The Octave Day of Christmas
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
Happy New Year! Let’s begin today slowing down to read and reflect. Breathing out 2021 and breathing in hope for 2022. May “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Our Abba Father offers good to each of us, our loved ones, and the most vulnerable throughout Catholic Charities. Through these unyielding years of difficulty, “May God bless us in his mercy. May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us.” Many of us have walked alongside those suffering for years, decades, or even a lifetime. Current global hardships have escaped no one. In this deepened solidarity, may we know and trust the equity of God’s love for all. May we see Emmanuel in every life we encounter. May we humble ourselves, seek out and learn from the least of these, the marginalized, the oppressed, the silenced, the frail, the most vulnerable. “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.” The Gospel shares, “The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.” The shepherds were considered the least of these, the informally or uneducated. They were hard working caregivers of land and animals. Yet, God chose them to be the first to witness and know the Child of God, Emmanuel, who was born experiencing homelessness, amid unsanitary conditions to young parents who would become refugees. Our Abba Father chose the least of these for this holy encounter. They were amazed. They chose to listen to the angel/God’s invitation, to listen, to go, to see, to believe, to share and to glorify and praise God. May we receive God’s invitations this 2022. May we have ears that listen, eyes that see and hands that serve. Despite temptations toward silence and indifference, may we bless and keep others. May our faces shine upon those within our homes, workplaces, schools and parishes. May we be gracious, kind and nurture peace. May we love others because God first loved us. May we see the face of God in every person we encounter. We are blessed to be invited into His mission work. May 2022 be healing and renewing. Malissa Geer Larson serves as the Sr. Director of Community and Faith Engagement for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Phoenix with the mission work to walk alongside and serve the community’s most vulnerable with solutions that permanently improve lives. |
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