24 November 2026 · Syro-Malankara Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Syro-Malabar Rite · Latin Rite · മലയാളം
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,” Titus 2:11
Titus 2 is read at Christmas in many Churches: “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.” In the child of Bethlehem God's kindness took a human face. That grace is also a teacher: it trains us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives, while we wait for “the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” We live between two comings.
Jesus tells his disciples to learn from the fig tree: when its branches become tender and put forth leaves, summer is near. So too the signs of his coming. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” No one knows the day or hour; therefore we live each day attentively. A week before the Christmas fast begins, we are invited to read the signs and prepare our hearts.
Theme: “The grace of God has appeared.”
Living between two comings.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;” Isaiah 9:2
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,” Titus 2:11–12
Apply: Plan your Christmas fast today.
“For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3
“while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13
Apply: Pray “Come, Lord Jesus” each night.
“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35
Apply: Learn one verse by heart this week.
Grace has come and will come again.
Let it train us now.
Take-home resolution: Keep the Twenty-Five Days' Fast faithfully.
Dear friends, Titus 2 is read at Christmas in many Churches: the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all (Titus 2:11). In the child of Bethlehem God's kindness took a human face. That grace is also a teacher: it trains us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.
In the Gospel Jesus tells us to learn from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. About that day and hour no one knows but the Father (Matthew 24:32–36).
In the season of Annunciation we prepare for two comings: the memory of his coming at Bethlehem and the hope of his coming in glory. We do not need to calculate dates; we need to be ready. This week, for one moment each day, let us say quietly: come, Lord. Amen.
Children, the birthday of baby Jesus is coming! Start planning today to make a crib at home.
Lord Jesus, in you the grace of God has appeared. Train us to live soberly and justly, keep us watchful for your coming, and let your word, which never passes away, be our light. Amen.
Both readings look toward the coming of Christ. Titus speaks of two appearings: the grace of God “has appeared” in Jesus' first coming, and we wait for “the manifestation of the glory” at his second. Between them is the present age, in which grace trains us to live well. In Matthew, Jesus teaches his disciples to read the signs like a farmer reads a fig tree, and yet to leave the day and the hour to the Father. In the weeks before Yaldo these texts teach us to wait with open eyes and quiet trust.
Setting.
The Letter to Titus is one of the three Pastoral Letters. Paul has left Titus in Crete to organise the young churches (1:5). Chapter 2 gives practical advice to older men and women, young people and slaves (2:1–10). Today's verses give the reason behind all that advice: the grace of God that has appeared in Christ. In the Roman liturgy, verses 11–14 are read at the Mass during the night of Christmas.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,” (2:11)
“To all”: the grace that appeared in Bethlehem is for every human being, not for a few.
“while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2:13)
A note on the text. In Greek one article governs both titles, “God and Savior”, and most scholars, with the NRSV, take both to refer to Jesus Christ: this is one of the clearest New Testament texts calling Jesus God. The POC translates as two persons, “of our great God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ”. The Greek grammar favours the first reading.
“He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” (2:14)
“A people of his own” echoes Exodus 19:5, where Israel is God's treasured possession. The Church is formed by Christ's self-gift.
How the Church reads it.
The Church reads this passage on Christmas night because it holds both comings together: the first, in humility, and the second, in glory. The Roman liturgy echoes verse 13 after the Lord's Prayer, as the Church prays “as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ”. Grace is not a reason to relax our effort but the power that makes a holy life possible.
Setting.
Jesus is on the Mount of Olives, facing the Temple, speaking of its coming destruction and of the end of the age (Matthew 24:1–3). The disciples asked two questions: when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming? These verses answer both, in two different ways.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” (24:33)
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (24:35)
Jesus speaks of his own words as Isaiah spoke of God's word: “the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
““But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (24:36)
A note on the text. Some later manuscripts of Matthew leave out “nor the Son”; the oldest include it, and Mark 13:32 has it.
How the Church reads it.
On the words “nor the Son”, the Catechism explains that what Jesus said he did not know, he elsewhere said he was not sent to reveal (CCC 474, citing Mark 13:32 and Acts 1:7). Christ’s human knowledge, united to the divine Person, knew all that he came to reveal. The Church does not set dates for the end: she keeps watch, because the Lord can come at any time (CCC 673).
Did Jesus really not know the day of the end?
The Catechism says that his statement means this was not part of his mission to reveal (CCC 474). The point for us is not to calculate the date but to be ready.