Wednesday 1 January 2025

Today is Wednesday the 1st of January, the feast of Mary the Holy Mother of God. Everyone at Pray As You Go would like to wish you a very happy new year! Good Shepherd Collective sings, Ave Maria. You might like to reflect on Mary’s journey as a mother on this feast day. Today’s reading is from the Book of Numbers. Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them. This first day of the new year starts with a blessing from God. God wants God’s people, wants us, to recognise that we are indeed blessed. What might that mean to you, as this prayer begins?  The Lord, this blessing prayer insists, is gracious to you. This blessing, in other words, doesn’t need to be earned. God gives his gifts freely. How far can you recognise the truth of that in your own experience? This blessing also offers peace from God. Where do you, or the world that you live in, most need that peace at the moment? Notice, as the passage is read again, its references to the Lord’s face, his countenance. Try to picture a God who looks directly at you, looking at you with love. End the prayer in conversation with God, perhaps talking about how you might pass on this blessing to others in the year ahead. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.