First Reading, Isaiah 9: 1-6

The Historical Situation: In the late eighth century B.C.E., God's people in the promised land had become divided into a northern kingdom, Israel, and a southern kingdom, Judah. Assyria was the dominant power in the region, and lay especially heavily on the northern kingdom. Concerned about both kingdoms, Isaiah prophesies relief for both in this way: A new king will come to the throne in the southern kingdom, Judah, and will see to the reunion of the north and south and the expulsion of the Assyrians from the north. The king whom Isaiah had in mind is, interestingly, Hezekiah, the successor of King Ahaz whom we heard about on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A.

So the people once in darkness are the dwellers in Israel oppressed by Assyria. The child/son born to us is the new king in Jerusalem in Judah. He inherits the throne of David (whose glorious reign roughly four centuries earlier was still the source of national pride and hope). Royal titles verging on the divine were normal for such kings at the time.

Proclaiming It: There is much here deserving careful proclamation. Don't make it run together but divide it, by three pronounced pauses, into four sections, thus:

• The people who walked in darkness ... as people make merry when dividing spoils.
  [pause]
  
• For the yoke that burdened them ... will be burned as fuel for flames.
  [pause]
  
• For a child is born to us ... by judgment and justice both now and forever.
  [pause]
  
• The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!

Proclaiming It: Here's a way to prepare for this reading that might be appropriate to your situation. Think of your proclamation in the context in which these Notes were first edited: late 2001 in a nation at war with global terrorists. That nation still sees itself walking in a kind of darkness, and looks forward to deliverance and peace. But unlike Isaiah and ancient Judah, you will almost certainly be proclaiming this prophecy in a nation decidedly secular, and you would not dream of calling even the greatest of future national leaders "God-hero," etc. But that's the way Isaiah believed God was at work in the world. You'll have to work to put yourself in the prophet's frame of mind, but try to convey his enthusiasm for the prospect.

Second Reading, Titus 2:11-14

Our Liturgical Setting: This reading is an interesting choice for Christmas midnight mass, for it focuses on the other coming of Jesus, at the end of time, and on the changes that we are called to make in our lives. So its theological plainness and moral starkness make it a worthy counterpoint to the sentimentality that dominates Christmas. (If there will be an enthronement of the Bambino in the manger at your parish before midnight mass, then this reading deserves all the more emphasis.)

Proclaiming It: Your country's edition of the Lectionary may render this as one very long sentence. That won't do rhetorically. Even though the sentence doesn't end there, insert pauses after "worldly desires," after "devoutly in this age," and after "savior Jesus Christ." Lector Joe Gerhard of New Haven, Connecticut, USA, suggests "raise the pitch of your voice slightly at the end of each phrase. A slight rise in pitch makes it clear that there is still more to come, allowing you to insert pauses, yet still maintain the sense of a single, albeit run-on, sentence." And Edna Boyette of Gainesville, Florida, USA, suggests "that the Lector establish a good eye contact with the congregation delivering the Word as if his/her own." Both ideas seem very smart to me, and I thank Edna and Joe for writing. Your suggestions (about any day's readings) are welcome, too. Please use the Disqus comment box below.