Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-01-19, SOL, The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 01-01-19 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 12/31/2018 7:53:02 PM PST by Salvation

January 1 2019

The Octave Day of Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

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 4:4-7

Brothers 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 1:1-2

R. 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.


TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: blessedvirginmary; catholic; christmas; lk2; prayer
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: All

Feast of
the Holy Name of Jesus


Luke 2:21 "...Et vocatum est Nomen eius IESUS"
("And His Name was called JESUS")

Psalm 90:14 "Because he hoped in me I will deliver him:
I will protect him because he hath known My Name."

Zacharias 10:12 "I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they shall walk in His Name, saith the Lord."

Apocalypse 3:8 "I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied My Name."

Apocalypse 15:4 "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and magnify Thy Name?..."

 

Blessed be the most holy Name of Jesus without end!

 

January Devotion: The Holy Name of Jesus

The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast is also celebrated on January 3. Here is an explanation of the devotion.

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. The devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus has been traditionally associated with the month of January, due to its celebration on January 3. The name Jesus was given to the Holy Child at God's command (Luke 1:31). The Holy Name is all-powerful because of the Person who bears it; we honor it because of the command of Christ, that we should pray in His Name and because it reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. Hence St. Paul was able to write to the Philippians: ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). By means of this devotion we also make amends for improper use of the Holy Name.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis Memoria

Iesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluus. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript. Parts of this hymn were used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which was formerly celebrated on the Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany, or failing such a Sunday, on January 2. The part below was used at Vespers. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was deleted, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial on January 3.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
The Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.

---Roman Breviary

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.

O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

 

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Phil:2:10-11

 


 

 

The Most Holy Name
The Power of Jesus’ Name
What does IHS stand for? The meaning of the Holy Name of Jesus [Catholic Caucus]
Litany Of The Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Jesus, The Name above all Names
Devotion to the Holy Name (of Jesus) [Catholic Caucus]
Lessons In Iconography : The Chi Rho - Christ
St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Excerpt from a Sermon) (Catholic Caucus)
St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

St. Bernard on the Most Holy Name of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Saving the day in His Holy Name: St. Genevieve gets a reprieve [Catholic Caucus]
The Holy Name of Jesus
Holy Name of Jesus [San Bernadino of Siena] Ecumenical
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name [of Jesus]
The Name of Jesus: Its Power in Our Lives
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus
The Holy Name of Jesus


Philippians 2
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

21 posted on 01/01/2019 5:45:33 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: All

January, 2019

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – Religious Minorities in Asia, That Christians and other religious minorities in Asian countries, may be able to practice their faith in full freedom.


22 posted on 01/01/2019 5:58:46 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: All
'Despise not prophecies.
But prove all things;
hold fast that which is good.'

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

23 posted on 01/01/2019 6:02:16 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: All



The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 


"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 


24 posted on 01/01/2019 6:02:57 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: All

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3716693/posts?page=2

Saint of the Day — Mary, Mother of God


25 posted on 01/01/2019 6:15:01 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: All
Mary, Mother of God

Mary: Mother of God
Mary Matters (Dr. Walter Martin on disbelief in the Mother of God)
Mother of God -- Defender of Orthodoxy
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] Pope at January 1 Mass: Mary, Mother of God, Mother for all
Will the Real January 1st Please Stand Up. A Homily For New Years Day and the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God
Ukraine: The Mother of God Destroyed the Soviet Empire
Mary, Mother of God
Nestorius on Mary as the Mother of God
Tome of St. Leo the Great on the Two Natures of Christ
Benedict XVI’s Mass for Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Catholic Caucus) [Graphics]

Do a virgin birth and perfect knowledge make Jesus less human? Or Mary less a mother? [Ecumenical]
Catholic Word of the Day: MOTHER OF GOD, 09-22-11
What need would the "immaculate" "Mother of God" have for a Savior?
CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS: Russian Icon of the Mother of God of Fatima
Newman about Mary, Mother of God [Catholic Caucus]
How could Mary be the Mother of God?
Mary, the Mother of God (a defense)
Calling Mary “Mother of God” Tells Us Who Jesus Is
Mary, Motherhood, and the Home BY Archbishop Fulton Sheen
On Mary, Mother of Priests

