Mary, Mother of God
This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The readings of this Sunday’s liturgy invite us precisely to appreciate the gift that God has given us in our own families. This Sunday is also the last Sunday of the year and I am sure you already have in mind your resolutions for the New Year right? Well, Just in case you have not thought of anything yet I would like to invite you to really take into consideration the resolution of appreciating the gift of family. To really give thanks to God for what we have. Nobody is perfect and there is no such a thing as the “perfect family” or the “perfect marriage” or the “perfect marriage”. Only GOD is perfect. For this reason the readings of this Sunday are an invitation to respect, to honor and revere our parents. They also invite us to bear with one another with kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. I think that would be the perfect New Year’s resolution. I really pray and hope that this New year we could all spend more time with our families, even if they may not be here with us. But if you do, go out with your kids, spend quality time with your spouse, have meals together, pray together and don’t waste the opportunity to let them know that you love them. On behalf of all the staff here at Mary Immaculate we want to wish you a New Year full of blessings, peace and love.
Readings for the Week
Monday: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28
Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:29 — 3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-6; Jn 1:29-34
Wednesday: 1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98:1, 7-9; Jn 1:35-42
Thursday: 1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1b-5; Lk 4:14-22a
Friday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-28 [ 23, 31-34, 36, 38]
Saturday: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Sal 149:1-6a, 9b; Jn 2:1-11
Sunday: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12
Saints & Special Observances
Sunday: Mary, the Holy Mother of God; The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord; World Day of Prayer for Peace; New Year’s Day
Monday: Ss. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
Tuesday: The Most Holy Name of Jesus
Wednesday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Thursday: St. John Neumann
Friday: St. André Bessette; First Friday
Saturday: St. Raymond of Penyafort; First Saturday; Julian Calendar Christmas
The Blessings We Receive
The blessing we experience in Christ Jesus is proclaimed in Numbers as the special blessing for the people of Israel. They and we are to be blessed by the invocation of God’s loving kindness, the shining glory of God’s face turned toward us in love, not away from us in anger. We are blessed by God’s own peace! Our wish and our hope are fulfilled in this blessing, which is made visible in the coming of Jesus. In Jesus, the image of the invisible God, God’s face is shown to us and God’s presence is made known to us in faithful and loving kindness.