January 1, 2026
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy
Mother of God
The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
Lectionary:
18
Reading
I
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
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
II
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
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
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.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010126.cfm
Commentary on Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke
2:16-21
In
John’s Gospel, Mary is twice simply referred to as the “mother of Jesus”—at
Cana when the water was turned into wine, and at the foot of the cross. John’s
Gospel is also the one that emphasises most the origins of Jesus as the Word of
God, existing before the beginning of time, and through whom all created things
came to be. He does not really need to spell out the implications of the term
“mother of Jesus”. But they are very extraordinary implications as we shall
see.
Anti-climax
Today, the Gospel of Luke speaks of the earthly reality of Jesus and his
mother. The shepherds, in great excitement after hearing the heavenly host sing
the first “Gloria” ever sung say:
Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord
has made known to us.
(Luke 2:15)
Perhaps
what they discovered must have seemed, at first, an anti-climax. Just a man, a
woman—the mother—and a baby lying in a feeding box in a dark and smelly cowshed
(not that shepherds would have been much bothered by farmyard smells).
We are
told that they were amazed, and no wonder. Is this what the angels had to sing
about? No words of Mary or Joseph are recorded, although they must have shared
some words with their visitors.
In
all of this time, Mary must have been trying to understand what was really
going on. One imagines at this stage, that if she had been greeted as “Mother
of God”, she would have been both alarmed and surprised, even shocked. So the
Gospel says that during all this time:
Mary
treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
This
was perhaps a hint that Mary had shared these reflections later with the writer
of the Gospel.
And
that is what we also need to do as we kneel in front of the crib here in our
church. Whatever was there, the shepherds, in their simple faith, saw something
very special in that prosaic scene. Many others must have seen and just passed
on. They might have thought or said: “Oh, another poor feckless couple
expecting handouts.”
The
shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for
all they had heard and seen. They also told everyone around what they had seen.
The shepherds were the very first heralds of the Good News, the gospel message,
and they were the first evangelisers. They seem to be a strange choice, as they
were regarded as sinful outcasts. Or, when we think about it a little more, was
it so strange? For them, the joy of having met their Lord, of knowing Jesus,
must of its very nature be shared and communicated with others. Would that we
were so filled with the same experience and the same joy that we would go
around sharing it with all! Yet, sometimes even our neighbours, or our
colleagues at work, do not know we are Christians! It is not considered
“politically correct” to speak of one’s religious convictions.
Then,
after eight days, the Gospel says in conclusion, his pious Jewish parents had
the child circumcised like any normal Jewish boy in accordance with the Law.
Jesus always observed and had the deepest respect for the Law. What he
criticised were its abuses. And Christianity is not a rejection of the Law, but
a fulfilling of its promises and a shift to a deeper and wider level of serving
God.
No
special privileges
If John, in his Gospel, speaks of Mary simply as the “mother of Jesus”, St
Paul, in today’s Second Reading says even less:
…when
the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…
Mary’s
name is not even mentioned. It has been suggested that this is in the spirit of
the New Testament, where there is no privilege of class or individuals. People
are distinguished by one thing only—by their service to the community in the
name of Jesus the Lord. This applies as much to Mary as to any of the
apostles—as well as to any other Christian disciple.
God’s
Mother
Today’s feast, however, is called “Mary, the Holy Mother of God” and not just
“Mother of Jesus”. For both Jews and Muslims who have the deepest respect for
God and even his name, the idea that God could have a human being as his mother
is totally preposterous and even blasphemous. It is a contradiction in terms
for the Creator of all things to be mothered by a creature.
Yet
we can take an example from human experience. The president of a country has a
mother. Let us say the president’s name is John Smith. Mrs Smith, at some stage,
became the mother of John Smith. But later, John was elected president of his
country; he became President Smith. John and President Smith are one and the
same person so Mrs Smith is the mother of John and also mother of the president
of the country.
Mary
gave birth to the human child that is Jesus. But that child is the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus is both human and divine: two natures, but
only one Person. Mary, as the Mother of Jesus, is also the Mother of that
Person, and that Person is God, one with the Father and Holy Spirit. Clearly we
are not expected to be able to understand or explain this any further. The
nature of God is quite beyond us. We need the simple and trusting faith of the
shepherds.
