Gospel Reflection for The 1st day of January in the year of Our Lord, 2026

The Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Galatians 4:4-7

4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: 5 That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons.

6 And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. 7 Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir also through God.

This is, perhaps the most astounding promise of Christianity. Considering that there are so many miracles, wonders and mysteries that are part of the theology and doctrine of our faith, this is a bold statement. After all, how can we fathom that the God who made man and all of creation would come to earth as a helpless infant, then allow Himself to be rejected, abused, tortured and killed in order to redeem mankind? How can we understand the Holy Trinity? How can we understand that ordinary bread and wine become the spiritual Body and Blood of God?

Before the time of Christ, no man had the right to address God as Father in a real, familial relationship. Certainly, people could understand the Creator as Father of the universe. But, that is not a personal relationship. Through Jesus, God incarnate, we are given this amazing promise. But, even this amazing promise comes in confoundingly simple forms. Through faith and Baptism, we become part of the Body of Christ. Through Confirmation we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and through the Eucharist, we become infused with the Life and Divinity of God. Jesus said that we must be “born again through water and the blood” and that we must eat His Flesh and drink His Blood to have life.

Through the Holy Sacraments of the Catholic Church, we become a part of God and God becomes a part of us. He lives within us and we live within Him. Through this astounding process, we become “brothers and sisters in Christ.” As Jesus is our Brother, His Father becomes our Father. His Blessed Mother becomes our Mother. Not only did our Lord redeem us through His sacrificial death, but through His Resurrection, He raises us up far beyond all that is humanly possible. Through this, we may share in the merits He earned through the grace He gives us. We will never fully understand this during our earthly lives. Only when we are united “through Him, with Him and in Him” in eternity, will we truly understand the magnitude of this relationship. Then, our joy and gratitude will be complete in the Beatific Vision. In the Old Testament it is said that no one can look upon the face of God and live. But we will live forever before His face, sharing in His Glory.

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FWJMD7CL

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic