Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

Mary Mother of God and the New Year Day, World Peace Day, 

January 01, 2023

Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21

image: Loyola, Mangalore

Once a group of Sisters - Missionaries of Charity - were walking along a street in Kolkata. They found a small boy near a filthy garbage area. The boy was in rags, and was picking up thrown away food to fill his stomach.  The Sisters felt pity for the boy. They picked him up and brought him to their Children’s Home. They gave him a bath, clothed him with new clothes and fed him with nutritious food. The next day, to their utter surprise, they found the boy missing. He had escaped from the Home. The Sisters went in search of him, found him on the streets, and brought him back to the Home. Again, on the third day, the boy managed to escape from the house. And again the Sisters looked for him, found him, and brought him back.  The same thing happened on the fourth day.  The Sisters became curious to know where the boy was going and why he didn’t want to stay in the Home.

The Sisters followed the boy.  They soon found him playing in the shade of a tree where a woman was busy cooking some food. The Sisters went to the boy and asked him: “Dear boy, why did you run from the house? You know that you get good food there, new clothes and a place to sleep.  You also have other children to play with. What makes you run away from such a beautiful Home?”  On hearing these words, the boy ran to his mother, sat on her lap, and said to the Sisters: “My house is where my mother is.” 

Dear friends, we have come to a point in time when we wish to say goodbye to the year that has gone by and welcome the year that is to come. The old calendars on the walls of our houses will be replaced with new ones, our electronic devices will reflect the year 2023; and the changeover will perhaps be marked at midnight with the noise of crackers and the cheerful greetings in our neighbourhood.  The New Year is indeed an important event; but in the eyes of the Church, it is not so much the arrival of the new year, but rather the solemn celebration of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  As we reflect on Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, we realize - like the lost-and-found boy - that heaven is our real home because our Mother is there. As we begin this New Year let us run to her, sit on her lap and feel the warmth of our heavenly mother’s love. 

 

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Numbers, we heard the great benediction – God’s blessing on us as we begin the New Year.  This text is set at a time when the people of Israel are making preparations for leaving Mt. Sinai where they have been camped for almost a year. They will now journey through the wilderness to the land of promise.  A few key words in the blessing highlight the important aspects of this journey. God promises not only “to bless” but also “to keep”.  That is a specific blessing given to those with safety concerns, focusing on God sheltering the people from evil and its effects, especially as they were going to be wandering in the wilderness. The shining face of God signifies God’s benevolent disposition towards those who trust Him, even though they may be undeserving of God’s benevolence.  The Hebrew word shalom, which means peace, denotes not only the end of aggression, but promises wholeness, goodness and total satisfaction in life. We, therefore, recognize all blessings as really coming from God; and that without His blessing, nothing works right. It is indeed fitting that we observe World Day of Peace today.  May God’s shining face lead us through all the ups and down of life; and may the peace of God reign in our hearts, families, communities and in our work places. 

In today’s gospel, taken from Luke, we see the shepherds visiting Mary and Joseph, and the Infant Jesus lying in the manger. The shepherds then proclaim the message they had received from the angels about the Child Jesus which leaves them all amazed. One of the most profound statements in the Gospel is: “Mary treasured all these words and pondered over them in her heart.”  It may be good to ask ourselves: what are the things that we treasure in our hearts and ponder over? More often than not, we ponder over our problems and difficulties, our unfinished tasks, our future plans; unlike Mary who pondered over the mystery of her Son who is destined to bring “peace on earth to people of good will.”  The New Year 2023 throws some challenges at us: the challenge of bringing God’s peace to our country and our state, the challenge of electing political leaders of competence, commitment and conscience; the challenge of safeguarding our democracy and our constitution from possible annihilation. 

One other thing that we can learn from Mother Mary is to ponder over the workings of God in our life - not with a sense of frustration but with a sense of surrender. Mary had to struggle to comprehend the ways of God in her life. From the annunciation by the angel Gabriel right up to the resurrection of Jesus, Mary had to place her trust in God’s plan. Certainly, she might have, at times, wondered at what God might be doing to her life.  But in such moments, she did not become disbelieving or frustrated.  Instead, she surrendered  herself to God and placed her total dependence on God.  Truly, she is “full of grace”, forever pondering over the mysterious ways of God. 

I believe an excellent way to start this new year is to recall all the small and big blessings that we have received in the past year and treasure “all these things” in our hearts.  We generally want to be in the driver's seat and seldom want to let go of the steering wheel. But unless we let God become the driver in our life, we will always find something amiss. 

My friends, I pray in the words of today’s first reading:  “May the Lord bless you and keep you; and may the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to You; and may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace”, and I may add:  “in this New Year 2023.” 

Happy New Year 2023