1^st January – Mary, Virgin Mother of God

General. The Christmas festivities necessarily have to cast us back to the Divine economy whereby Christ was incarnated on earth. This event could not have happened were it not for Mary, his mother in flesh who also had to be immaculate in her soul, which means sinless. In bearing Jesus before any other person in mankind did, Mary became the Qeotokos, Theotokos, or She who bore God. The Eucharist also makes us one with God through His Son Jesus and Mary, the Saviour’s Mother.

Book of Numbers. We may be passing through gloomy times right now, both individually and collectively, yet we have the assurance that the Lord God is with us (He is the Emmanuel) and that he casts his gaze upon us blessing and bestowing peace upon us.

Psalm. The Psalmist turns to God as the Saviour of mankind and as God of the nations. God is the Lord of Justice and He shall bring peace and order in all nations, showing that He is the sovereign ruler of the world’s nations and King above all.

Galatians. St Paul looks at the matter from a legal perspective. The Jews are a people who live by The Law (Moses and the Torah) yet God sent His Son Jesus to take them out of the clutches of The Law and give them adoption (a Roman Law concept) in such manner that they may fearlessly and intimately call God ‘Abba – Dad’. It is this spirit within us which groans and makes us feel we are sons, not slaves (again Roman Law), and therefore heirs of God’s bounty.

Luke. The choice by the Church of this Gospel serves two purposes. First, it recalls Mary’s silence, founded on humility, who already felt that plenty of praise may be a dangerous thing, and so she kept all compliments and tender remembrances locked in her heart, perhaps knowing of the things which would befall her and Jesus in coming years. The second is a throw-back to the days when today’s feast was in remembrance of the circumcision of Our Lord, in fulfilment of The Law which He now came to fulfil with the name of Jesus, which means He who heals and saves.

Christmas Readings from the Church Fathers

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