Daily Readings - Wed Jan 01 2020
Numbers
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
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
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 love and our response to it. The first reading from Numbers presents the priestly blessing, a sacred ritual where God’s chosen priests impart divine favor upon the people. This blessing, still used today, underscores God’s enduring desire to bestow peace and grace upon His children. Rooted in the Old Testament, it highlights the tangible ways God’s presence is manifest in the lives of the faithful.
The second reading from Galatians shifts our focus to the New Testament, where Paul reveals the culmination of God’s plan in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we are adopted as God’s children, moving from bondage under the law to the freedom of being heirs of God. This passage emphasizes the transformative power of faith in Christ, which redefines our identity and purpose.
The Gospel from Luke illustrates the shepherds’ response to the divine announcement of Jesus’ birth. Their haste to worship and subsequent proclamation of the Good News exemplify authentic faith—trusting God’s Word and sharing it with others. Mary’s contemplation of these events models a reflective faith, nurturing a deep interior life.
These readings collectively reveal God’s initiative in blessing us and our responsive faith. The priestly blessing prefigures the ultimate blessing in Jesus, who makes us God’s children. Our response, like the shepherds, should be one of trust and proclamation. In daily life, this means living with the awareness of God’s presence, embracing our identity as His children, and sharing His love with others. May we, like Mary, ponder God’s Word in our hearts and, like the shepherds, glorify Him in all we do.