On The Eighth Day of Christmas

Today is the "Octave Day" of Christmas.  It is on this day the Church traditionally celebrates the Circumcision of Our Lord.  Under the new lectionary it is now the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.  Either way, today is a holy day of obligation - so don't miss Mass today!  The modern readings for today still include the circumcision of Jesus.

Reading 1:  Num 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them: 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! So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (NAB)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord show his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace. And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. (DRB)

Personally, I like the wording of the DRB better, but maybe folks today do not understand what "countenance" is.  We, the Catholic Church, are the "children of Israel" for the New Testament era - Judaism is not the Church of the followers of Jesus Christ.  We are the children of God, as we see in Reading 2.

Reading 2:  Gal 4:4-7
Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.

We, the Catholic Church, are not slaves of the Law, but sons and heirs with and through Jesus Christ.

Gospel:  Luke 2:16-21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.

And this, the Eighth Day of Christmas, is the day Jesus is formally named "Jesus!"  This the day of His circumcision.

Merry ChristMass to everyone!  Peace on Earth to men of goodwill!