Daily Gospel Reflection for January 1, 2016

Today's Gospel: Luke 2:16-21, The Octave Day of Christmas and Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Today marks not only a very holy day on our liturgical calendar as we commemorate Mary's motherhood of Christ, but also the start of a new calendar year.

Here at CatholicMom.com, today is also the beginning of a "dream project" combining the voices of over 300 volunteer writers who will guide us in our daily reflection upon the gospels. For the last few years, we have broken open the Word at the start of each new day with the leadership of thirty of our CatholicMom.com contributors. This year, we decided to broaden our team. We invited and you responded! So each day, you'll be meeting new friends and discovering new voices. We ask you to be a special part of this project by leaving your thoughts and impressions in the combox and by sharing these daily gospel reflection posts on social media. It's an easy way to share the joy of the gospel with your loved ones!

In today's gospel from Luke 2, we witness the excited journey of the shepherds to the Christ child in Bethlehem. The shepherds have just received the angelic message of Jesus' birth and they hasten to adore the baby in the manger. I love to imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt when their rest is interrupted by a posse of shepherds! We read in today's scripture that everyone who heard what the shepherds were saying was "amazed", but that Mary "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." The shepherds depart, praising and glorifying God--their lives have doubtless been changed forever!

As we anticipate the joy of a brand new calendar year and redouble our efforts to make the most of the Year of Mercy, I invite you to join me in following Mary's lead. Let us make our daily scripture reading not only a habit, but a true reflection which leads our hearts ever closer to Jesus Christ. But let us also emulate the shepherds, who heard the message, came forward in adoration, and departed overflowing with excitement to share what they had witnessed. Let's let 2016 be the year when our passion for the Liturgy of the Word and specifically the daily gospels transforms our lives and our world!

I thank you for making this little corner of the web a part of our spiritual journey and look forward to praying the gospels with you in 2016!

Lisa M. Hendey
Founder, CatholicMom.com

Ponder:

What are your personal goals for making daily gospel reflection a part of your life in 2016? How will you personally follow the example of Mary, the Mother of God and of the shepherds?

Pray:

Jesus, we come before you in the manger, filled with awe and wonder. Through the intercession of your Mother, Mary, we give you our lives and our hearts. Employ us to transform our world with your gospel of love and mercy. We are yours.

Copyright 2016 Lisa M. Hendey

Lisa M. Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com and the bestselling author of the Chime Travelers children's fiction series, The Grace of Yes, The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. As a board member and frequent host on KNXT Catholic Television, Lisa has produced and hosted multiple programs and has appeared on EWTN and CatholicTV. Hendey hosted “Catholic Moments” on Radio Maria and is the technology contributor for EWTN’s SonRise Morning Show. She blogs at multiple online venues including Patheos. Her articles have appeared in Catholic Digest, National Catholic Register, and Our Sunday Visitor. Hendey travels internationally giving workshops on faith, family, and Catholic technology and communications topics. She was selected as an Elizabeth Egan Journalism Fellow, attended the Vatican Bloggers Meeting, the “Bishops and Bloggers” meeting and the Catholic Press Association tour of Israel as a guest of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. Hendey lives with her family in the Diocese of Fresno, California.