Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Today we celebrate the Octave of the Nativity which has also be called the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord and is now celebrated as the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God in the Ordinary Form.
It was on the eighth day that circumcision was to take place. As is stated in the Book of Leviticus, “On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin shall be circumcised.” It for this reason that this feast falls on the eighth and final day of the Octave of Christmas.
This is done to carry out what was required by God for Abraham and His chosen people in the Book of Genesis, “This is the covenant between me and you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. That will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised.”
Through Christ the purpose of the act of circumcision came to be fulfilled. In the words of Saint Paul to the Colossians, “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
Here emphasis is placed upon our baptism and being claimed for Christ Jesus in these waters. Through our baptism original sin was washed away and we were incorporated into the life of Christ and His Church on this earth. It is important that this sacrament is not a mere ritual, but one that becomes a way of life for us.
Circumcision was an outward physical sign of the eternal covenant between God and the Jewish people. This action was important for the Jew as baptism is important for each of us. Through these waters as well as through the sacramental life of the Church we are to continue to live for Christ instead of the ways of this world.
It was at the circumcision of the Lord that blood came to be spilled as a foreshadowing of that blood spilled at His sorrowful passion. Similarly such blood has been spilled by the martyrs who have died in protection of the faith. We also cannot take our faith lightly for it always leads us back to the cross and that salvation that was won for us and the world.
As we embark upon this new year let us live for Christ in all that we do. Under the intercession of His Mother, Mary, may our heart always be turned towards His. For the fruit of her womb is Jesus who is God made Flesh. Let our heart continue to dwell with Him and may we never turn away from Him.
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