Christians have always connected the traditional New Year’s feast to a motive of their faith. Before the liturgical reform of Vatican Council II Jesus’ circumcision was celebrated. It took place, according to Luke, eight days after his birth (Lk 2:21). Then this day was dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. From 1968, Pope Paul VI promulgated January 1 as “world day of peace”. The readings reflect a variety of themes: the blessing to begin well the new year (first reading); Mary, model of every mother and disciple (gospel); peace (first reading and the gospel); the divine sonship (second reading); amazement before God’s love (gospel); the name with which God wishes to be identified and invoked (first reading and the gospel).
“To bless” and “blessing” are terms that occur often in the Bible. They could be found in almost every page (552 times in the Old Testament, 65 times in the New Testament). From the beginning God blesses his creatures: the living beings that they be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:22); the man and the woman that they rule over all creation (Gen 1:28); and the Sabbath, sign of rest and of joy without end (Gen 2:3).
We need to feel blessed by God and by the brethren. Cursing distances, separates, and indicates refusal, while blessing approaches, strengthens solidarity, infuses trust and hope. “May the Lord bless you and protect you”: these are the first words that the liturgy utters on this day. May they be impressed in our hearts and that we repeat them to friends and enemies throughout the year.
To internalize the message, we repeat: “Teach us, O Lord, to bless who insults us, to bear with who persecutes us, to confront who slanders us.”
“All children are a gift of God to the world.” That’s a phrase that sometimes provokes jealousy of mothers, jealousy symptom of a possessive love for the more often only son, overprotected, overpampered and overdefended.
The family is the privileged place for training and education, but not the only one.
There is a community in which the child is integrated into so that in it he grows, matures, meets brothers and sisters and learns acceptance, free availability, collaboration, tolerance, forgiveness.
To narrow the horizons, to fall back on the smug little world of affections and interests, to shut oneself inside the narrow borders that bypass the universal brotherhood is a dangerous idolatry of the family institution.
The family wanted by God is open, is a step towards the ultimate goal. It is a springboard from which to project oneself into the family of the heavenly Father.
The moment of separation can be painful. Mary and Joseph experienced it when they were separated from Jesus. It can be interpreted as rejection and exclusion. In reality it is a leap towards life.
To internalize the message, we repeat: “Children are your gift to the world, Lord. We do not reject them and we do not possess them.”
The darkness covered the abyss, when “God said: Let there be light” (Gen 1:2-3).
Light is the first word that God speaks in the Bible. That word marks the beginning of creation (Gen 1:3). And since “God saw that the light was good” (Gen 1:4), man has never stopped loving her, to search for her, while he was afraid and shies away from the darkness. Darkness recalls death and from it one wants to get out.
He who is born comes to the light, who dies goes toward the land of deepest night (Job 10:21). “God—Job says—uncovers the deepest recesses and brings the deep darkness into light” (Job 12:22). In the biblical conception darkness are only a temporary condition of light, they are destined to become light.
God is light and permeates his every creature with light: in the poetic image of Isaiah the dew becomes dew of light (Is 26:19); even the clouds, yet so dark and menacing, are laden with light that shines forth, suddenly, when lightning flashes (Job 37:15).
We celebrate the Christmas liturgy during the night to reproduce, perhaps meaningfully, the darkness won by the word of the Creator, the darkness of the human condition illumined by the coming of the Savior.
To internalize the message, we repeat: “On those who live in darkness, the light of a Child shines.”