The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/010115.cfm) reminds me that God always blesses us!
The first reading and psalm gives us a very beautiful blessing and prayer. And I believe that just as God asked Moses to bless the Israelites with this, he is also reminding us that this blessing is for us as well. As we start the year, it is good to be reminded of this blessing from God:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
God has concretized this blessing in the second reading. The reason for this season. God sent his only Son to save us from our sins, because he loves us. Because of this, we too can call God our loving and almighty father.
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God
Just as we start the year, we also celebrate the Solemnity of Mama Mary, Mother of God. This is one of the three Holy Days of Obligation in our country (Aside from Dec 8 Immaculate Conception and Dec 25 Christmas). It is fitting that as we start the year, we remember Mary, a loyal and humble servant of God. We again see a glimpse of her in the gospel. After saying Yes to God, she bore a Son and named him Jesus. At this point, she does not understand yet God’s plans as she kept all things in her heart, but still she continues to be faithful to God and does her part as the earthly mother of Christ. It is a good reminder for us, that even if we do not know and understand yet God’s plans, we just have to be like Mary and submit to God and do what he asks us to do.
May we always remember that God will always bless us, and may this lead us to be like Mama Mary, who trusts and surrenders to God, despite not knowing his plans for us yet.
What is God telling me today as I start the year? What are my fears and worries as I enter another year? Financial concerns? Health issues? Family matters? What can I learn from Mama Mary?
Father God,
Thank you for today. Thank you for another year! Thank you for all the blessings in 2014, and I look forward to receiving more blessings and more love from you this 2015. Lord, I do not know what this year would bring, but I do hope that it would bring me closer to you. May the challenges and hardships, as well as the blessings and triumphs this year bring me to loving you more and may they strengthen my faith in you. I ask Lord that you hold my hand every step of the way. Never let go of me, and as you hold my hand, may I radiate you to others I encounter. Amen.
Blessed year!
In Christ,
-g-
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January 1, 2015
The Octave Day of Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Lectionary: 18
Reading 1 Nm 6:22-27
The LORD said to Moses:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8.R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
reading 2 Gal 4:4-7Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.
Alleluia Heb 1:1-2R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 2:16-21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
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