Commentary of the Gospell

January 1, 2023

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God  –  “World Day of Peace

Mary is the woman who knows how to preserve, that is to say, to protect, to guard in her heart the passage of God in the life of her people.from her womb she learned to listen to the beating of her Son’s heart and this taught her, throughout her life, to discover God’s heartbeat in history.to celebrate Mary’s motherhood as Mother of God and our mother, at the beginning of a new year, means to remember a certainty that will accompany our days: we are a people with a Mother, we are not orphans. 

If we have not understood that Christmas is a call to peace and understanding between all, then we have not understood anything, because the “Prince of Peace” (Is.9,5) has been born. Peace is not a done thing, but a perpetual task. It is a gift and at the same time a task to be built. It is a gift and at the same time a task to be built up. We cannot achieve it if we do not have it within ourselves, if we do not build it with our people, if we seek forgiveness, reconciliation, patience, dialogue, mediation…. The great world peace that we want will be possible if we manage to bring together millions of small peace in the life of each one of us. 

The need for inner peace, that which comes from the heart, is enormous.  But if we lack it, we cannot be at peace with others or with ourselves, because we will be in contradiction with our own conscience. Every good Christian is called to be a peacemaker. Jesus proclaims “Blessed are the peacemakers” “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt.5,9).

In the celebration of the Eucharist at the rite of peace, the celebrant says: “Give peace to one another in brotherhood”, a gesture which expresses the will to welcome our brothers and sisters, to make them share our love and to allow them to count on us whenever they want. The Church wishes that when we look at the first page of the calendar, our gaze will meet the sweet and welcoming gaze of Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, and Queen of Peace.

Prayer: My God, so small and yet so great!  May we know how to welcome Him in our heart made cradle.

(Psalm 66) May the Lord have mercy and bless us. 

“MERRY CHRISTMAS and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL

Victoria Sanchez - School Teacher in Madrid