And you, Beth­lehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the clans of Judah,

for from you will come a leader, the one who is to shepherd my people Israel.

During the days of king Herod,' Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea,

wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem."

The birth of Jesus was felt by the wise men coming from the Far East

while the powers that be in Jerusalem were clueless.

The Light shines upon us; the glory of the Lord rises upon us!

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Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine,

Today, as we are being birthed into a new year,

we celebrate the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God!

The use of the word “solemnity”

It is a designation used for certain days within the liturgical (church-based) calendar of the Church.

olemnities are the highest rank of liturgical celebration, higher than feast days or memorials.

By celebrating a solemnity dedicated to Mary’s motherhood, the Church highlights the significance of her role in the life of Christ.

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Numbers 6:22-27

Then Yahweh spoke

 “ We should walk as God walks. God walks humbly, and so should we. God’s walk is a humble walk.

A synodal Church should walk with God and follow the Way God walks – In humility.”

                                                                          Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
                                                                          Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization

St. André Bessette, religious

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1 John 5:5-13

Who has overcome the world ?

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Is normally celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas. This feast developed at the beginning of the 19th century in Canada.

That seeks to portray the Holy Family of Nazareth as the “true model of life”, from which our families can draw inspiration.

In the family of Nazareth, our families, as well as the human family, can learn to allow ourselves to be guided by God’s powerful hand.

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Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3 (or Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14)

After this the word of Yahweh

Nazareth was a small and insignificant village. No one expected that the Messiah would come from that region.

Philip was the first one called by Jesus.

His first act is to go and tell his friend about Christ.

Nathanael was very open to God and had strong faith. He didn’t need a lot of evidence, but simply believed.

The fact that Nathanael believed in Jesus as the Messiah because of Jesus’ statement

that He saw Nathanael under the tree shows that it was a miraculous event

and Jesus wasn’t there physically. God is everywhere.

St. John Neumann, bishop

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

1 John 3:11-21

For this is the message taught to you,

Jesus the light of the nations, Simeon tells them that their son Jesus would fulfill the will of the Father.

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.

She never left the temple by worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day,

at that moment she came, began to praise God. to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

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1 John 2:12-17

My dear children,

 John was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.

John points his followers towards Jesus, the Lamb of God.

They walk away from John and follow Jesus, with John’s blessing.

Jesus is God’s Word full of life, light, grace and truth.

He relates to ‘all things’ and ‘all people’, is not overcome by evil, gives ‘power to become children of God’.

So at the heart of the universe is this loving relationship.

 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

1st Reading: 1 John 3:7-10

My little children,

As faithful Jews, Joseph and Mary did what was prescribed in the Law.

They presented their firstborn male child to God with an offering.

Simeon, as it were, gave them unimaginable news. ” a sword will pierce your own soul.”

alas the pierced side does not only stab the Son but the mother as well. Stabat Mater Dolorosa!

St. Thomas Becket, bishop & martyr

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

1 John 2:3-11) 

How can we know

 When asked who he is, John the Baptist replies that he is "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" 

“Who are you? What is the source of your identity?

Text shows us that John the Baptist was a man who was clear on who he was not and who he was.

He was also clear on who Jesus is. So he was able to point others clearly to Jesus as the only Savior whom they desperately needed.

St. Basil the Great & St. Gregory Nazianzen, bishops & doctors

  ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 John 2:22-28

Who is the liar?

St. Stephen was martyred after he boldly witnessed to the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.

Today’s martyrs, on the other hand, bore witness to the passion of the Christ before it happened.

Even today, when we hear of meaningless persecution and the deaths of so many innocents, the Church as mother weeps.

In a way it was, The Holy Innocents foreshadowed the passion of Christ.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

1 John 1:5-2:2

We heard his message,