Mary: Holy Mother
Mary: Mother of Divine Life: Model of Pro-life Apostles [Catholic Caucus]
The Mother of God [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Mother of God calls us to be 'Bearers of God'
HE INCREASES AND SHE DECREASES [Mary, Mother of God]
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - Mary, Full of Grace
Happy Mother's Day to Mary - the Mother of God
Catholic beliefs about Mary, the Mother of God
Mary, Mother of God
The Early Church Fathers on The Mother of God - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus

Mary, Mother of God
Mary in Feminist Theology: Mother of God or Domesticated Goddess?
Mary: True Mother of God
Feast of Mary, Mother of God (not a Holy Day of Obligation this year)
MARIAN DEVOTION - Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God
Mother of God
Virgin Mother of God
A Homily on the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The Mother of the Son: The Case for Marian Devotion
Mary: True Mother of God


26 posted on 01/01/2019 6:16:05 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: All
Information: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Feast Day: January 1

27 posted on 01/01/2019 6:19:23 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: All
CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Tuesday, January 1

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Mother of God. We honor Mary as the
greatest of all God’s creatures. Devotion to her
and asking for her intercession can be traced
back at least to the year 150 A.D.

28 posted on 01/01/2019 6:26:07 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: All
Catholic Culture

Christmas: January 1st

Octave of Christmas and Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation USA)

MASS READINGS

January 01, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who through the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary bestowed on the human race the grace of eternal salvation, grant, we pray, that we may experience the intercession of her, through whom we were found worthy to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

show

Recipes (39)

show

Activities (31)

show

Prayers (15)

Library (0)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: Octave Day of Christmas; Circumcision of Our Lord ; Other Titles: New Years Day

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, our Lady's greatest title. This feast is the octave of Christmas. In the modern Roman Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the Solemnity of Circumcision of Our Lord.

"Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom." — Catechism of the Catholic Church 721

A plenary indulgence may be gained by reciting or singing the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus on the first day of the year. This hymn is traditionally sung for beginnings of things, calling on the Holy Spirit before endeavoring something new.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - Day Eight
Although New Year's Day is not celebrated by the Church, this day has been observed as a holy day of obligation since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Each family and country has different traditional foods to eat on New Year's Day, with lentils being the main superstition: ill luck befalling those who do not eat lentils at the beginning of the year.

New Year's is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and good cheer, mostly with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too, could not be sanctified in Christ.


29 posted on 01/01/2019 6:35:29 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 2:16-21

The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord Solemnity of Mary

Mary kept all these things. (Luke 2:19)

Happy 2019! All of us here at The Word Among Us pray that this will be a year of great blessing for each of you. And what better way to begin the year than by honoring Mary!

As Mother of God, Mary had the privilege of bearing Jesus, true God and true man, into the world. Together with Joseph, she also had the honor—and the challenge—of raising a child whose two natures, divine and human, were intimately united but did not overshadow one another.

Think about the important role Mary played in teaching Jesus and forming him in his human nature. Think about how her example and her love influenced the kind of Messiah he would be. Her compassion helped show him what it means to be merciful. The witness of her faith helped him trust in God’s power to perform miracles. Her prayer, “May it be done to me according to your word,” taught him to follow his heavenly Father’s will (Luke 1:38). No wonder we proclaim that she is blessed among women!

In today’s Gospel, St. Luke tells us the most important thing that Mary taught Jesus: prayerfully reflecting on God’s words and his works. Jesus must have seen his mother praying thousands of times—both by herself and with Joseph. Her prayerfulness helped set the tone in her home as she taught her young son to bring every question, every word of praise, and every need to his heavenly Father. And clearly, it worked. The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus finding time to get away and talk—and listen—to God (Mark 1:35; Luke 3:21; 9:28-29; John 11:41-43; 17:1-26).

Mary isn’t just the Mother of Jesus. She is also Mother of the Church. She is your Mother. So let her do for you what she did for Jesus. Let her example, her wisdom, and her intercession teach you how to ponder God’s word and how to treasure his love. Let her teach you how to pray.

“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.”

