Mary, Mother of God
01 January 2010
First reading Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 66:2-3,5,6,8
Second reading Galatians 4:4-7
When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.
Gospel Luke 2:16-21
The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.
When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.
Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut
So many things happened in 2009. I am usually the person who tries so hard to find good in any thing but if I look back at the highlights of last year, it seems the only thing on my “plus” list is Efren Penaflorida’s win as CNN Hero of the Year. Too bad I am not a boxing fan or Pacquiao’s victories would have been there too. Although the recent floods caused by typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, and Santi brought out the best in us Filipinos as far as bayanihan spirit is concerned, these tragedies still find their place at the negative end of my 2009 list. Swine flu, economic crisis, sex scandals, political scandals, and, as if those are not enough for a year, the Maguindanao massacre! Whew! What a year! What a terrifying year!
Makes me wonder what is in store for us in 2010 especially it is a national election year. Are you with me here? Can you feel the anxiety too? Are you also afraid of the uncertainties of the coming year and the years to come? Okay, I’ll stop my pessimism here. It’s not healthy.
When Mama Mary said yes to Angel Gabriel and said “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy will”, she too was uncertain of what the future holds for her. What kind of sacrifices she had to undertake to be able to fulfill the role she accepted. But she gave her full trust to the Lord.
Like Mama Mary, we, too, must give our full trust to the Lord and surrender all our worries to Him. Like the shepherds, who heard the stories of hope told about Jesus, let us seek that hope in Jesus and be witnesses of what His miracles can do even in the darkest of times.
Let us pray and work hard to make things better. It’s a good thing there is New Year’s Day. It gives us a chance to start a new beginning… to set things straight. It gives us new hope that with our faith with the Lord, we will surely see the light.
Father, there are so many things that happened in the recent year that we do not fully understand. But we do not question Your will. Rather we give our full trust and faith in You that this year will be much much better than the last. In Jesus name we ask. AMEN!
But Wait, There's More
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us what you feel...