Celebrating the CHRISTMAS SEASON
OCTAVE DAY – 1 JANUARY
SOLEMNITY of MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
Sunday, 1st January is the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Peace.
“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”
Daily Meditation:
Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. Isaiah 60
May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts.
May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.
For he rescues the poor when they cry out, the oppressed who have no one to help.
He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor. Psalm 72
The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Ephesians 3
This great feast – celebrated in the East as the Baptism of the Lord – is a feast of “revelation.”
Jesus is the beloved Son of God,
a light for the whole world,
the very one who comes to us in time, this year,
to be our saviour:
to rescue the poor, to hear our cry,
to save us in our need, in our poverty.
May we bring Him the gifts of our faith and trust and hope.
May we recognize Him as our Saviour
who gave His own life to set us free from the power of sin and death.
Come, let us adore Him.
Closing Prayer:
Light of the world,
You have come into my life; You are here for me in my poverty.
I am dazzled by the gifts You bring to me on this day:
“Your light is strong, your love is near.”
Truly You have drawn me far beyond the limits of the world,
and into the limit-less boundaries of Your dizzying love.
My gifts are small, and often filled with fear.
They are my trust and my hope.
Please accept them and heal me
and let me be free enough to rejoice
that You are the Beloved Son
and that You have come for me
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
AnaStpaul 