WELCOME ALL TO THE NEW YEAR: 2021
1. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
2. A Blessed Year
3. World Day of Peace
Greeting (cf. First Reading)
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord be gracious to you and show his face to you this whole year long. The Lord be with you. R/ And with your spirit.
Introduction
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 New 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. Peace in Our World
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.
Penitential Act
For all the things we have done wrong in the past against God and against people, we now ask the Lord and one another to forgive us. (pause) Lord Jesus, yours are the seasons and the ages. Give us a new heart and a new spirit: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you are the beginning and the end of all that is, including our lives. Make a new beginning with all of us: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you breathe your Spirit on all creation. Make our old world new again: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, and let your forgiveness and love come down on us day after day. 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: 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
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 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 2021 a year of companionship, community, and mutual blessings.
Yes, many might say: throw away the 2020 with all its national problems and global challenges that diminish fireworks and elaborate Cross-Over celebration of praises and worship. But let us remember, it was also God’s Year. However, we have arrived today. Yesterday is gone. With hope in the Good and Merciful Lord, we say: Welcome 2021! The Bible Diaries will arrive soon to direct this journey…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 as we receive his grace of a New Year 2021. Let us pray:
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 forever. 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 Saviour 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.
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.