Numbers 6:22-27 / Galatians 4:4-7 / Luke 2:16-21

Merry Christmas and Happy 2025 to all of you! May it be a year full of faith, love, health and prosperity for all of us!

And this is how the Catholic Church begins the year: joyfully proclaiming that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God! For non-Catholics, this statement is a source of great disagreement. But for us Catholics, this truth is easy to accept and understand, since Jesus is God the Son and Mary is His biological Mother, so we logically conclude that She is the Mother of God. Of course, not of God the Father nor of God the Holy Spirit, but of God the Son, Jesus.

Today the evangelist Luke tells us about the arrival of the shepherds to the infant Jesus, lying in the manger in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were amazed when the shepherds told them what the angels of the Lord had said about the child. Then the shepherds left, glorifying and praising God. Then, after eight days, the child was circumcised, according to the Law of Moses, and received the name given by the angel, that is, Jesus. 

Luke tells us that Mary kept all things and reflected on them in Her heart. On this solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, let us praise the Lord with joy and learn from Mary how to reflect on God's action in our lives. 

Today in the book of Numbers we read about the famous and beautiful blessing over the Israelites taught by Moses to Aaron. Since today is January 1st, let us use this text to receive God's blessing for this New Year that we are beginning: "The Lord bless us and keep us! The Lord make His face shine upon us and be gracious to us! The Lord look upon us kindly and give us peace!"

Today the apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians that, at the time set by God, His Son was born of a woman, born of Mary. The Son of God became Man to make men adopted children of God.

The Spirit of the Son sent to us authorizes us to cry out to God with the intimacy of a child calling for his father. And he who is a son is also an heir, by the grace of God.

How great is our joy! We are adopted children of God in Christ! The Spirit of the Son in us confirms this truth!

Let us live in the joy of being adopted children of God and of being children of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God the Son Jesus.

Once again: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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