“May The Lord bless and keep you, may He make His Face shine upon you and be gracious to you: May the Lord turn His Face toward you and give you His PEACE.” 

Peace, Pope Benedict XVI tells us, is the summit of the six actions of God in this blessing, which are in our favor, “His most sublime gift, in which He turns toward us the splendor of His Face.”

Today is The Feast of Mary, Mother of God, who is the Queen of Peace, this is also the World Day of Peace. and through the Liturgy we celebrate The Circumcision of Jesus, The Prince of Peace.  The Circumcision  recalls the great event in which Jesus was named.  There is a Discalced Carmelite sacramental called the *”Little Sachet” which contains the gospel of The Circumcision, a picture of The Child Jesus with The Cross and other instruments of His Passion and the words which proclaim the power of The Holy Name, “When Jesus was named – Satan was disarmed.” Devotion to The Holy Face is making reparation to The Holy Name for sins of atheism, blasphemy, profanation of The Holy Name and of The Holy Day of Sunday.  When Jesus is named, with love and reverence, Satan is disarmed and there will be peace.  The Feast of The Holy Name of Jesus will be celebrated this coming Sunday.

Pope Benedict writes, “To rejoice in the splendor of His Face means penetrating the mystery of His Name made known to us in Jesus, understanding something of His interior life and of His will, so that we can live according to His plan for humanity.  Jesus lets us know the hidden Face of The Father through His human face; by the gift of The Holy Spirit poured into our hearts.”  This, the Pope says, is the foundation of our Peace, which nothing can take from us.

+Peace and have a Blessed New Year.

*For those looking for the “Little Sachet” or Little Gospel of the Circumcision, it is unfortunately very hard to find.  This is one example of the front and back: