Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday, the 8th day of Octave of Christmas, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, January 1, 2021

Reading and meditation delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB (Office of Social Communication of SDB in Indonesia). Numbers 6: 22-27; Psalm 67: 2-3.5.6.8; Galatians 4: 4-7; Luke 2: 16-21. THE MOTHERHOOD OF MOTHER The theme of our meditation today is: The Motherhood of Mother. Our universal Church celebrates today the solemnity of Our Lady Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. It's a great celebration for our Mother which we all observe on the 8th day after the birth of Jesus Christ. On the 8th day of His birth also, Jesus for the first time sacrifieced His blood through the circumcision ritual according to local customs. His Mother Mary, certainly the person most responsible for giving attention for the wounds of her Son, the suffering of an infant.  This type of sacrifice would be very painful. His mother must repeatedly wipe the blood flowing out as the wound was still fresh. Blood is a very strong element to relate a mother with her child. The mother's womb which is inhabited by the child during the pregnancy period shows how inseparable blood relationship between the two. It becomes so evident when the baby is already born, as he is bathed in the mother's blood before enjoying a new world outside the mother's body. Mary and our mothers in the world continue to show how the blood relationship never stops growing until the child becomes mature. The Virgin Mary enjoyed a life filled with blood of Her Son Jesus, especially when she was at the foot of the cross in Golgotha ​​and embracing the dead body of Jesus Christ, la pieta. Our mothers in the world, of course with their husbands or our fathers, feel how painful they are when their children encounter troubles or caught in a so bitter suffering. Their blood do not flow in normal circulation  because they are not able to endure that suffering. How they are joyful when their children are happy, when the blood in their bodies circulates well so they look cheerful and happy. The children's actual happines or sad in this world really cause the blood situation of their parents to be calm, low, and rise. The blood really unites the mother and child, that this relationship becomes so solid and can only be terminated by death. These all illustrate that the motherhood of amother is so important. The woman who gave birth to us is a mother with motherhood characteristic because her love and care for us is the same as God for us, His beloved people. On this very special day of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, may all our hearts be filled with joy and gratitude. Christmas that brings us together with Jesus and the Family of Nazareth, makes our joy rises to its fulness and we want to carry it out for this new year. We must start this year with joy and optimism, and that is the content of the Gospel that we have just heard. The motherhood of mother figure, basically  is in women, is very central in our lives. So we must be very grateful because God is so good to pour gifts to our mothers, ladies and women. Our life cannot be a real one if we don't have mothers. Let's pray. In the name of the Father ... O Father of all goodness, thank you abundantly for the gift of the Mother of God and our respective mothers; make us children who are always loyal to our mothers and always pray for them. Hail Mary ... In the name of the Father ...