Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 1, 2026
First Reading: Numbers 6.22-27
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."
Psalm 67
1May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah2that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.3Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!6The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.7God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Second Reading: Galatians 4.4-7
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.
Gospel: Luke 2.16-21
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
The ancient blessing from the book of Numbers, where the Lord instructs Aaron and his sons to invoke His name over the Israelites for protection, grace, and peace, finds its profound fulfillment in the "fullness of time" described by St. Paul in Galatians. This is when God sent His Son, born of a woman and under the law, not merely to bless us from afar, but to redeem us and elevate us to the status of adopted children. We see the unfolding of this divine plan in the Gospel of Luke, where the shepherds, having witnessed the infant Jesus in the manger, understood and glorified God, while Mary quietly treasured these mysteries in her heart. Eight days after his birth, this child is given the name JESUS, a name that signifies his very mission of salvation and the essence of God's ultimate blessing for humanity.
These readings beautifully illustrate God's unchanging desire to bless His people, from the specific invocation given to Aaron to the ultimate blessing poured out through His Son. The blessing of Numbers, which promised protection and peace through God's countenance, is now realized in an intimate and transformative way: through Christ, we are not merely recipients of blessings, but brought into the very family of God, receiving the Spirit of the Son who enables us to cry "Abba, Father." This incredible shift from servitude to sonship means we are heirs of God's kingdom. Like Mary, we are called to ponder these profound truths, allowing them to shape our understanding of who God is and who we are in Him, while also, like the shepherds, joyfully proclaiming the good news we have received, resting in the peace that comes from being beloved children of God.