1 Thang Gieng Lễ Mẹ là Mẹ Thiên Chúa

Jan 1- Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Suy Niệm: Luca 2:16-21 (1 Thang Gieng Lễ Mẹ là Mẹ Thiên Chúa.)
Hôm nay chúng ta Mừng lễ Mẹ là mẹ Thiên Chúa, Khi tưởng nhớ đến Đức Maria là chúng ta ghi nhớ đến những hồng ân của Thiên Chúa, Vì Thiên Chúa đã làm biết bao việc kỳ diệu tuyệt vời cho những con người thấp hèn, khiêm tốn, với tấm lòng  đơn sơ.  Vậy hôm nay chúng ta mừng lễ Đức Mẹ là Mẹ Thiên Chúa. Chúng ta cần phải tự hỏi: Làm thế nào mà Đức Maria nhận được một vinh dự như vậy? Trong thư Thánh Phaolô gửi tín hữu Galatians đã hé mở cho chúng ta thấy.  Như chúng ta đã được biết, "Thiên Chúa đã sai Con một của Ngài xuống thế gian và được sinh ra bởi một người nữ, theo quy định của luật định thế gian ..." Không có gì đặc biệt về "người nữ." Nhưng đấy không phải là cái nhìn sâu sắc quan trọng vào các ân sủng của Thiên Chúa với Mẹ Maria và mỗi người chúng ta? Thiên Chúa thực hiện việc làm của Ngài qua con người bình thường đơn sơ của thế gian này để biểu sự hiện kỳ diệu của Ngài. Qua cuộc sống đầy đức tin đơn sơ của Mẹ Maria đã có, mỗi người chúng ta, hãy chia sẻ và hy vọng trong vinh quang. Khi chúng ta chào hỏi nhau "Happy New Year!" Giáo Hội Mẹ đòi hỏi chúng ta tôn vinh Mẹ Thiên Chúa. Một trong nhiều lý do tốt để tôn vinh Mẹ Maria hôm nay là chúng ta rất vui mừng hồ hởi bởi vì chúng ta đang bắt đầu một năm mới của cuộc sống, Và ai là người xứng đáng được gọi là Mẹ của sự sống hơn là Mẹ Thiên Chúa? Mẹ Maria đã cho Chúa Giêsu môt cuộc sống con người bình thường, như Chúa Giêsu nói: "Ta đến để họ (con người) có thể có sự sống, và có nmột cuộc sống thật đầy đủ"  Một cuộc sống thể chất tốt đẹp, thì sẽ có  một cuộc sống tinh thần tốt đẹp hơn,  đó là điều sẽ làm cho mọi người chúng ta đưọc hạnh phúc trong năm mới này!  God bless you in the coming new year.
 
REFLECTION January 1: Luke 2:16-21
To remember Mary is to remember the God of grace, who does great things for the lowly, the humble, and the simple-hearted. Yet today we proclaim Mary as the mother of God. We need to ask ourselves: How did Mary get such an honor?  St. Paul's letter to the Galatians provides a clue. We are told, "God sent forth his Son born of a woman, born under the law..." Nothing very special about "the woman." But isn't that the key insight into God's ways of grace with Mary and each of us? God works through the simple ordinary people of the world to manifest his wonders. Through the simple faith-filled life of Mary we have, each of us, a share in and a hope of glory. As we greet one another "Happy New Year!" Mother Church asks us to honor the Mother of God. One of the many good reasons for honoring Mary today is that we are happy because we are beginning a new year of life. And who deserves to be called the Mother of Life more than the Mother of God? She gave human life to Jesus who said: "I came that they may have life, and have it to the fullest." A better physical life, a better spiritual life - that will make everyone happy in this NEW YEAR!
 
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
The Octave Day of Christmas, January 1 
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.  Luke 2:19 
Today, January 1, we complete our octave celebration of Christmas Day. It’s an often overlooked liturgical fact that we celebrate Christmas Day for eight straight days. We do this also with Easter Day, which concludes with the great celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.
