Lk 2:16-21
16[The shepherds] went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. 18All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. 19And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. 20Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
21When 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.
Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart: Mary must remember fondly the cold journey on a donkey, the reassuring faith of Joseph, the first cry and laughter of her baby, the smell of hay in the manger, and the inspired visits. All these will live forever in her heart and sustain her through the trials she will face.
The first day of the year is a good time to keep, like Mary, all the good things in our hearts—how we quietly survived the past year, the faithful friends who kept watch, and the simple blessings we received. Everything has a meaning and a purpose, even trying and difficult experiences, if we just quietly wait and reflect and pray over them in our hearts.
Let us pause with Mary and take stock of what we have been blessed with, to serve as a well from where we can draw water in moments of dryness. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us and with us. Amen.
Circumcision: Circumcision or the practice of cutting off the foreskin of the male organ was done by nations near Israel, including the Egyptians, perhaps as an initiation rite associated with puberty. For Israel, however, it is the sign of the covenant between God and his people, whereby God has chosen them and given them the promise of land, descendants, and protection against their enemies (Gn 17:7, 11). Biblical law specifies the eighth day for circumcision (Gn 17:12), i.e., the first day of another week, a kind of new creation marking the entry of a male child to the covenant. Jesus’ circumcision establishes his solidarity with the people of the covenant.