The Circumcision of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ; Our Father Among the Saints Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Feast of our Lord. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy.
Colossians 2:8-12; Hebrews 7:26-8:2; Luke 2:20-21, 40-52; Luke 6:17-23.
Read Colossians 2:8-12
Today on the first day of the New Year, we celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This feast emphasizes Christ’s perfect obedience to the Law, prefiguring His ultimate fulfillment of the Law through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. By undergoing circumcision on the eighth day, Jesus unites Himself fully with humanity’s broken condition, even submitting to rituals meant to cleanse us of sin—though He Himself is sinless. His circumcision reminds us of the necessity of humility and obedience in our spiritual journey, teaching us to submit our lives to God’s will as Christ did.
On this day we also commemorate St. Basil the Great, who exemplifies a life of obedience to God through service, teaching, and asceticism. Known for his theological teachings and profound humility, St. Basil reminds us that obedience to God’s commandments is inseparable from love for our neighbour. He said, “The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat in your wardrobe belongs to the naked; the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot; the money in your vault belongs to the destitute.” (St. Basil’s Homily on Charity). His words challenge us to live out Christ’s commandments with generosity and compassion.
St. Basil taught, “Through the Holy Spirit comes our restoration to Paradise, our ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven… our sharing in eternal glory.” (On the Holy Spirit). This is only possible because of the Incarnation of the Word of God, who made a pathway of sanctification and transformation for us through union with Him. He further reminds us, “The highest of all things desired is to become like God” (Homily on the Martyr Julitta). May we, through the intercession of St. Basil, start this New Year with a resolution pointed toward the heavens, embracing our high Christian calling to live a life of union with Christ in our thoughts, words, and deeds.