On this, the eighth day of the Octave of Christmas, we turn our focus to the unique and beautiful fact that God chose to enter our world through a human mother. Mary is called the “Mother of God” for the simple fact that her Son is God. She was not the mother of her Son’s flesh alone, nor the mother only of His human nature. This is because the Person of Jesus, the Son of God, is one Person. And that one Person took on flesh within the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Though becoming the Mother of God was a pure gift from Heaven and not something that Mother Mary merited on her own, there was one particular quality that she had that made her uniquely qualified to fulfill this role. That quality was her immaculate nature.
First, Mother Mary was preserved from all sin when she was conceived within the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. This special grace was a grace that was imparted to her from the future life, death and resurrection of her Son. It was the grace of salvation, but God chose to take that gift of grace and transcend time to impart it to her at the moment of her conception, thus making her the perfect and pure instrument necessary to bring forth God into the world.
Second, Mother Mary remained faithful to this gift of grace throughout her life, never choosing to sin, never wavering, never turning from God. She remained immaculate throughout her life. Interestingly, it is this choice of hers, to forever remain obedient to the will of God in every way, that makes her more fully the Mother of God than the simple act of bearing Him within her womb. Her act of perfect unity with the will of God throughout her life makes her, also, the perfect mother of divine grace and mercy and perpetually the spiritual Mother of God, continually and perfectly bringing Him into our world.
Reflect, today, upon these most solemn mysteries of our faith. This eighth day of the Octave of Christmas is a solemn celebration, a celebration worthy of our pondering. The Scripture above reveals not only how our blessed Mother approached this mystery but also how we are to approach it. She “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Ponder these mysteries, also, in your own heart and allow the grace of this holy celebration to fill you with joy and gratitude.
Dearest Mother Mary, you were graced with a grace beyond any other. You were preserved from all sin and remained perfectly obedient to the will of God throughout your life. As a result, you became the perfect instrument of the Savior of the World by becoming His mother, the Mother of God. Pray for me that I may ponder this great mystery of our faith this day and ever more deeply rejoice in the incomprehensible beauty of your motherly soul. Mother Mary, the Mother of God, pray for us.  Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Jan 1- 2025- Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Opening Prayer: Mary, I venerate you today as the Mother of God. You said “Yes” to God every moment of your life. I want to say “Yes” to God as you did. Help me and guide me with your maternal care today.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Incorporation into Israel: The Gospel of Luke tells us that, on the eighth day, the baby Jesus was circumcised. This was to fulfill the Law of Moses. Circumcision was a covenant sign of being incorporated into the people of Israel. It was originally a penitential sign for Abraham, who tried on his own to advance God’s promise of numerous descendants by having relations with his wife’s servant, Hagar. In response, God invited Abraham to be blameless (Genesis 17:1) and commanded that he be circumcised (Genesis 17:11). Later this sign was commanded by Moses as the rite of initiation into the family of Israel (Leviticus 12:3). As a sign, physical circumcision points to something else, to a deeper reality – the need for us to spiritually circumcise the heart by consecrating it to God and cutting away its rebellious inclinations (Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 10:16). “God circumcises the hearts of believers in Baptism (Colossians 2:11-12), just as he promised Moses he would do in the time of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:6). As a result, this spiritual procedure makes the literal procedure unnecessary and outdated in the new economy of grace (1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 6:15; Philippians 3:3)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 260).