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

30 posted on 01/01/2019 6:39:46 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: All
Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Ephrem (c.306-373)
deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church

Hymn

“The shepherds … glorified and praised God for all they had heard and seen.”

Come, Moses, show us that bush on top of the mountain whose flames danced on your face (Ex 3:2): it is the child of the Most High who became visible from the womb of the Virgin Mary and who illumined the world when he came. Glory to him from every creature, and blessed is she who bore him!

Come, Gideon, show us that fleece and the sweet dew (Judg 6:37), explain to us the mystery of your word: the fleece is Mary who received the dew, the Word of God. He manifested himself in creation through her and redeemed the world from error.

Come, David, show us the city that you saw and the plant that germinated there: Mary is the city, the plant which came forth from there is our Savior whose name is Dawn (Zech 3:8, LXX).

The tree of life that was guarded by the cherubim with a sword of fire (Gen 3:24) now dwells in Mary, the pure Virgin, and Joseph guards it. The cherubim have laid down their sword, for the fruit they were guarding was sent from the height of heaven even to the exiles in their abyss. Eat of it, everyone, mortal human beings, and you shall live. Blessed be the fruit that the Virgin bore.

Blessed be the one who came down and dwelt in Mary and who came forth from her to save us. Blessed are you, Mary, who were considered to be worthy to be the mother of the Son of the Most High, you who bore the Ancient One who had given birth to Adam and Eve. He came forth from you, the sweet fruit filled with life, and through him, the exiles again have access to paradise.

31 posted on 01/01/2019 6:45:11 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: All
Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 1, 2019:

Today on Mary’s feast day, ask our Blessed Mother to bless your family throughout this new year. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

32 posted on 01/01/2019 6:49:26 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: All

January 1, 2019 – Our Mother Knows the Song of the Angels

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Luke 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.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are my friend, my Father, and my protector. I come to you on this new day confident in your presence. I renew my love for you, trusting in your guiding hand.

Petition: Lord, I want to hear the angels sing. Help me learn to listen.

1. Sometimes We Need a Little Help:Would the shepherds have been impressed to find Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus if the angels had not explained what was happening? They would have just thought it was a poor, vagabond family—unimpressive and unassuming like their own lives as shepherds. Yet the angels opened them to a reality that they would never have imagined or perceived. In my life God has also sent me angels who help me discover him: the faith of a parent or grandparent, the sweet, innocent faith of a child, the good example of a friend, a teacher, a priest or a nun, the example of our Holy Father. Mary also teaches me to discover God in her Son. Do I thank God for these angels that he has sent me? Do I follow their advice and look for Christ in the simple, ordinary circumstances of my life?

2. Hints of a New Song: In a symphony, the first movement only hints at the central theme. Mary had first heard this theme from the angel Gabriel. Now the shepherds take up this theme—the hymn of the angels—and even though the shepherds play their part with great enthusiasm, it probably makes very little noise outside the little town of Bethlehem. Yet the song had begun, and it would grow to a crescendo as Christ lived out his mission. History unfolds God’s mysterious plan of salvation. I am part of that history, of that symphony. Do I do my best to continue Mary’s song, God’s song, by living my commitments and taking part in apostolate?

3. And His Name Shall Be “God Saves”: Mary and Joseph take up the hymn. They know the secret: this child will save Israel and will save all mankind. They begin to explain to the world, using an ancient name, Joshua (Yeshua), a name that now becomes not just a promise but a person. This is God’s new name. This is Our God: God Saves. He is not merely a God who is the source of everything. Our God is intimately committed to us, and he puts himself “in the line of fire” to save us. Man had suspected that God was Creator, and the Jews had received the surprise of his friendship, but neither Gentile nor Jew dreamed that God was also this type of love. Do I dare to dream of God’s goodness? Do I let Christ give me peace and hope in the midst of this despairing world?

Conversation with Christ:  Lord, I have heard something new today. You remind me this Christmas that it is time for a new song, a song of confidence and hope. Mary teaches me this song, this good news. I want to bring this good news more deeply into my life. I know that you are helping me to discover you more each day. Help me also discover you to others. Regnum Christi

Resolution: In Mary’s presence, I will strive to “sing this new song” (the Christian virtue I have determined to cultivate) today by making a special effort in one aspect of living this virtue.

