New Year

1
New Years ReadingsCommentary and Reflections

• Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
• January 1, 2014
• In preparation for this Sundays Liturgy
• As aid in focusing our homily / sharing

Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM
2
1st reading Numbers 6,22-27

• 22 The LORD said to Moses 23 "Speak to Aaron
  and his sons and tell them This is how you shall
  bless the Israelites.
• Say to them 24 The LORD bless you and keep you!
  25 The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be
  gracious to you! 26 The LORD look upon you
  kindly and give you peace!
• 27 So shall they invoke my name upon the
  Israelites, and I will bless them."

3
1st reading Numbers 6,22-27

• 22 The LORD said to Moses 23 "Speak to Aaron
  and his sons and tell them This is how you shall
  bless the Israelites.
• Say to them 24 The LORD bless you and keep you!
  25 The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be
  gracious to you! 26 The LORD look upon you
  kindly and give you peace!
• 27 So shall they invoke my name upon the
  Israelites, and I will bless them."

• Commentary
• Supposedly, the Israelites are still at the foot
  of Mount Sinai. Soon they will be moving to the
  Promised Land. Moses is the leader of the
  Israelites, assigned by God to lead them out of
  Egypt.
• In vv.22-23, God instructs Moses to speak to
  Aaron and his sons (priests). When they bless the
  people, they should utter vv.24-26.
• In v.27, the Israelites are expected to
  acknowledge God, pray to God (to invoke his name)
  and, in turn, God promises to bless them.

4
Reflections on the 1st reading

• When we encounter Gods priests, we are supposed
  to receive their blessings.
• Gods priests are supposed to bless the people.
• Blessing includes God keeping us safe, making his
  presence felt, bestowing his graces upon us,
  showing his kindness to us and giving us peace.
• We should acknowledge Gods blessings.
• God will bless us again and again.
• Let us wish well to one another.

5
Resp. Ps 672-3, 5, 6, 8

• R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
• 2 May God have pity on us and bless usmay he
  let his face shine upon us.3 So may your way be
  known upon earthamong all nations, your
  salvation.
• 5 May the nations be glad and exultbecause you
  rule the peoples in equitythe nations on the
  earth you guide.
• 6 May the peoples praise you, O Godmay all the
  peoples praise you!8 May God bless us,and may
  all the ends of the earth fear him!

6
Resp. Ps 672-3, 5, 6, 8

• R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
• 2 May God have pity on us and bless usmay he
  let his face shine upon us.3 So may your way be
  known upon earthamong all nations, your
  salvation.
• 5 May the nations be glad and exultbecause you
  rule the peoples in equitythe nations on the
  earth you guide.
• 6 May the peoples praise you, O Godmay all the
  peoples praise you!8 May God bless us,and may
  all the ends of the earth fear him!

• Commentary
• V.2 repeats the blessing in the first reading.
• In v.3, the psalmist is convinced that if God
  blesses his people, his ways and salvation will
  be known throughout the world.
• In v.5, the psalmist desires that nations be glad
  because of his justice and guidance.
• In v.6, the psalmist desires that God be praised
  by all.
• In v.8, he desires Gods blessings.
• In v.8b, the psalmist desires that all peoples
  fear (revere) him.

7
Reflections on the Psalm

• Like the psalmist, we must wish other people
  well. We do not curse them, or wish evil to
  befall upon them.
• We must desire Gods blessings on them.
• Our best wishes become our prayer.
• We experience Gods blessings when justice is
  being done.
• Are you fond of blessing or cursing?

8
2nd reading Galatians 4,4-7

• 4 When the fullness of time had come, God sent
  his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5
  to ransom those under the law, so that we might
  receive adoption. 6 As proof that you are
  children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our
  hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father! 7 So you are
  no longer a slave but a child, and if a child
  then also an heir, through God.

9
2nd reading Galatians 4,4-7

• 4 When the fullness of time had come, God sent
  his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5
  to ransom those under the law, so that we might
  receive adoption. 6 As proof that you are
  children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our
  hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father! 7 So you are
  no longer a slave but a child, and if a child
  then also an heir, through God.

• Commentary
• Take note the birth of Christ is not just a
  simple birth of a baby boy that gives joy, but
  signals the fullness of time.
• Fullness of time is Gods time, God taking hold
  of us through his Son.
• V.5 indicates the purpose of his birth
• to ransom (to pay a high price, not just to
  snatch us by stealth) us who are slaves of the
  law (Mosaic law)
• To adopt us as children of God
• V.6 gives us evidence (proof) that we are truly
  Gods adopted children.
• We possess the spirit of his Son, making us able
  to cry out, Abba, Father.
• We are no longer living with a certain distance
  from God, but close to him.

10
Reflections on the 2nd reading

• We, Catholics, attribute the woman mentioned in
  Gal 4,4 to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
• We, Catholics, are Marian.
• We appreciate the role of the mother of Jesus. We
  appreciate Marys motherhood.
• We must interpret Jesus birth as fullness of
  time, the beginning of our adoption as children
  of God.
• As Gods children, adopted through Christ, we
  must behave accordingly.
• We must live in freedom, in the Spirit and
  spontaneity, not in legalism.

