Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1)
1st Reading: Numbers 6:22-27
Blessing by Priests
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[22] The Lord said to Moses, [23] "Say to Aaron and his sons, Thus you shall
bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, [24] The Lord bless you and
keep you: [25] The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to
you: [26] The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. [27]
"So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and will bless them."
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Commentary:
6:23-27. This is one of the earliest blessing formulae that the Bible has con-
served for us. It is referred to in some psalms (cf. Ps 31:17; 67:2; etc.) and it
was used by priests in the temple liturgy. It consists of three petitions, each
beginning with the name of the Lord. Some ancient authors saw in this triple
invocation an advance announcement of the Blessed Trinity. It goes on to pray
for protection, grace and peace--three gifts which sum up man's aspirations
and which God alone can provide in all their fullness.
The Church carries on the tradition of blessing the faithful during liturgical
ceremonies, especially at the end of the eucharistic celebration, beseeching
God to show them his favor. The Roman Missal includes this text as one of
the optional blessings the priest can use at the end of Mass.
2nd Reading: Galatians 4:4-7
Divine Sonship (Continuation)
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[4] But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman,
born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we
might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" [7] So through God
you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.
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Commentary:
6. Abba is an Aramaic word which has come down to us with its translation "Fa-
ther". As can be deduced from Mt 14:36 (cf. note on Lk 11:1), this is the same
word as our Lord used in his personal prayer. However, it is not a word ever used
by Jews to address God, probably because it contains the kind of trust and ten-
derness that small children have in their dealings with their father. Jesus, however,
did not hesitate to use it and to encourage his followers to use it. In this way he
invites us to relate to God with the trust and tenderness of a child towards its
father--as well he might, because by redeeming us Christ not only freed us from
the yoke of the Law but enabled us to have a new relationship to God, to be
God's sons and daughters. St Paul echoes this teaching (cf. also Rom 8:16-17)
and attributes to the Holy Spirit that movement in man's heart which impels him
to cry out, full of love and hope, "Abba! Father!"
This all means that "if we have a constant relationship with the Holy Spirit, we
shall become spiritual ourselves, we shall realize that we are Christ's brothers
and children of God, and we shall not hesitate to call upon our Father [...]. Words
cannot go so far as the heart, which is moved by God's goodness. He says to us,
'You are my son.' Not a stranger, not a well-treated servant, not a friend--that
would be a lot already. A son! He gives us free access to treat him as sons, with
a son's piety and I would even say with the boldness and daring of a son whose
Father cannot deny him anything" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 136
and 185).
In this verse we can see the roles of the three Divine Persons in man's super-
natural life. The Father sends the Holy Spirit, here called "the Spirit of his Son",
to help us activate our gift of divine sonship.
Gospel Reading: Luke 2:16-21
The Adoration of the Shepherds (Continuation)
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[16] And they (the shepherds) went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph,
and the babe lying in a manger. [17] And when they saw it they made known
the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it
wondered at what the shepherds told them. [19] But Mary kept all these things,
pondering them in her heart. [20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Circumcision of Jesus
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[21] And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called
Jesus, the name given by the angels before he was conceived in the womb.
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Commentary:
15-18. The birth of the Savior Messiah is the key event in the history of mankind,
but God wanted it to take place so quietly that the world went about its business
as if nothing had happened. The only people he tells about it are a few shepherds.
It was also to a shepherd, Abraham, that God gave his promise to save mankind.
The shepherds make their way to Bethlehem propelled by the sign they have re-
ceived. And when they verify it they tell what they heard from the angel and about
seeing the heavenly host. They are the first witnesses of the birth of the Messiah.
"The shepherds were not content with believing in the happy event which the an-
gel proclaimed to them and which, full of wonder, they saw for a fact; they mani-
fested their joy not only to Mary and Joseph but to everyone and, what is more,
they tried to engrave it on their memory. 'And all who heard it wondered at what
the shepherds told them.' And why would they not have wondered, seeing on
earth him who is in heaven, and earth and heaven reconciled; seeing that ineffa-
ble Child who joined what was heavenly--divinity--and what was earthly -- huma-
nity -- creating a wonderful covenant through this union. Not only were they in
awe at the mystery of the Incarnation, but also at the great testimony born by
the shepherds, who could not have invented something they had not heard and
who publish the truth with a simple eloquence" (Photius, "Ad Amphilochium",
155).
16. The shepherds hasten because they are full of joy and eager to see the
Savior. St Ambrose comments: "No one seeks Christ halfheartedly" ("Expositio
Evangelii Sec. Lucam., in loc."). Earlier on, the evangelist observed that our La-
dy, after the Annunciation, "went in haste" to see St Elizabeth (Lk 1:39). A soul
who has given God entry rejoices that God has visited him and his life acquires
new energy.
19. In very few words this verse tells us a great deal about our Lady. We see the
serenity with which she contemplates the wonderful things that are coming true
with the birth of her divine Son. She studies them, ponders them and stores them
in the silence of her heart. She is a true teacher of prayer. If we imitate her, if we
guard and ponder in our hearts what Jesus says to us and what he does in us,
we are well on the way to Christian holiness and we shall never lack his doctrine
and his grace. Also, by meditating in this way on the teaching Jesus has given
us, we shall obtain a deeper understanding of the mystery of Christ, which is how
"the Tradition that comes from the Apostles makes progress in the Church, with
the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in insight into the realities and words
that are being passed on. This comes about in various ways. It comes through
the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts.
It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience. And
it comes from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of
succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum",
8).
21. On the meaning and rite of circumcision, see the note on Lk 1:59. "Jesus"
means "Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh is salvation", that is, Savior. This name was
given the Child not as the result of any human decision but in keeping with the
commandment of God which the angel communicated to the Blessed Virgin and
to St Joseph (cf. Lk 1:31; Mk 1:21).
The Son of God became incarnate in order to redeem and save all men; so it is
very fitting that he be called Jesus, Savior. We confess this in the Creed: "For us
men and for our salvation he came down from heaven." "There were indeed many
who were called by this name [...]. But how much more appropriate it is to call
by this name our Savior, who brought light, liberty and salvation, not to one peo-
ple only, but to all men, of all ages--to men oppressed, not by famine, or Egyp-
tian or Babylonian bondage, but sitting in the shadow of death and fettered by
the galling chains of sin and of the devil" ("St Pius V Catechism", I, 36).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].