MONDAY 1ST JANUARY 2024
Luke 2, 16-21
“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman” (Gal 4:4). “When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, they called his name Jesus, as the angel had called him before his conception” (Lk 2:21).
Pope Francis says that, born of a woman, this is how Jesus came to be. He did not appear in the world as an adult, but was “conceived” in a womb (Lk 2:21): there he made our humanity his own, day after day, month after month. In the womb of a woman, God and humanity were united, never to be separated again. In God our humanity will be forever, and Mary will be the Mother of God forever.
Jesus, as a newborn child, was reflected in the eyes of a woman, in the face of his mother. From her he received his first caresses, with her he exchanged his first smiles. With her he inaugurated the revolution of tenderness. You, looking at the child Jesus, are called to continue it. In fact, like Mary, the Church, of which you are a part, is a woman and a mother, and in the Virgin she finds her distinctive features. It sees her as immaculate, and feels called to say “no” to sin and worldliness. He sees her as fruitful and feels called to proclaim the Lord, to generate him in lives. It sees her as a mother, and feels called to welcome every person as a child.
Good day to you.
Pope Francis