2. Born to Ransom Those Under the Law: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, our Second Reading today, is a spirited defense of the Gospel he has been preaching throughout Asia Minor. The letter was a response to those who spread a different Gospel among those living in Galatia. In short, those who preached a false gospel – called Judaizers – “labored to bring the Galatians under the yoke of circumcision and other burdensome laws of the Old Covenant (Galatians 6:12-13). In doing so, they promoted a false gospel that implicitly denied the sufficiency of Christ’s death for our salvation (Galatians 2:21)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 331). What Paul preaches is that God sent his Son, born of Mary, to redeem us. Jesus was born 
“under the law,” and we see in the Gospel how the Holy Family was obedient to this law. Jesus accomplished our redemption – our release from sin, the “works of the law,” and the curses of the Old Covenant – by his sacrificial death and the shedding of his blood on the Cross: “The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, however, marks a turning point in covenant history where circumcision is now set aside, along with the entire body of liturgical and ceremonial legislation promulgated by Moses. Through his Cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curses of the Old Covenant (Galatians 3:13) and unleashed the blessings of the New Covenant in a powerful way” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 330).
“under the law,” and we see in the Gospel how the Holy Family was obedient to this law. Jesus accomplished our redemption – our release from sin, the “works of the law,” and the curses of the Old Covenant – by his sacrificial death and the shedding of his blood on the Cross: “The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, however, marks a turning point in covenant history where circumcision is now set aside, along with the entire body of liturgical and ceremonial legislation promulgated by Moses. Through his Cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curses of the Old Covenant (Galatians 3:13) and unleashed the blessings of the New Covenant in a powerful way” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 330).
3. Reborn through Baptism: When we embrace Christ in faith (Galatians 3:7) and receive Baptism (3:27), we become spiritual descendants of Abraham and adopted children of God (Galatians 4:1-7). Baptism is the sacrament of faith and the rite of initiation that replaces circumcision (Colossians 2:11-12). We are incorporated through Baptism into the Body of Christ. We are reborn as children of God through the waters. Through the waters of Baptism, our sins are washed away, and divine grace is poured out in our hearts to transform us into new creations. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you made the womb of Mary your holy dwelling place. You lovingly sanctified her and guided her along the path of holiness. Dwell in me today and sanctify my soul with your grace so that I may bring your merciful love to those around me.
 
REFLECTION January 1,
Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, through this prayer lead my soul to a deeper faith, a stronger hope, and a more passionate love for God and others. Strengthen my faith through the example of Mary, mother of Jesus and my mother, so I can live my life helping to bring Jesus to the world like she did.
Encountering Christ: 
1. The Light of Faith: After the Annunciation, the Gospel tells us that the angel departed from Mary (Luke 1:38). The angel had not explained how every detail of Jesus’s birth would happen, how Joseph would finally take her into his home, how they would have to travel to Bethlehem for the census. Like all of us, Mary had to hold on in faith to the promise. She had to trust God although she did not know the specifics. Mary must have been consoled when the shepherds arrived at the manger and shared the story about the angels appearing to them. Their visit was a confirmation that everything was happening according to God’s plan. At times we can feel like our faith gives us just enough light to take the next step. We can be consoled and grateful when Our Lord sends little confirmations to encourage us along the journey.
2. Mary’s Heart: “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Mary knew how to make a prayer of her life. She had learned that she could discover the hand of God in everything, and she knew that the story of salvation was unraveling before her eyes. She was awed before the mystery, the baby she was holding in her arms. Being always open and receptive to the life of God within her prepared her for the mission of being the Mother of God. In our life, God is also speaking constantly through our circumstances. Our own stories of salvation are being unraveled every day. Blessed Mother, pray that we are receptive and open!
3. The Shepherds: Mary noticed how the shepherds were poor and simple, not wealthy or powerful. But that might have not surprised her, since she knew how God had chosen her, how he had looked at her lowliness (Luke 1:46), and through her sought to establish a kingdom with no end (Luke 1:33). Mary did not hesitate to humbly share in the joy of salvation with those shepherds. She opened her heart to glorify God with them. Let us look at the example of Mary, Mother of God and our mother, and learn to humble ourselves, opening our hearts to love all people unconditionally, expecting that God will do amazing things through us for his glory. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for becoming a man like us. Thank you for the gift of your mother. Help me to learn from her so I can also bring you to today’s world and share your love as she did. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I want to find some time to pray a rosary or a decade of the rosary to ask Mary, your mother and my mother, to help me live my faith as she lived it.