Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, 1 January 2026

 

Adoration of the Shepherds [London]

Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]

The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:16).

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)

Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)  

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Luke 2:16-21 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)

At that time: The shepherds went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

 

Adoration of the Shepherds [Munich]

Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19).

In 2002 I spent five months in Glasgow, Scotland, doing mission appeals in different parishes for the Columbans every weekend. One day in a large shopping mall I had need to go to the men's room. It was the cleanest public toilet I had ever seen in my life. The janitor happened to be there and I told him so. His face lit up with a joy I have never forgotten.

One of the themes running through today's Mass is 'light'. The alternative Entrance Antiphon, reflecting both Isaiah and Luke, opens with the words Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us. The First Reading, from the Book of Numbers, has the Blessing of Aaron, given to him by the Lord through his brother Moses: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

This in turn is echoed by the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 66 [67]): May God be gracious and bless us and let his face shed its light upon us.  The Preface furthers the theme of light with these words: For by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she conceived your Only Begotten Son, and without losing the glory of virginity, brought forth into the world the eternal light, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The magnificent opening of St John's Gospel, read on Christmas Day at the Mass During the Day and also at Mass on the last day of the year, tells us who Jesus is: In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God . . .  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Many of the great artists have painted the Adoration of the Shepherds. Above are two paintings by Rembrandt, who was a master of light and darkness. In both Mary is presenting her Son to the Shepherds with utter trust. And it is clear that Rembrandt understood that Jesus is the true light, which enlightens everyone, that Mary had brought forth into the world the eternal light, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We see the words of the Entrance Antiphon being fulfilled in both paintings, Today a light will shine upon us, for the Lord is born for us. The faces of Mary, Joseph and the shepherds represent our faces, lit up with the eternal light, Jesus Christ our Lord who came among us through Mary so that, in the words of the Prayer after Communion, it may lead us to eternal life.

The shepherds who visited Jesus, Mary and Joseph were not at the top of the social ladder in Judea and the janitor I met in Glasgow was not on top of the social ladder in Scotland and was probably ignored by most of those he served. I like to think that the day I met him he experienced something of the light of Christ when I thanked him for his work. I know that to this day the Lord has made his face shine upon me whenever I recall that encounter. So often the Lord Jesus makes his face shine upon us through those considered unimportant or not even noticed.

The janitor probably told his wife and family and others about this incident, as I have often spoken about it, and as did the shepherds about their experience. St Luke tells us that all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. St John's Gospel says of St John the Baptist, He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

We too are called to do the same so that all may come to know and to believe in Jesus Christ. The shepherds were the first to welcome our Saviour into the world and to proclaim him. And, in a real sense, they welcomed Mary and Joseph when they knelt down and worshipped the Child whom Mary presented to them so trustingly and whom she continues to present to us.

God touched Mary through these shepherds and she treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And Jesus invites those of us who, for whatever reason, illness, disability or age, are no longer as active as we used to be, to treasure up, as Mary did, all these things, pondering them in our hearts.

And as we take part in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we shall be following the shepherds who returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.

Carol of the Bells

I learned only three years ago that Carol of the Bells is of Ukrainian origin. Look at and listen to this delightful rendition of the original Ukrainian carol on the full screen.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon the people of Ukraine and give them peace.

 

A Great Darkness over Ireland

On the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, 2019 abortion on demand up to 12 weeks became legal in the Republic of Ireland as did abortion at a later stage of pregnancy in certain circumstances. Since then the lives of around 60,000 children have been legally destroyed in their mothers' wombs. This legislation came after the people in a referendum in 2018 voted to change the Constitution to allow for legislation legalising the killing of children in the womb. 

The vast majority of voters and legislators were baptised Christians, most of them Catholics, showing utter tone-deafness to the meaning of Christmas and of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Please ask Mary our Mother to lead the people of Ireland back to her Son who spent the first hours of his life in a manger in Bethlehem.

Rachel's Vineyard is a powerful location for God's healing love for women and men affected by the reality of abortion in their lives.

Away in a Manger

Sung by Libera

Traditional Latin Mass

Octave-Day of the Nativity

The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 1-1-2026 if necessary).

Epistle: Titus 2:11-15. Gospel: Luke 2:21.

Circumcision of Jesus

Blessed Fra Angelico [Web Gallery of Art]

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:21).

