January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

January 1, 2017

Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God; World Day of Peace Sunday

Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21

Good evening everyone and Happy New Year! Every time we celebrate New Year, one of the things people want to know is what year is it according to Chinese astrology. If year 2016 is year of the monkey, what about 2017?  According to Chinese astrology, 2017 is the Year of the Rooster. But for us Catholics, Year 2017 is the Year of the Lord. Let us remember that we are in the year 2017 A.D. The initials A.D. refer to the latin word: Anno Domini which literally means the Year of the Lord. As we welcome the coming New Year, what are the things we can pray for?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

LET US PRAY THAT THE LORD MAY CONTINUE TO BLESS US. This is actually the prayer we find in the first reading. At the start of the year, we want to experience God’s blessings. But what is a blessing? What does it mean to be blessed by God? Some people think that if they get a bonus that is a great blessing. Some people think that if they acquire properties, it’s a blessing. Prosperity is indeed part of the biblical understanding of blessing. But in the first reading, we find that the blessing that comes from God is not a thing. It is rather about God’s action and presence in our lives.

The book of Numbers says: “The Lord bless you and protect you.” God’s protection is a blessing from God.  In the beginning of year, we ask God to protect us from everything that will destroy us. “May the Lord look kindly upon you.” It is like saying, Lord be kind to us.  You know that we are frail and weak. You know our capacities very well.  Do not be harsh to us but be kind to us. These are some of the blessings the Lord wants to give us. They are not material gifts but symbols of God’s action and presence in our lives. Let us pray therefore that we may be truly blessed by the Lord.

LET US ALSO THANK THE LORD GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS OF THE PAST YEAR. It would be good that before the year ends, we make a list of the simple and great blessings the Lord has given us. Many blessings are ignored and wasted because we do not pay attention to them. Let us turn to Mary whose feast we remember today. The blessing Mary received from God is not a thing.  Paul tells us in the second reading that the greatest blessing Mary received is the blessing of Jesus. How did Mary handle the blessings the Lord has given her?  The gospel tells us, “She treasured all of them in her heart.” That is the proper way of handling blessings. Let us not just ignore the many blessings the Lord has bestowed on us. Let us treasure them in our hearts. If we look into our hearts, what treasures do we see in it? Is it anger, bitterness, conflict or memories of how the Lord has blessed us?  Husbands, do you treasure the smiles of your wife? Wives, do you treasure the efforts of your husbands? Or are your hearts filled with memories of failures? Children how do you think about your parents? Do you see them like an ATM card from whom you can withdraw anything you need? Or are your hearts filled with treasures of their sacrifice and love for you?  My dear friends, like Mary let us treasure in our hearts, the many simple and great blessings the Lord has given us. Let us thank the Lord for all the blessings He has given us.

LET US PONDER ON THE BLESSINGS THE LORD HAS GIVEN US.  Whenever we get blessings, instead of stopping and spending some few moments of reflection what do we usually do? We run around and say: “Oh how can I spend this? I need to go to the mall for shopping.” But there is a need to ponder. There is a need to pause and reflect on the many blessings the Lord has given us. This is what Mary teaches us. Her heart was sensitive to God’s blessings on her because she treasured them and pondered them in her heart.

As we welcome the year 2017, let us ask the Lord to continue to bless us, let us thank the Lord for the blessings of the year 2016 and let us make time to ponder and reflect on God’s gracious blessings on us.  Amen.