And Mary Kept Pondering All These Things In Her Heart
Introduction
1. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
2. A Blessed Year
3. World Day of Peace
1. Mary, Mother of God
It is a pleasure to begin the year 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.
2. A Blessed Year
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.
3. World Day of Peace
A new year begins today and we wish one another God’s blessings, good health, happiness. On this day as we celebrate the feast of Mary, the Mother of God, 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.
First Reading: 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: 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 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: 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: 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.
Commentary:
It is good to begin a journey with soulful companions. It is good to begin a year with a sense of belonging. Sometimes it is tempting to walk our spiritual path all by oneself, as it often seems easier and less bothersome to do so; but as Christians we are called to be a community of pilgrims. The company of a spirit-filled community—the likes of the Holy Family and the shepherds in today’s gospel—is the way to go as we begin our spiritual journey this year. Given the evidence in today’s gospel, there will be lots of laughter, storytelling, praise and thanks, wonderment, and deep pondering.
And, as members of the pilgrim Church, it is good to reach out and bless one another with the kind of blessing God taught Moses and Aaron. Let us take a moment today to reflect on how we can make 2020 a year of companionship, community, and mutual blessings.
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.
Go in peace, a happy New Year to all of you,
and take the Lord’s blessing with you
all the days of your life. R/ Thanks be to God.