In this period after Christmas, it is fitting that we rejoice with the Psalmist, who calls upon us to sing a new song to the Lord, for God has indeed done wondrous works. No matter what the Psalmist meant by "victory", the great deed that we must thank God for at Christmastime and every day of our lives, is that he has given us his Son to be our saviour. Beyond the hopes and dreams of the Psalmist, God has made his salvation known in Jesus.

God's faithfulness towards the house of Israel is manifested most of all in his fulfilment of the original promise: the promise of a child who would crush the head of the serpent, the devil (Genesis 3:15). The magnificence of God's kindness towards us is manifested in that he fulfilled this promise by sending us, not any mere human saviour, no matter how great, but his Son, one who began the work of our redemption in Mary's womb and then in a visible way in the manger at Bethlehem. The liturgical year, both in the sequence of its celebrations and in the readings chosen for Mass, leads us into a deeper understanding and joyful appreciation of the work of our redemption.