Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7, Psalm 67:2-3, 5,6 & 8, Luke 2:16-21

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

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.

http://bridegroomofmysoul.blogspot.com/search?q=The+sweetest+of+Names+Jesus

Myra Musing

Someday my eyes will see the Treasure my heart holds when I receive Him in the Holy Eucharist.

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Disarm with agape love.

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I received Jesus in the Eucharist today and it turned an ordinary day into heaven.

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For God there are no accidents. He is able to draw good from every situation no matter how evil or tragic.

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There is a time frame in life, none in eternity. In the eternal now every prayer is heard and answered.

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The surest way to wound a mother is to wound her children.

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Human love no matter how sweet is never sweeter or more satisfying than the love of God.

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It is extraordinarily easy to hammer nails into one's own coffin.

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There are some who test God and find Him wanting.

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A little ignorance goes a long way to destruction while a little wisdom goes a long way to understanding.

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To be pro love is to be pro life for where there is love there is life.

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It is better to err on the side of love than to be right on the side of sanctimonious self-righteousness. The former is pleasing to God the latter is abhorrent.

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Any good I do is because God does the good in me, I can only take credit for my stupidity.

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Often we leave the good Lord no choice but to use tough love to get our attention to heed His call to conversion, only then can He fill us with true joy.

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In sorrow and tribulation the love of God is perfected in us.

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There is a temptation to focus on how we feel but if we do this we miss the whole point of the mission of suffering.

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God's purpose for all of us is the same - it is unity with Himself. We have a foretaste of this unity each time we receive Him in the Eucharist.

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There is a temptation to compartmentalize our lives surrendering only a part to God and keeping control of the rest. There can never be perfect peace when we live divided lives. God wants all of us - not bits and pieces. He wants much more than the crumbs we offer Him although He receives them humbly. 

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We grow by listening to the Word that is proclaimed to us in the Liturgy and through sound and divinely inspired interpretation by those whom God has called and appointed.

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The magisterium which is the teaching authority of the Church interprets the Word according to Apostolic Tradition.  Sunday is the day of the Lord and must be dedicated to worship and enter into God's rest.  We rejoice on this day which is set apart from the rest of the week to contemplate the Face of God in You, the Eternal Word, and to share what You have given us with those who have not.  In this way, we glorify You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

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Beloved, You have raised marriage to a Sacrament because You know that it takes all the grace You make available in order for a marriage to reflect the spousal union between You and Your Church.  A husband pours out himself for his wife and his children and a wife, in turn, responds as only a woman can; with generosity, openness, tenderness, and love. She receives all that is given with joy.  She looks at her spouse as the Church looks at You who are her Rock, her Stronghold, her Deliverer, and Protector.

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We cannot be cafeteria Catholics cherry picking what we find palatable and discarding the more challenging aspects of our faith.

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There will always be people who profess to be Christian but are embarrassed by those who have a loud, genuine enthusiasm about the faith. The reward for an expectant faith is receiving all that one asks for and more.  Case in point Blind Bartimaeus and some people in the crowd.

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 I shudder when I think of the sins of my past.  If you had called me to judgment while I was still keeping close company with sin, I would have been lost eternally.  But You have been extremely generous, kind, and merciful. You drew me to Yourself gently, patiently, lovingly, with infinite goodness and mercy. You did not give up on me. How do I repay You?  How do I deal with those who are still struggling as I once did?  I have forgotten my own weaknesses and now I hold up a hardhearted scale to measure the faults and mistakes of all and sundry. I mete out harsh and cruel punishment in the courtroom of my mind, where You who are all seeing and all-knowing, look on my hypocrisy in utter amazement.  

Forgive me, my Lord, may I always remember that if it were not for Your mercy I would have been only fit to be cast into the outer darkness eternally.  I beg You to give me a heart like Your own.  Amen.

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Truth is hard to swallow especially when it reveals unpalatable truths about ourselves.

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At the Supper of the Lamb, and at the Great Banquet, the Marriage Feast, Christ will present the Church, His Bride, to His Father. 

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True humility is learned on the Cross and at the foot of the Cross.

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The beatific vision - my eyes will behold what my heart has known, loved, and longed for.

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Faith in Christ enables us radiate peace in the core of our being in all circumstances.

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If you flirt with fire expect to be burned.

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God generously thrusts grace upon grace upon us and we reject it until God decides to get our attention by breaking us and breaking our hearts and finally we surrender and allow grace to seize us and God to possess us.