Special
relationship
Today, we honour the unique privilege of Mary, and her special relationship
with God. But where does Mary’s real greatness lie? There is a scene in the
Gospel where a woman shouts out from the crowd:
Blessed
is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you! (Luke 11:27)
It
was a cry of praise to Jesus himself, but also a compliment to the mother of
such a Son who was doing such marvellous things for the sick and the needy. In
today’s world, she might say: “God bless the mother that produced a son like
you!”
To
this, Jesus replied:
Blessed
rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it! (Luke 11:28)
In
other words, Mary’s greatness—and indeed the greatness of any person—was not in
her birth, or her parents or her Son, but in her unconditional response to the
call of God, in her hearing and obeying the word of God. This she did from the
moment of saying ‘Yes’ at the annunciation, to her standing silently and in
grief at the foot of the cross.
She
was “full of grace” not only for being chosen to be God’s mother, but in her
total openness to being filled with the love of God. We too are constantly
‘graced’, and we too can be full of grace, not simply because of our baptism
into the Catholic community, but because of our own total, active
identification with the way of Jesus, and our opening up to the call of God as
it unfolds in the unique circumstances of our own lives. We do this through
total and unconditional service to those around us. It is a formidable
challenge, but it also brings untold joys. Christianity, contrary to the
opinion of some, is not for wimps.
Unique
relationship
Mary had a unique relationship with the Blessed Trinity as daughter of the
Father, mother of the Son, and spouse of the Holy Spirit. Her feelings are
beautifully expressed in the Magnificat, which she spoke during her visit to
her cousin Elizabeth. She is filled with joy as the recipient of God’s love,
and also of an awesome responsibility.
God
has looked on this lowly girl. Through her ‘Yes’, Mary became a partner, a
major contributor in the work of salvation. No wonder that all generations call
her blessed, for the Almighty has done such great things for her—and she also,
in her human nature, for him. She nurtured and reared Jesus, God’s own Son, and
our Saviour.
For
this, today we say a special Thanks to Mary. The Son is so often a reflection
of the mother, as the woman in the Gospel so clearly realised. He is the one
who will rout the “proud in heart”, but will “fill the hungry with good
things”. We are, at the same time, among those who are hungry, and who are
called on to feed others spiritually, emotionally and materially according to
need.
Today’s
feast is one of great joy for Mary herself as Jesus’ Mother and for us who owe
so much to her total co-operation with God’s loving plan for us.
Thanks
and Yes
As we leave the ‘old year’, there are two things we could remember:
- To look back at all
the events, big and small of the past year and say thanks;
- To look forward
with expectation and surrender to all that will come and say yes.
And
finally, let us hear said to each one of us the beautiful blessing in today’s
First Reading:
The
Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
Comments
Off
https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/f0101r/
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Solemnity
of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to
read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on
the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped
them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence
and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in
Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor
and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples
from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to
others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice, and peace.
We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent
us your Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Luke 2: 16-21
A Key to the Reading:
The reason for Joseph and Mary to
go to Bethlehem was the census imposed by Rome’s emperor (Lk 2: 1-7). Periodically,
the Roman authorities decreed these censuses in the various regions of their
immense empire. It was a matter of registering people and knowing how many had
to pay taxes. The rich paid taxes on land and goods. The poor paid for the number
of children they had.
Sometimes the tax was more than 50% of a
person’s income.
In Luke’s
Gospel we note a significant difference between the birth of Jesus and that of
John the Baptist. John is born at home, in his land, in the midst of parents
and neighbors and is welcomed by all (Lk 1: 57-58). Jesus is born unknown, away
from his surroundings of family and neighbors and far from his land. “There was no
room in the inn.”
He had to be left in a manger (Lk 2: 7). Let us try to place and comment
on our text (Lk 2: 1 6-21) in the wider context of the visit of the shepherds
(Lk 2: 8-21). As we read, let us try to pay attention to the following: What
surprises do we find and what contrasts appear in this text? A Division of the Text to Help Us in Our Reading:
•
Luke 2: 8-9: The shepherds in the field, the
first persons invited
•
Luke 2: 10-12: The first announcement of the
Good News is made to the shepherds
•
Luke 2: 13-14: The praise of the angels
•
Luke 2: 15-18: The shepherds go to Bethlehem and
tell of their vision of the angels
•
Luke 2: 19-20: Mary’s attitude and that of the shepherds
concerning these events
•
Luke 2: 21: The circumcision of the child Jesus Text:
In the countryside close by
there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during
the watches of the night. An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of
the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid. Look, I bring
you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the
town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is
a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in
a manger.” And
all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven,
praising God with the words: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace for those he favors.
Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into
heaven, the shepherds
said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which
the Lord has made known
to us.” So, they hurried away 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
said to them. 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, just 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.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
… so that the Word of God may
penetrate and enlighten our life.
Some Questions
… to help us in our personal reflection.
•
What did you like best in this text? Why?
•
What surprises and contrasts do you find in this
text?
•
How does the text teach us that the little ones
are great in heaven and the poorest on earth?
•
What is Mary’s attitude and that of the shepherds concerning the
mystery of God just revealed to them?
•
What is the message Luke wants to communicate to
us through these details?
To Go Deeper into the Theme
The Context of Then and of Today:
The text of the feast of the
Mother of God (Lk 2: 16-21) is part of the broader description of the birth of
Jesus (Lk 2: 1-7) and of the visit of the shepherds (Lk 2: 8-21). The angel had
announced the birth of the Savior and gave a sign of recognition: “You will find a
baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger!” They were
expecting the Savior of a whole people, and they were to recognize him in a
newborn child, poor, who lies close to two animals! What a great surprise!
God’s
plan is fulfilled in an unexpected way, full of surprise. This happens today
too. A poor child is the Savior of the people! Can you believe this? A Commentary on the Text:
•
Luke 2: 8-9: The first invited persons
The shepherds were marginalized people, not greatly
appreciated. They lived together with the animals, separate from the rest of
humanity. Because of their constant contact with animals, they were considered
impure. No one would have ever invited them to visit a newly born baby. But it
is precisely to these shepherds that the Angel of the Lord appears to pass on
the great news of the birth of Jesus. Seeing the vision of the angels, they are
full of fear.
•
Luke 2: 10-12: The first announcement of the
Good News
•
Luke 2: 13-14: The praise of the angels: Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favors
A multitude of angels appears descending from heaven. It is
heaven that bends itself towards the
earth. The parts of this verse summarize God’s project, his plan. The
first part tells us what happens in the world up there: Glory to God in the
highest heaven. The second part tells us what will happen in the world here
below: On earth peace for those he favors! If people could experience what it
means to be favored by God, everything would be different, and peace would
dwell on earth. And this would be to the greater glory of God who dwells in the
highest!
•
Luke 2: 15-18: The shepherds go to Bethlehem and
tell of their vision of the angels
The Word of God is no longer a sound produced by the mouth.
It is above all anevent! The
shepherds literally say: “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.” In Hebrew, the
expression DABAR may mean both word and thing (event), generated by the
word. The word of God is a creative force. It fulfills what it says. At creation God said: “Let
there be light, and there was light!” (Gen 1: 3). The word of the angel
to the shepherds is the event of the birth of Jesus.
•
Luke 2: 19-20: Mary’s attitude and that of the shepherds
concerning these events
Luke
immediately adds that, "Mary treasured all these things (events) and
pondered them in her heart." These are two ways of perceiving and
welcoming the Word of God:
(i)
The shepherds get up to see the events and
verify the sign given by the angel, and then, they go back to their flocks
glorifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard.
(ii)
Mary, on the other hand, carefully keeps all
these events in her mind and
meditates on them in her heart. To meditate on things in one’s heart
means to ruminate them and throw light on them in the light of the Word of God
so as to understand better their full significance for life.
•
Luke 2: 21: The Circumcision and Name of Jesus
According to the norms of the law,
the child Jesus is circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (cf. Gen 17:
12). Circumcision was a sign of belonging to the people. It gave the person an
identity. On such an occasion each child received his name (cf. Lk 1: 59-63).
The child receives the name of Jesus that had been given him by the angel
before his conception. The angel had said to Joseph that the name of the child
had to be Jesus “he is the
one who is to save his people from their sins” (Mt 1: 21). The name of
Jesus is the same as Joshua and
means “God will save.” Another name that will gradually be given to
Jesus is Christ, which means Anointed or Messiah. Jesus is the awaited Messiah.
A third name is that of Emmanuel, which means God with us (Mt 1:
23). The complete name is Jesus Christ Emmanuel!
Further Information:
Mary in Luke’s Gospel
•
The Role of the First Two Chapters of Luke’s
Gospel:
These are two rather well known but less deeply understood
chapters. Luke writes them in imitation of the Old Testament. It is as though
these two chapters were the last of the Old Testament so as to open the door
for the coming of the New Testament. In these chapters, Luke creates an
atmosphere of softness and praise. From beginning to end the mercy of God is
sung, God who finally comes to fulfil his promises. Luke shows us how Jesus
fulfils the Old Testament and begins the New Testament. And he does so in favor
of the poor, the anawim, those who knew how to wait for
his coming: Elisabeth, Zachary, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna and the shepherds.
That is why the first two chapters are history but not in the sense that we
today give tohistory. They were more like a mirror where those, for whom they were written, the
Christians converted from paganism, could discover who Jesus was and how he had
come to fulfil the prophecies of the Old Testament, satisfying the deepest aspirations
of the human heart. These chapters were also a mirror of the events that were
taking place within the communities in Luke’s time. The communities originating from paganism will be
born of the communities of converted Jews. But these were different. The New
did not correspond to what the Old Testament imagined and expected. It was
"the sign of contradiction" (Lk 2: 34) and caused tensions and was
the source of much suffering.
In Mary’s attitude, Luke presents a model of how the communities could
react to and persevere in the New.
•
A Key to the Reading:
In these two chapters Luke presents Mary as model for the
life of the community. The key is given to us in the episode where the woman in
the crowd praises the mother of Jesus. Jesus modifies the praise and says: “More blessed still
are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Lk 11: 27-28). Herein lies the
greatness of Mary. It is in the world where Mary knows how to relate to the
Word of God that the communities contemplate the more correct way of relating
to the Word of God: welcoming it, incarnating it, living it, deepening it,
reflecting on it, giving it birth and making it grow, allowing oneself to be
overpowered by it even when one does not understand it or when one suffers
because of it. This is the vision underlying the two texts of chapters 1 and 2 of Luke’s
Gospel, which speak of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
•
An Application of the Key to the Texts:
•
Luke 1: 26-38: The Annunciation: "Let it
happen to me as you have said!" Opening oneself so that the Word of God
may be welcomed and incarnated.
•
Luca 1: 39-45: The Visitation: "Blessed is
she who believed!" Recognizing the Word of God in the events of life.
•
Luke 1: 46-56: The Magnificat: “The Almighty has done great
things for me!” A subversive and resistance hymn of hope.
•
Luke 2: 1-20: The Birth: "She treasured all
these things and pondered them in her heart.”
There was no room for them. The marginalized welcome the
Word.
•
Luke 2: 21-32: The Presentation: "My eyes
have seen the salvation!" Years of life purify the eyes.
•
Luke 2: 33-38: Simeon and Anna: "A sword
will pierce your soul" Being a Christian means being a sign of
contradiction.
•
Luke 2: 39-52: At twelve years: " Did you
not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
•
They did not understand the Word of God addressed
to them!
•
The Contrasts that Stand Out in Our Text:
•
In the darkness of the night a light shines (2:
8-9).
•
The world up there, heaven, seems to embrace our
world here below
(2: 13).
•
The greatness of God manifests itself in the
weakness of a child (2: 7).
•
The glory of God is made present in a manger,
close to animals (2: 16).
•
Fear is generated by the sudden apparition of an
angel and is changed into joy (2: 9-10).
•
Those completely marginalized are the first
invited (2: 8).
•
The shepherds recognize God present in a child
(2: 20).
Praying with the Psalm 23 (22)
“Yahweh is my shepherd!” Yahweh is my
shepherd, I lack nothing.
In grassy meadows he lets me lie.
By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving
justice as befits his name. Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death
I should fear no danger, for you are at my side.
Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
You prepare a table for me under
the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over.
Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life.
I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand
better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant
us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we,
like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who
live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and
ever. Amen. The first thing the angel says is: Do not be afraid! The second is:
Joy to be shared by the whole people! The third is: Today! Then the angel gives
three names to indicate who Jesus is: Savior, Christ and Lord! Savior is the
one who frees all people from all ties! The authorities in those days liked to
use the title Savior. They attributed the title to themselves. Christ means “anointed” or
“messiah.” In the Old Testament this was the title given to kings and
prophets. It was also the title of the future Messiah who would fulfill the
promises made by God to his people. This means that newly born child, who lies
in a manger, has come to fulfill the hopes of the people. Lord was the name
given to God himself! Here we have the three greatest titles imaginable. From
this announcement of the birth of Jesus as Savior, Christ and Lord, can you
imagine anyone with a higher standing? And angel says to you: “Be careful!
I give you this sign of recognition: you will meet a child in a manger, in the
midst of poor people!”
Would you believe him? God’s ways
are not our ways!
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét