Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 1, 2026
First Reading: Numbers 6.22-27
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."
Psalm 67
1May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah2that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.3May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.4May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah5May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.6Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.7God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Second Reading: Galatians 4.4-7
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.
Gospel: Luke 2.16-21
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
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.