Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 1, 2026
First Reading: Numbers 6.22-27
22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:25The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:26The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.27And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Psalm 67
1God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.2That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.3Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.4O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.5Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.6Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.7God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Second Reading: Galatians 4.4-7
4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Gospel: Luke 2.16-21
16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of 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.