happiest new year!
"When the designated time had come, God sent forth His Son born of a woman, born under the law, to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it, so that we might receive our status as adopted sons." —Galatians 4:4-5
Happy new year! This year will be a new year and not merely a re-run of an old year, because this year we are proclaiming and celebrating The Great Jubilee, which is in fact, the greatest of all Jubilees (see Toward the Third Millennium, Pope John Paul II, 16). Also, this new year will be much more than "happy," for it is the year of favor, the year of freedom in Christ Jesus (see Lk 4:18-19).
We are celebrating the two-thousandth anniversary of Jesus' Incarnation. Because the Son of God became a son of man, the sons and daughters of man are able to become adopted sons and daughters of God (Gal 4:5). We are no longer slaves; we are now sons and daughters of God (Gal 4:7). "And the fact that" we are God's sons and daughters makes us heirs of God's kingdom (Gal 4:7).
The Lord wants to make this year the greatest year of your life. Therefore, like Mary:
- Treasure all these things and reflect on them in your heart (Lk 2:19).
- "Let it be done" to you according to God's word (Lk 1:38).
- Trust that the Lord's words to you will be fulfilled (Lk 1:45).
- Do whatever Jesus tells you (Jn 2:5).
Happiest new year!
Prayer: "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!" (Nm 6:24-26)
Promise: "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, in accord with what had been told them." —Lk 2:20
Praise: Praise Jesus, eternal Son of God and incarnate Son of Mary!
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 21, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1999