Bishop Alfred Schlert shared a Christmas message in anticipation of Christmas Day, to both regular Mass attendees and returning Catholics, reminding them of the reason for the season. 

The Bishop was to celebrate Mass on Dec. 24 at 10 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Siena in Allentown. 

“Please spend some time with your spiritual family this Christmas season at your local parish. Come home for Christmas. Come to Mass to adore Jesus Christ, really present in the Holy Eucharist. From the bottom of my heart I welcome you and wish you a blessed and merry Christmas. O come, let us adore him!” Bishop Schlert shared on a Facebook video. 

According to Catholic Readings, “The Gospel reading on Christmas Day will come from the Book of John and tell of God as the Word who became Flesh to come down to Earth, bringing grace and truth.” 

The specific reading will be John 1:1-5 and 9-14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.

What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

The Christmas Mass will be available to view online from the diocese's Facebook page or from its website.