 

     

      

'Strange blessings never in paradise . . .' Sunday Reflections, 3rd Sunday of Advent, Year B

 

St John the Baptist

Donatello [Web Gallery of Art]

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’, as the prophet Isaiah said.”

 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)  They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

Mary, Queen of Heaven

Master of the Legend of Saint Lucy [Web Gallery of Art]

In the Philippines the Misas de Gallo, also known as Simbang Gabi or Aguinaldo Masses, the novena of pre-dawn Masses leading up to Christmas, will begin on Wednesday the 16th. For 15 years, 2002 until 2016, I celebrated these in the chapel of St Joseph, Espinos Village, Bacolod City. As I am now based in Ireland, I don't have to get up at 3:30 am in order to start Mass at 4:30 am. These are votive Masses in honour of our Blessed Mother and in thanksgiving for the gift of our faith. The Spanish word 'Aguinaldo' means 'gift' and in this context refers to the gift of faith.

The Covid-19 pandemic this year has affected church services everywhere, including the Aguinaldo Masses in the Philippines. You will find the instructions of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines for this year's celebrations here.

The Church over the centuries has reflected on gifts we have received from God that we could not have received had our First Parents never sinned. A song included among poems for Advent and Christmas in the Breviary published by the hierarchies of Australia, England & Wales, and Ireland is one of those reflections, Adam lay y-bounden. In the Breviary it is given the title O Felix Culpa, 'O Happy Fault'.

This particular song marvels at the fact that but for the reality of the sin of Adam we would never have had Our Lady as Queen of Heaven.

The poem reflects part of the Exultet, the Easter Proclamation: O certe necessarium Adae peccatum, /quod Christo morte deletum est! O truly necessary sin of Adam,/destroyed completely by the Death of Christ. O felix culpa,/quae talem ac tantum meruit habere Redemptionem! O happy fault/that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer.

At Easter we proclaim the great reality that God has given us a Redeemer and that he is now risen from the dead.

Coming up to Christmas we reflect on the birth of our Redeemer through the consent of Mary, his and our Mother. Mary is part of God's eternal plan and if we sideline her we distort that reality, as we also do if we put her in the centre and sideline her Son. In the painting above Mary, while being honoured as Queen of Heaven by the angels and saints is adoring God with her whole being, inviting us to do the same. The song too invites us to sing Deo gratias! Thanks be to God!

That is what the Church invites us to do every time we celebrate Mass, the Eucharist, the Thanksgiving. It invites Filipinos in particular at this time of the Aguinaldo Masses to thank God for the great gift of faith and to share it with others. One way in which Filipinos have been doing that is introducing this centuries-old practice to other countries, adapting the custom to local circumstances.

O Felix Culpa (O Happy Fault)

Adam lay ybounden

Sung by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, England

Adam lay ybounden,

Bounden in a bond;

Four thousand winter,

Thought he not too long.

And all was for an apple,

An apple that he took.

As clerkes finden written

 In theiré book.

Ne had the apple taken been,

The apple taken been,

Ne hadde never our Lady,

A been heaven’s queen.

Blessed be the time

That apple taken was,

Therefore we may singen.

Deo gratias!

This song from England dates from the 15th century. The text here is an adaptation of the original Middle English and the musical setting is by Boris Ord.

Scottish poet Edwin Muir's One Foot in Eden, included in the Breviary for Lent and Easter, also reflects on the theme of felix culpa. 

One Foot in Eden

by Edwin Muir

Video and reading by Philip Marshall

What had Eden ever to say
Of hope and faith and pity and love
Until was buried all its day
And memory found its treasure trove?
Strange blessings never in Paradise

Fall from these beclouded skies.

Extraordinary Form of the Mass

Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) 

The Third Sunday of Advent .

The complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-13-2020, if necessary).

Epistle: Philippians 4:4-7. Gospel: John 1:19-28.

Authentic Beauty

Authentic beauty, however, unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond.

Pope Benedict XVI meeting with artists in the Sistine Chapel, 21 November 2009.

In dulci jubilo

Sung by Libera

This seasonal carol was written in German and Latin by Blessed Henry Suso OP in the 14th century. I do not know who made the arrangement above. For me it retains the original mediaeval flavour of the hymn with a contemporary Irish twist. The concert took place in Ireland.