11
Gospel reading Luke 2,16-21

• 16 The shepherds went in haste and found Mary and
  Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17
  When they saw this, they made known the message
  that had been told them about this child. 18 All
  who heard it were amazed by what had been told
  them by the shepherds. 19 And Mary kept all
  these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
  20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and
  praising God for all they had heard and seen,
  just as it had been told to them. 21 When eight
  days were completed for his circumcision, he was
  named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
  before he was conceived in the womb.

12
Gospel reading Luke 2,16-21

• Shepherds
• 16 The shepherds went in haste and found Mary and
  Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17
  When they saw this, they made known the message
  that had been told them about this child. 18 All
  who heard it were amazed by what had been told
  them by the shepherds.
• Mary
• 19 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on
  them in her heart.
• Shepherds
• 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and
  praising God for all they had heard and seen,
  just as it had been told to them.
• Naming and Circumcision
• 21 When eight days were completed for his
  circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given
  him by the angel before he was conceived in the
  womb.

• Commentary
• In v.16, the shepherds hurry to see the newborn
  savior as announced by the angel, when they were
  pasturing.
• In v.17, they recount what the angel told them
  about the child.
• V.18 tells of the joy of those who heard the
  story.
• V.19 tells of Marys quiet disposition. For her,
  more important is not her experience of child
  bearing, but the identity of her Son.
• V.20 tells of the shepherds joy for finding out
  everything as was told to them. They went back to
  work. They did not linger there.
• V.21 describes the Jewish custom of circumcising
  and the naming of Jesus.

13
Reflections on the gospel reading

• Like the shepherds, we must believe what is
  announced and seek the joy of encountering our
  Savior (in the sacraments).
• Like Mary, we must ponder how God is intervening
  in our lives.
• Like the Holy Family, we must keep Gods laws and
  our sound beliefs and culture.
• We must be connected with our people and unique
  history.

14
Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm

• The first reading talks about blessing.
• The psalm talks about uttering the blessings
  ourselves.
• The second reading invites us to celebrate Gods
  blessings being called his children
• The gospel reading talks about rejoicing over
  Gods blessings.

15
How to develop your homily / sharing

• What is the meaning of New Year?
• It is meaningful as long as we make it so.
• The world teaches us to explode fire crackers
  today.
• We, Christians, can make it meaningful through
  the readings for this Solemnity.

16

• The first reading suggests that in this New Year,
  we utter blessings upon the people.
• We wish other people well. Other cultures talk
  about good fortune.
• We wish that God shows his mercy upon them.
• We wish that God gives his peace to them.

17

• We can make this New Year meaningful by
  appropriating the psalm.
• We make it our own prayer.
• We bless God by our words now, in our liturgical
  celebrations.
• We invite other people and creatures to bless the
  Lord.

18

• The second reading contains strong reasons to
  bless God in this New Year.
• God has made us his adopted children through his
  Son, Jesus.
• His Son came to ransom us from the clouts of the
  enslaving law.
• Now, we, as liberated people of God, have the
  right to call God Our Father.

19

• The gospel reading suggests that we should bless
  (praise) God today for sending his Son to save
  us.
• Like Joseph and Mary, we must keep our sound and
  sacred traditions and history.
• We must be rooted in our faith.
• When we were named Christians at our baptism and
  circumcised, we were considered to belong to
  Gods covenanted people.

20

• For enlightened Christians, New Year should not
  be used as an excuse to buy and make noise.
• It is not an occasion to show off our fireworks
  and to terrorize the faithful on their way to the
  church and home.
• Their abuses have moved midnight masses to
  earlier time. They have even discouraged
  churchgoers from participating in the Midnight
  mass.
• It is not also an excuse to drink a lot of liquor
  or to abuse food.

21

• For Christians who are in their right senses,
  this New Year, they should instead go to the
  church.
• The parents should lead their children in
  uttering praises, blessings and thanksgiving to
  God, by using our responsorial psalm and by
  singing the Our Father.
• We take this New Year as an occasion for deep
  spiritual experience of God.
• Let each home and every corner of our place be
  permeated with the odor of sanctity rather than
  heavy smell and smoke of gunpowder and
  firecrackers or burning tires.

22

• Participation in the eucharist is where we can
  best bless God and receive his blessings.
• The eucharist is a sacrament of Gods blessings
  to us.
• The eucharist promotes the presence of God and
  his peace to us.

23
Our Context of Sin and Grace

• Worldly celebration of New Year (fireworks and
  much food only, no Mass)
• No respect for sacred traditions
• No sense of history
• No appreciation of being ransomed

• Celebration of the Eucharist today
• Appreciation of being Gods children
• Solidarity with the poor
• Blessing other people

Happy New Year
24
Suggested Songs

• Ang Pasko ay Sumapit
• The Blessing of St. Francis
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vU9Rn9GKWFl0