SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - THE MOTHER OF GOD - The Octave Day of Christmas (Lk 2:16-21) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Jan 3
- 4 min read
“When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus.” (Lk 2:21)
FIRST READING - 6:22-27
First reading from the Book of Numbers
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.”
SECOND READING from the Letter to the 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.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 2:16-21
From the Gospel according to Luke
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.
SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - THE MOTHER OF GOD - The Octave Day of Christmas (Lk 2:16-21)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today, the whole Church solemnly honors Mary as the Mother of God. She is the woman who always pleases God the Father. She was given the privilege of the Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity and was taken body and soul to heaven by God.
The Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen by God and placed in His work of salvation from time immemorial. In the work of salvation, she cooperated with God to save humanity from the captivity of Satan. The title of the Mother of God is the most exalted of all the titles that God gave her.
God is the Creator of heaven and earth, of all things, of man, but He humbled Himself to dwell in the womb of a woman chosen by God, placed in His work of salvation, that is Mary, showing that no one can do that, except God. Whatever God gives to someone, that person must thank God, and must practice exactly what He teaches.
The image of Mary as the Mother of God, is an example for humanity to follow: She obeyed God absolutely. She cooperated with God in the work of salvation, by conceiving the Son of God under the influence of the Holy Spirit. When the time came, God came down to earth and became a human being, and dwelled in the womb of the Virgin Mary. When the angel announced the news, she said: Yes! 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.' Then the angel departed from her. At that moment, the Son of God entered the womb of Mary, and from then on she became the Mother of God.
When Mary visited Elizabeth, her cousin, Elizabeth, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, also called Mary the Mother of God. She stated: 'How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?' Besides, the Word of God also lets everyone know: Mary is the Mother of God: that was when the shepherds were informed by an angel: go to the cave in Bethlehem and you will see a newborn Child lying in a manger; the Child will bring peace, bring salvation to all mankind. The shepherds came and witnessed: the image of Mary and Saint Joseph with the Child, that is the Son of God. Witnessing this to be true, they exclaimed:
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
The Prince of Peace is the Son of God, whom the Virgin Mary conceived and gave birth to. He brings peace and happiness to mankind. It is He who chose and appointed her as the Mother of God. Only Mary was made the Mother of the Son of God, to be called the Mother of God. The Mother of God, as the Church professes and prays every day: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”
Today, the first day of the new year, God also calls upon all humanity: to offer prayers to the Mother of God, our Mother:
O Mother, through your intercession, may God look down upon our sinful humanity; may the Prince of Peace bless all of us in this new year, so that we may live in a way that pleases God every second and every minute; and ask you to beg for the mercy of God "to look down upon our sinful humanity.” preserve, protect, defend and free us from the captivity of Satan, so that our hearts and minds may be clear when examining ourselves, recognizing our mistakes, repenting and determined to stop sinning.
Today, God calls on all mankind:
Always worship and fear God; and follow His example of humility, self-abasement and poverty that He lived by when He gave up all glory and honor in Heaven to be born as a human in a humble cave.
Always follow the example of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and also the Mother of all mankind, through learning her virtues and practicing her virtues in daily life, to be happy like her.
Therefore, in this new year, God does not expect anything from mankind other than absolute obedience to God following the example of the Son of God and Mary, His Mother.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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