33 posted on 01/01/2019 6:52:41 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: All

Scripture Speaks:the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

Gayle Somers

What was it like for Mary to be the Mother of God? Our Gospel reading gives some hints.

Gospel (Read Lk 2:16-21)

Included in the Octave of Christmas is today’s solemnity, which gives us an opportunity to think about Mary’s participation in the Incarnation. We know, of course, that the description of Mary as “Mother of God” came as a result of confusion in the early years of Christianity over the exact nature of the Incarnation. The controversy pivoted on the question of whether Jesus was fully divine from the womb. Some suggested that He was born human and endowed with His divine nature. The Church declared that Jesus, from His conception in Mary’s womb, was fully human (from His mother) and fully divine (from His Father). If we believe that Jesus is God (we do), then we believe that Mary is the Mother of God.

However, to observe this solemnity only as a theological marker, as important as that is, would be to fall short of all it offers to us. Aren’t we curious about what it was like for Mary to be God’s Mother? Jesus, from the Cross, gave her to us as our own Mother, too. Don’t we want to know her better?

Today’s Gospel takes up the Nativity narrative with the visit of the shepherds, who had just gotten an angel’s announcement of “good news of a great joy which will come to all people, for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:10-11). The angel gave the shepherds directions to find this baby. When the shepherds arrived, they told Mary and Joseph “the message that had been told them about this Child.”

 

Let us think for a moment about Mary in this scene. She knew that she had given birth to God’s own Son, in a truly miraculous way. Do we wonder what it was like for her to give birth to Him in a make-shift “home,” in the shabbiest of circumstances? Every expectant mother wants safety and hospitable surroundings for the birth of her child. This is a biological dictum of motherhood. Did Mary’s mother’s heart shrink when she realized this was not to be the case for her Son? Was this her first opportunity to wonder what lay ahead for this Child? If these thoughts filled her, imagine the impact of the shepherds’ arrival. These men were simple folk. In fact, shepherding in that day was sometimes done by men who could get no other work, hired hands who were often thought to be borderline suspicious. In other words, they were on the lowest rung in society. Yet it was to these men—not those in palaces or in the precincts of the Temple—to whom the news of the birth of the Savior was first given. As they burst upon the scene, excited with their news and full of joy over God’s goodness, did their presence (and God’s choice of them to be witnesses to Mary’s Son) begin to deepen her understanding of the kind of ministry He would have? Did their exuberance make her smile?

We have all seen the almost beatific gaze of love that mothers lock onto the faces of their newborns. There is unbounded tenderness and awe in that look. Did Mary, the Mother of God, after hearing the report of the shepherds and seeing their conversion to God, look down on her Infant’s face and think to herself, “Behold, the face of God”? Did the shepherds’ visit give her encouragement that even though His birth probably didn’t happen as a mother would have hoped, she could be confident that it had happened exactly right?

We see that Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” We can only imagine all the questions that flooded into her mind, but we can have no doubt that what she pondered gave her joy. She was, in her mother’s gaze of love, face-to-face with God’s mysterious way of working in the world to ransom His people from the bondage of sin and restore them as His children. There would surely be many surprises ahead. Yet, even as an Infant in a manger, Jesus was reaching out to the simple, the disenfranchised, the struggling, the outcasts, and His presence turned their lives into testimonies that glorified and praised God.

Mary, Mother of God, in that humble stable found herself and her Son at the very center of this explosion of blessing. And that is where she remains, forever.

Possible response: Father, thank You for sending shepherds to adore Mary’s Son and give delight to a mother’s heart.

First Reading (Read Num 6:22-27)

We have here the oldest Hebrew prayer in the Old Testament. God gave it to Moses for Aaron, the high priest, to pray over His people. It is an Old Testament antecedent to our Lord’s Prayer, because it is an explicit divine direction on how to pray for God’s blessing. See how its main petitions have all been fulfilled in Jesus: blessing, protection, the face of God, grace, and peace. Do we not constantly hear these elements in the Liturgies of the Church? Mary, Mother of God, heard this prayer for God’s people throughout her life. When the shepherds arrived to pay homage to the new king, did these words resound in her heart as she looked into the tiny face of her Son? God now had a Face, and wherever that Face looked, the light of blessing, protection, grace, and peace would shine. No wonder Mary had much to ponder that day!

