Daily Readings - Wed Jan 01 2020
Numbers
22The LORD said to Moses,23"Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:24"'"The LORD bless you and keep you;25the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;26the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."'27"So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."
Galatians
4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Luke
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.21On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
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.