SOLEMNITY OF MARY MOTHER OF GOD
DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7,
Psalm 67:2-3, 5,6 & 8, Luke 2:16-21
Numbers 6:22-27
Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’
My Beloved, I wish to praise and thank You, the Father and the Holy Spirit for this beautiful blessing that God bestows on the people He has called to be His through the faith and hope we place in You.
With this blessing always upon us me and ever before me I have nothing to fear. God Himself assures me that He will bless me and keep me. His Face which He Images in You will shine on me and be gracious to me. You uncover Your Face to me in the Holy Eucharist and I receive the peace that surpasses human understanding.
Every time I call on Your Name my Beloved, as the daughter of the everlasting God I will be blessed not only today but every day of my life.
Galatians 4:4-7
My Beloved, recalling who we are in the heart and mind of the Triune God is a wonderful way to begin the new year. You became incarnate of the Virgin Mary in accordance with the will of God. Clothed in human flesh in perfect humility You were subject to the Law that revealed to us that we are sinners whom the Father desired to redeem. Through the only acceptable sacrifice You became the perfect Victim for our sins as the Lamb of God who was slain to liberate us. We have been given the Spirit of God who makes us adopted sons and daughters and as if this was not enough He makes us heirs in You who gladly acknowledge us as You sisters and brothers. You even gave us Your Mother to be our own for the family of God could not be a family without a Mother so You gave us Your own. Thank You.
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6 & 8
O God, be gracious and bless us.
As we stand on the threshold of a New Year my Beloved we enter it with the certainty that with Your gracious blessing we can do all things according to Your will. With Your blessing upon us we will walk in the light of truth for the Way to the Kingdom will be illuminated by the Light of the Eternal Word. We submit gladly to Your rule of love and we will praise You gladly from the rising of the sun to its setting. The whole world will offer You worship and adoration for our God is Emmanuel and has claimed us for His own.
Luke 2:16-21
The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told. When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.
My Beloved, when the shepherd heard the Good News of Your birth they acted promptly and with haste they came to Bethlehem. Humility, obedience and action work in concert and they are privileged to find Mary, Joseph and the Baby lying in the manger. We too will find Christ, the Son of the Living God if we have the attitude of the shepherds who heard and believed. Simplicity and a childlike spirit are necessary to experience the mystery of the unfathomable love of God for His little ones.
The shepherd told Mary and Joseph of their experience in the field – the appearance of a host of angels, the message they received from them. The mystery unfolds to Mary and Joseph in stages and we are told that Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary the Mother of God and our Mother is the disciple par excellence and she shows us how we too can be good disciples.
We are called to be like the shepherd as well who after their encounter with the Holy Family went back glorifying and praising God for what they were privileged to hear and see and it was exactly as the angels had revealed.
You my Beloved were circumcised and here for the first time You experienced physical suffering and the shedding of Your precious Blood – a foretaste and a foreshadowing, even as an Infant, of what was to come.
Mary and Joseph gave You the Name of Jesus the Name given by the angels before You were conceived in her virginal womb, revealing that You come to save.
No comments:
Post a Comment