SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD – 1st JANUARY
January 1, 2024
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY TO THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
January 1, 2024
1 January, 2024
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1
O Magnificent and Glorious God, creator of the heavens and the earth, of all things that we behold and the hidden wonders you have made, we come before you, overwhelmed by our Mighty God, for you are the Beginner of all good things. The multitudes of heavenly hosts and all your created beings, chant aloud your praises, unceasingly declaring that you are God and that there is none like you. You have envisioned and brought to reality the entire universe and all it holds, from the rising sun to the moon by night, from the majestic mountains to the surging oceans.
You commanded the sun to brighten our day with its rays of sunshine and the moon to spread its splendid illumination over all creation by night, enabling us to rest from our day’s labor. You created all manner of plants, flowers, trees, in the splendor of a myriad of the most beautiful hues and shapes, bursting into blooms and running riot with all manner of beauty and splendid display. The beasts of the earth are your divine Providence, as food for our sustenance and as guardians for our safety. And yet you rested not! For your most wondrous creation was yet to come.
Yes Lord, you created man in your image, the most absolute and perfect creation of all, male and female to abide by your word, to live in submission and obedience to you, for the sake of your greater Glory. You commanded us to exercise dominion over all the earth, and to increase and multiply and fill the earth to its very ends, supplying our every need and indulging us in our every want. But Lord, your greatest creation turned against you and failed to reverence their God. Forgive us Lord, in your mercy and hear our pleas of penitence. For you have given us salvation as a free gift through our Savior Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as our guide. We look towards our heavenly inheritance and hope to enjoy the fruit of your glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen
