MARY— MOTHER OF GOD, SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2023

>>>IT’S NEW YEAR 2023<<<

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU!

Greeting (Cf. Second Reading)
God sent his Son, born of a woman,
to enable us to become God’s children.
Through the Spirit of the Son we can cry out to God:
“Father, my Father!”
May Jesus, this Son, be always with you.
R/ And with your spirit.

Introduction
It is a pleasure to begin the year 2023 with Mary. As followers of Jesus we want to be close to him. Who was closer to him than his mother? We want to grow up in Christ. Mary conceived him and carried him in her body until he was born from her. She saw him grow up day after day. She helped him grow up. She is eager to help him grow in us. We place ourselves in the care of Mary, that she may help us this year to grow into the full stature of Jesus.
In the Hail Mary we pray to the Mother of God: “Blessed are you among women.” Mary was indeed blessed by God: God placed in her all his trust and all the blessings he would bring on all people through Jesus, her Son. On this New Year’s Day we wish one another all God’s blessings for the whole year to come. May God bless all of us today as he blessed Mary, that we too, may bring God’s love and joy to one another and give Jesus to this cold world.
As the Day for World Peace, we also include very earnestly and insistently wishes and prayers for deep and lasting peace in a world beset with violence and strife, for Mary gave us Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Let our sense of justice and unity, of mutual forgiveness and acceptance create the atmosphere in which peace can grow in our hearts, in our homes, in the world.

Penitential Act
Today we ask the Lord to forgive us our past sins
and to lead us with confidence to the future.
(pause)

Lord Jesus, God’s own Son
and son of the Virgin Mary,
let God’s will be done in us, his servants.
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you were born of a woman
to make us capable of becoming
Sons and daughters of the Most High God:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, keep speaking to us
your word of peace and hope
and help us to treasure this word in our hearts:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins,
that we may live this year in your love,
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer
Let us pray to our mighty God
who chose Mary as the mother of his Son
(pause)

Our faithful and saving God,
in Mary our earth said its yes to your call
and there burst upon humanity
forgiveness and blessing and new life
in the person of your Son Jesus Christ.
Give us Mary’s trusting faith,
that we may always be close to Jesus
even in the darkness of suffering
and that we may take him
to the poor and the lonely of our world.
Bless us through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27): God Blesses His People
God blessed the people with whom he had made a covenant: he was to them the source of all blessing. May his blessings and grace come down on us, his people, this whole year long.

1 Reading Numbers 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 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 the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide. R.

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.

Second Reading (Galatians 4:4-7): Sons and Daughters of God through Mary’s Son
God has given us his Son Jesus through the Virgin Mary. With God’s Son we have become the sons and daughters of God.

2 Reading GALATIANS 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 HEBREWS 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 (Luke 2:16-21): They Found Mary and the Child
The shepherds saw Jesus and accepted him in faith. They praised God and could not keep silent about what they had seen. Mary treasured these events in her heart.

Gospel 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.

Reflection:

God bless you and keep you

In the New Year 2023, I wish you good health, happiness, and God’s blessings in abundance. Today the Church invites us to begin the New Year with Mary, Mother of God. In 1968, Pope Paul VI promulgated January 1 to be observed as a day of prayer for “World Peace”. Two years later, in 1970, the pope instituted the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, which is also to be celebrated on the first day of every year. This solemnity is observed on January 1 to recognize the importance of Mary in the Christian life.

In today’s first reading from the Book of Numbers, we find a beautiful prayer which can be used as our personal wish and prayer for our loved ones in the New Year:
God bless you and keep you,
God smile on you and gift you,
May God look upon you full in the face and make you prosperous.
These are the first words we hear on this first day of the year, “The LORD bless you and keep you!” I think there is no greater blessing.

This New Year’s blessing expresses God’s care and concern for his people. We see a God who rejoices in his/her children’s well-being and unceasingly blesses them. This is also called the ‘priestly blessing’. We shall walk this year holding the hands of this loving and caring God and those of Mary, his mother and our Mother. We shall also hold hands with one another as one family of God, blessing one another.
As Christians, we are called to be a community of pilgrims, to walk in community and companionship; and never to walk our spiritual journey alone. As we begin our spiritual journey this year, it would be wise to seek the company of a spirit-filled community — like the Holy Family and the shepherds in today’s gospel.

And, as members of the pilgrim Church, it is our responsibility to reach out and bless one another with the kind of blessing God taught Moses and Aaron. Let us reflect today on how we can make 2023 a year of companionship, community, and mutual blessings.

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU!

Intercessions
With the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us call upon the Lord to pour out his blessings on all God’s children and on the world. Let us say:
R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.

– Lord, pour out your blessings on the Church, that all the people of God may grow in faith and hope, that there may be unity and cooperation between the leaders and the laity, we pray:
R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.
– Lord, bless all priests and religious, that they may live the Gospel and proclaim it, that their heart may be open to everyone, that they may care especially for the last and the least, we pray:
R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.
– Lord, bless all fathers and mothers, that they may be faithful and loving to one another as you are faithful and tender to them, and that they may reflect your own love on their children, we pray:
R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.
– Lord, bless all children and young people, that they may have parents who care, that they may learn at home and in school to become generous and responsible, we pray:
R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.
– Lord, bless our country, that there may be justice among us, jobs for all, access for all to the wealth of resources in our land and peace and unity in all our diversity, we pray:
R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.
– Lord, bless the seekers and doubters, the sick, orphans and widows, those who are sad, all who have to carry heavy burdens in life. Give them hope, make your people show them your love, we pray:

R/ Lord, bless us and keep us.

Lord, let this year be to all of us a year of grace, of peace and joy, that we may face the future with hope and live in your love now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
in this bread and this wine
we bring before you our offering
of this new year.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God,
give us your Son to be with us
in this Eucharistic celebration
and every day of this year.
As he gives himself to us,
help us to share ourselves with each other
every day you give us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us give wholehearted praise and thanks to God our Father for giving us Jesus through the Virgin Mother Mary. May this Eucharist bring us his blessing and give us Jesus to go with us through life today and every day of the year.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Through the Spirit of Jesus
alive in our hearts,
we pray to our Father in heaven
in the words of Jesus himself. R/ Our Father…

Deliver Us
Lord, deliver us this year
from every evil of sin
and grant us and the whole world
your reliable, lasting peace.
Grant us your understanding love
and your infinite respect for others,
that in justice and goodness
we may prepare for the final coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…

Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord,
born from the Virgin Mother Mary.
He comes among us
to be our saving God-with-us
and to grow in us.
Happy are we to be invited
to the table of the Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…

Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loving Father,
you have given us in this Eucharist
your Son Jesus as our guide on your way of peace
and Mary, his Mother, as our model of faith.
Let your grace this year
be stronger than our weakness and self-will.
Keep blessing us and let them inspire us
that all we say and do
may give praise to you
and lead us to the joy you have prepared for us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing for New Year
With Mary we have blessed the Lord today
that he has done great things for us in the past.
May he keep blessing us
and give us his peace:
peace with God himself, peace with ourselves
peace in our families, peace among nations.
May this year be to all of us
a year of grace,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.