Reflecting in my heart

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!



This passage is known as “The Priestly Blessing.”

God clearly instructs Moses to speak to his brother Aaron, the High Priest at the time, and to his Sons with the exact words to be used to bless the people of Israel.  The last verse (27) says, “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.“  The Bible specified that only Aaron or his descendants were allowed to impart this blessing upon the people of Israel.

A close analysis of the blessing shows that the emphasis is upon God.  God originates the blessing—it was God who instructed Aaron on the proper form of the blessing and gave instructions for it to be spoken over the people to begin with.  The blessing itself emphasizes that it is the Lord who blesses the people and does for them what they cannot do for themselves.

Today, the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) is used often in both churches and synagogues as a benediction. “Bene” means “good” and “diction” means “pronouncement.”  The pastor or priest will lift up his hand or hands and pronounce the blessing over the congregation.  It is often said at the close of a service to pronounce a blessing upon the congregation, at the end of a baptismal service, or in a wedding ceremony to bless the bride and groom.  What a beautiful prayer for any of us to say to our children and grandchildren, as well.

Starting today, January 1, 2020, I will be starting each blog entry with this prayer in the hope that God will bless each of us and lead us to the peace of Christ.

This is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

All the other titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the beliefs taught about her, rest on this singular and profound reality.  To be the “Mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43), she had to be conceived without sin (Immaculate Conception); to be the Mother of Jesus, she needed to say "yes" (the Annunciation).  About her, Jesus tells her, "Behold your son," (John 19:26) and her divinely given maternity of Jesus, becomes a maternity for the Church, for priests, for God's people, often depicted as hiding in her mantel for she is the refuge of sinners, and a sorrowing world is gazed upon with sorrow by the Queen of Peace.

Her power as an intercessor exists because she is the Mother of God.  She is Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, and Our Lady of Good Help, along with many other titles representing how she leads us in prayers of adoration, praise and intercession to her Son.  The comfort she offered to her Son is the comfort she offers to each one of us.  This is the solemn day of recognition of the identity of the “Woman clothed with the sun [Son]” (Revelation 12:1).  She is the Mother of God.  Rightly, I am to accept what Jesus has said, "Behold, your mother," (John 19:27) because she will always lead me to Jesus.

To me, the most powerful line in the Gospel today was “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)   What a wonderful resolution that should be for all of us in this new year; to set aside 10 minutes each day in silence, away from cell phones and spouses and children and work and this and that to simply read a bit of Scripture and “reflect on them in our heart”.

For example, take the first reading from the Book of Numbers (Numbers 6:24-27), which sets the tone for today’s celebration.  It recounts the words that God spoke to Moses;



“This is how you are to 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.”



This blessing reaches into our everyday experiences right at the center of our lives where we meet God-Who-Blesses.  New Year’s Day can be highlighted for the resolutions that we take upon ourselves (losing weight, curbing our appetites for food and drink, caring for others, and on and on and on).  We might want to resolve this year to remember the concrete ways that we are blessed each day.  I think if I am able to do this, I might become at a deeper level of my life a Eucharistic servant – called into service by the many blessings that come my way.  Can we habitually count the blessings that are ours and thus give ourselves over to God as Jesus Himself did through his life, death and resurrection?

Today’s feast invites us there under the marvelous gaze of Mary, the Mother of God (and our Mother) to remember and to act as Jesus acted in obedience to His Father.  Mary’s motherhood is a beacon showing us the way to live our lives and to focus ourselves on her Son, Jesus.