the homeless, those who can't afford to celebrate. Masses are being celebrated in prisons and hospitals. Christ is reaching out to all those burdened by suffering, illness, grief, unemployment, and family conflicts. Of course, he isn't going to perform a miracle to solve all our problems. But he walks with us. Sometimes, he even carries us. He opens a path of hope for us.
Celebrating Christmas means welcoming this good news that comes to change our lives and the world. This Jesus, whose birth we celebrate, continues to come. He knocks at our door. God continues to send us his Son. On this Christmas night, we are invited to welcome him, to give him first place in our lives, and to do “whatever he tells us.” With him, joy and love enter our lives. He wants to dwell in the hearts of men. So yes, let us be filled with joy and gladness. A child said that “Jesus is the most beautiful Christmas gift.” He understood everything. There are many in our world who will celebrate Christmas without thinking about this good news. Everything is planned: the tree, the decorations, the gifts, the Christmas Eve dinner, but let us not forget the One who is the source of these festivities.
The Eucharist, which gathers us together this Christmas, reminds us that Christ never ceases to desire to be with us. He continues to want to come to his own. It is an extraordinary gift offered to us all, freely and without any merit on our part. Before Communion, we hear the priest say to us: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold the one who takes away the sin of the world.” These words are not only for the congregation present in the church. They are for the whole world. Christ asks only to give himself to everyone. Blessed are those who have a humble heart to let Christ enter their lives. In this Christmas season, we implore him: “You who are Light, you who are love, place your Spirit of love in our darkness.” Amen
Understanding the readings
with Marie-Noëlle THABUT
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