DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 1, 2012
SOLEMNITY, MARY, MOTHER OF GOD AND OF THE GIVING OF THE HOLY NAME OF
JESUS - B

Nm 6:22-27 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21, White

NUMBERS 6:22-27
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons and
say to them: This is how you shall bless the people of Israel; you
shall say: May Yahweh bless you and keep you! May Yahweh let his face
shine on you, and be gracious to you! May Yahweh look kindly on you,
and give you his peace! In that way shall they put my name on the
people of Israel and I will bless them."

GALATIANS 4:4-7
But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son. He came born of
woman and subject to the Law, in order to redeem the subjects of the
Law, that we might receive adoption as children of God. And because
you are children, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of his Son
which cries out: Abba! that is, Father! You yourself are no longer a
slave but a son or daughter, and yours is the inheritance by God's
grace.

LUKE 2:16-21
So they came hurriedly, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying
in the manger. On seeing him they related what they had been told
about the child, and all were astonished on hearing the shepherds. As
for Mary, she treasured all these words, and pondered them in her
heart. The shepherds then returned, giving glory and praise to God for
all they had heard and seen, just as the angels had told them. On the
eighth day the circumcision of the baby had to be performed; he was
named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

REFLECTION
Today we celebrate newness as a new year begins. In particular, in
our liturgy, we celebrate the role of Mary as the Mother of God
incarnate, the mother of Jesus Christ, a woman chosen by God to help
bring something very new into our world. When Mary said "yes" to the
angel's message from God that Mary was invited to give birth to a son,
she really brought something extraordinary and new into our world.
Certainly that is something for us to celebrate.

In a certain sense, when Mary gave birth to the Child Jesus a new era
began, and for many in the world today that era is designated in our
calendars in various ways. For many it is called the Christian Era.
Often the years are called "Year of the Lord" with the initial
"A.D." (Anno Domini) used to designate them as such. So, as we also
celebrate the beginning of a New Year today, we can be thankful that
Mary, the Mother of God, helped to us a certain newness of years. Mary
is perhaps celebrating in heaven, in company with her Son, this New
Year's Day of 2012 A.D.

Our Gospel for this day brings us back to that day so many centuries
ago when Mary's child was just beginning to get used to the light of
our world. The newborn baby, probably not yet aware of anything other
than his baby hunger and thirst, was the center of wonder, not only of
Mary and Joseph, but also of a group of adoring shepherds. The gospel
tells us that these men rushed to the scene and on arriving they were
so fascinated by the child. But did they have any insight into just
who this Child was? Did they have even the least idea of how the
mother gave birth to this baby, and just how special this baby was?
They were lost in wonder, and although the gospel record tells us that
they "understood what had been told them" by the angels, their
understanding was probably not more than the fact that this child was
somehow special.

But for the mother Mary together with Joseph, there was more to
ponder. Following the usual custom of the time, on the eighth day (the
first "octave of Christmas") the child was circumcised and given the
name Jesus, the name that the Lord's messenger had told them to give
the child. That name tells us not only who the child is but also what
the child is, the one who is to save the people from their sins. As
the name was being given to the child, Joseph must have remembered the
dream he had when he was assured that Mary was graced by the Holy
Spirit to be his wife and the mother of this special child, and that
the name Jesus was to be the name of the Child. For so many of us
today that name, that Holy Name, is so very special. This is the name
that St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians says is "the name above
every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of
those in heaven and on earth and under the earth." Devotion to this
name is kept alive by the members of the Holy Name Society in many
parts of the world. St. Ignatius of Loyola felt that it was a divine
inspiration that confirmed his insistence that the religious order he
founded would be called the Society of Jesus, over the objections of
many at the time.

And so it is today that we celebrate the newness that Mary, the Mother
of God, brought into our world when Jesus was born. We recall that day
when the child was given the holy name given by the angel to indicate
that this child, the son of Mary, was the one who, as its savior,
would make the world new.

On this New Year's Day of the year 2012 A.D. we can, together with
Mary the Mother of God, treasure in our hearts so many signs of God's
gracious love for us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Cecilia Yu
- Gemma
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
… for the personal intentions of
- Cherie Torres
- Dr. Ugo Anyaugo, Mr. Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Barr Mrs
Barbs Adaugo Okoronkwo, Mr .Ifeanyi Anyaugo, Mr Chuboy Anyaugo,
Cordelia Anyaugo

.. for the victims of the floods in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and
their families
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Avelino Bueno
- Peggy Lim Furukawa
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Thanksgiving: Castillo Family
- Thanksgiving: KO Family
- Thanksgiving: MCGK Woodwork
- Thanksgiving: The Morabes
- Thanksgiving: Gene & Cielo Salgado & Family
- Thanksgiving: Rene & Diana Ong & Family
- Thanksgiving: The Atabug Family
- Prayer Intention: Joseph Lim Sinche
- Prayer Intention: Benito Ang
- Prayer Intention: Robert Ang
- Prayer Intention: Glenwood Commercial Inc. & Egghead System
- Prayer Intention: Dr. & Mrs. Victor Gisbert & Family
- In Memoriam (+): Edwina Ong
- In Memoriam (+): Generosa Oreta Dizon MD.
- In Memoriam (+): Stephanie May Cheng
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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