Eight days were completed for his circumcision

WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY (Lk 2,16-21)

With the circumcision, Jesus becomes the true son of Abraham and his true offspring. Since he is the true offspring, all the tribes of the earth, all peoples and all nations will be blessed in him. The rite of circumcision has very ancient origins. In Holy Scripture it is traced back to a precise order of the Lord: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said: “I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless. Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” When Abram prostrated himself, God continued to speak to him: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.”

The sign in the flesh attests that we are in this promise of God and Abraham: ”God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the mark of the covenant between you and me. Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised, including house born slaves and those acquired with money from any foreigner who is not of your blood. Yes, both the house born slaves and those acquired with money must be circumcised. Thus my covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting pact. If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant” (Gen 17,1-14). Circumcision is not a meaningless ritual. It is a sign of belonging, descent and sonship. It makes men who are according to the flesh become men of faith. Even Jesus, although he is the Son of God, the Father in him cannot bless all the peoples and nations, if he does not first become the son of Abraham according to the promise, the faith and the command of the Lord.

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

In our most holy faith, every rite, even if it belongs to the Old Testament, is loaded with very high, divine and eternal mysteries. Before and after the celebration of the ritual, the person is no longer the same. Before Jesus was only Son of God and Son of Mary. He was not the Son of Abraham, never could have he been the Son of David and never the descendant in whom the Lord would have blessed all nations tomorrow. Mary and Joseph fulfil the Law, they subject Jesus to the rite of circumcision, Jesus is now the true Son of Abraham, the true Son of David and the true Descendant of Abraham. Everything is done with circumcision. If all those Christians, including many ministers of the Word, stopped affirming, supporting and shouting that baptism serves no purpose and began to spread the truth of the very high mystery that is contained in it, they would do a great service of redemption and salvation to all humanity. Instead for foolishness and ignorance of falsehood and lies that governs mind and heart, they deprive man of the grace that redeems, justifies, saves and makes of man a new creature, filling it with grace and the Holy Spirit. Falsehood kills all true hope.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, arrange that the Christian’s mouth is a source of truth and light.