Possible response: Father, You have always desired that we should see Your face and live in its light. Help me keep a steady gaze on Jesus; in His light, we see You.

Psalm (Read Ps 67:2-3, 5-6, 8)

The psalmist, in his prayer, repeats the elements of the Aaronic blessing in our first reading (“May God have pity on us and bless us; may He let His Face shine upon us”). All of mankind, since Eden, has longed to see God’s face, to be restored to the communion with Him destroyed by sin. The angel who visited the shepherds told them that the “good news” he announced would be for “all the people,” not just the people of Judah. See how the psalmist foretells this universal blessing when God “let His face shine on us”: “So, may Your way be known upon earth; among all nations, Your salvation.”

Later in our liturgical calendar, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, remembering the men from the East, far from Judah, who came to do homage to the newborn king. When we say our responsorial, “May God bless us in His mercy,” we are praying that all the world will behold the face of God in Christ Jesus and be saved.

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Gal 4:4-7)

St. Paul here helps us understand why the angels who sang in the night sky and the shepherds who heard and saw them were filled with God’s praises. He tells us that the Babe in the manger, “born of a woman, born under the law” came “to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” What?

Yes, although it seems too good to be true, it is true. Jesus, born of God and Mary, makes it possible for us to be adopted by God and Mary through our baptism. St. Paul even gives us “proof” of this adoption: “God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a son.” The Holy Spirit, given to us in baptism, moves us to turn to God deep in our souls and call Him “Father,” not “Master.” This is a supernatural event! Jesus came not only as a revelation of God but also to make us His adopted sons and daughters. Children need a father and a mother. Jesus, from the Cross, gives Mary, Mother of God, to John, His disciple. The Church sees in this the gift of Mary’s motherhood to all those reborn in baptism as God’s adopted children.

So, Mary, Mother of God, is our Mother, too. What a difference this can make in our lives when we open our hearts to her. She is a Mother who witnessed, firsthand, how God blesses the meek and the lowly. She is a Mother who knows that even when things don’t turn out as we had hoped, they can still be filled with God’s goodness. She is a Mother who casts on us that same gaze of love that fell first on Jesus. She is a Mother who ponders the events of life and, through God’s mercy, finds herself at the center of the explosion of His blessings.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

Possible response: Blessed Mother, how well you understand that life with God requires faith and patience. Pray for me to have a heart willing to ponder His Word and His work.


34 posted on 01/01/2019 6:55:58 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 1

<< Tuesday, January 1, 2019 >> Mary, Mother of God
 
Numbers 6:22-27
Galatians 4:4-7

View Readings
Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Luke 2:16-21

Similar Reflections
 
Please read: Donations appeal letter for 2019
 

"SILENT NIGHT"

 
"Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart." �Luke 2:19
 

The world begins the year with noisemakers, fireworks, and cacophony. The Church begins the year at the manger with Mary, treasuring "all these things" and "reflecting on them in her heart." The world begins the year with a noisy night; we Christians begin with "silent night."

That which begins with a bang often ends in "dead silence." That which begins in "live silence" often ends in a bang, which changes the world. The Lord commands us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10, RSV-CE). He assures us, "By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies" (Is 30:15). The "better part" is to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to His words (see Lk 10:39, 42).

As we begin this new year, let us be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" (Jas 1:19). In silence, there is revelation, joy, and peace. "It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord" (Lam 3:26). "Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the Lord! For He stirs forth from His holy dwelling" (Zec 2:17).

 
Prayer: Father, on this day of prayer for peace, make us peacemakers (Mt 5:9), even if we have to die for peace (see Col 1:20).
Promise: "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!" —Nm 6:24-26
Praise: Praise You, Father, for giving us Mary as our perfect model: humble, quiet, loving, and prayerful.

35 posted on 01/01/2019 6:58:12 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: All

36 posted on 01/01/2019 7:00:15 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson