Daily Readings - Tue Jan 01 2019

²²The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,²³"Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,²⁴The LORD bless you and keep you;²⁵the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;²⁶the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.²⁷"So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."

Galatians

Chapter 4

⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Luke

Chapter 2

¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.²¹And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter profound expressions of God’s blessings and the fulfillment of His promises. The first reading from Numbers presents the priestly blessing, a sacred invocation of God’s favor upon His people, emphasizing protection, mercy, and peace. This blessing, passed down through generations, serves as a reminder of God’s enduring presence and care. The second reading from Galatians reveals the culmination of God’s plan in the person of Jesus Christ, who was born under the law to redeem humanity. Through Jesus, we are adopted as sons and daughters of God, receiving the Spirit that cries out to our heavenly Father. The Gospel from Luke vividly portrays the shepherds’ encounter with the newborn Jesus, highlighting their faith and the wonder of Mary, who treasured the divine events in her heart. These readings are intricately connected, each shedding light on the mystery of God’s love. The priestly blessing in Numbers finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who is the source of all blessings. Galatians explains the theological depth of this fulfillment, showing how Jesus’ arrival transforms our status from servants to sons, granting us inheritance in God’s kingdom. Luke’s narrative illustrates the human response to this divine grace—the shepherds’ haste to worship and Mary’s contemplative heart. Together, these texts reveal the unity of God’s plan, where ancient blessings and promises converge in the birth of Jesus. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to recognize and embrace the blessings of God, just as the shepherds recognized the significance of Jesus’ birth. Like Mary, we are called to ponder the wonders of God’s work in our lives and in the world. The moral lesson here is one of gratitude and trust. Just as the priestly blessing was a reminder of God’s faithfulness, and just as the shepherds responded with joy and praise, we too should acknowledge God’s presence and provision. Let us, like Mary, treasure the Word of God in our hearts, allowing it to shape our thoughts, actions, and relationships. In doing so, we become living expressions of the blessings we have received, reflecting God’s love to a world in need.