The LORD said to Moses:

“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:

This is how you shall bless the Israelites.

Say to them:

The LORD bless you and keep you!

The LORD let his face shine upon

you, and be gracious to you!

The LORD look upon you kindly and

give you peace!

So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,

and I will bless them.”

R/ (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.

May God have pity on us and bless us;

may he let his face shine upon us.

So may your way be known upon earth;

among all nations, your salvation.

R/ May God bless us in his mercy.

May the nations be glad and exult

because you rule the peoples in equity;

the nations on the earth you guide.

R/ May God bless us in his mercy.

May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you!

May God bless us,

and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

R/ May God bless us in his mercy.

Brothers and sisters:

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,

born of a woman, born under the law,

to ransom those under the law,

so that we might receive adoption as sons.

As proof that you are sons,

God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

crying out, “Abba, Father!”

So you are no longer a slave but a son,

and if a son then also an heir, through God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;

in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,

and the infant lying in the manger.

When they saw this,

they made known the message

that had been told them about this child.

All who heard it were amazed

by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things,

reflecting on them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God

for all they had heard and seen,

just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,

he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel

before he was conceived in the womb.

Homily

“Mary kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” 

One of the most iconic songs from the musical play, The Sound of Music, comes at a crossroads in the life of the young novice, facing challenges to her vocation at the same time that around her the world changes faced by an impending world war and desolation. Seeking guidance and help, her mother superior begins intoning the words, “Climb every mountain…”  [https://youtu.be/d-1j7VU5n_c] The lyrics of this song have been used to encourage, to inspire and to give hope to generations. 

The season leading up to Christmas and the celebrations of this time of year were usually filled with a range of events, school pageants, parties, days spent shopping amidst colorful lights, the smell of evergreen, and the sound of carols surrounding us. We celebrated, we sang, we joined with family and friends, and we were simply caught up in the energy of a season that left many of us looking forward to New Year’s and the end of the festivities!

    In recent years, the decorations, shopping and commercialization of Christmas begin so early that by the time we reach the end of December, we are exhausted and no one has enough excitement to sing the ancient carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” that details the days from Christmas through Epiphany. 

The name given to this month, January, comes from the Roman God Janus, the god of two faces, one looking to the past and the other looking to the future. It is fitting then that at this time of year we look back at the year that has just ended and look forward to the new year ahead of us. Many of the customs throughout the world for January 1st have some semblance to this looking back, and then looking forward. But in more recent times, the Church has designated this day with two other meanings. The first is seeing Mary as theotokos – as the Mother of God. The other is to begin the year – every year – praying for World Peace. 

How did we spend the year of our life that just ended last night? Did we use it to advance the goals and objectives we had at this time last year? Did we use it to strengthen our spiritual life? For many gathered here this morning, last year at this time we were hearing the first whispers of a strange new virus; we were taking a deep breath after months of social chaos, we began to look forward with some sense of change in the air. Then, by the end of January and into February, the pandemic unfolded. How did that event change the rest of the year for you? 

Despite the upheaval that 2020 was for most of us, still couples married, children were born and baptized, we continued each day… while learning new words such as “social-distancing” and coping with long periods of lock-downs. For many, the past year has been marked by fear, upheaval, sickness, tragedy, or the loss of someone near and dear to us. 

The Church presents to us on this day the figure of Mary, the theotokos as a way of learning how to cope. A phrase from the Gospel is very helpful: “Mary kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” This is also good advice for us today – to reflect… and to HOPE.

The shepherds were the first to be so filled with amazement at the story of the birth of Jesus that they left their fields and flocks and went out praising God and telling others what they had seen. The same Gospel goes on to tell us that Mary kept reflecting on the events surrounding the birth of her Son, trying to discover the true meaning of it all. Why was she the one chosen to be Mother of God? There was nothing unusual about her background. But her quiet world was disrupted by the appearance of an angel and a command from God, and her life was turned upside-down. And for the rest of her life, she “kept all these things and reflected on them.” At the end of a particularly annus horribilis, how do we even begin to approach the custom of New Year’s resolutions? Some criticize the idea of making resolutions as frivolous or meaningless – most rarely fulfill any of them.

But many resolutions we think about are more wishes than true resolutions. A wish identifies a goal we want to reach! A resolution, however, specifies the steps we will take to reach that goal. A wish tells me where I want to be, a resolution plots out the road to get there. A wish is a hope. A resolution is the direction I set out on. 

The difference between wishing and resolving lies in this: Are we ready to make the changes needed to make the wish come true? Are we ready and willing to pay the price? Are we willing to open ourselves to a spirit of HOPE to change what has been an annus horribilis to an annus mirabilis – a year of marvels?

Our Gospel gives us guidance. Mary is presented to us as a model of new life in Christ that all of us desire, and a goal for every disciple of Christ in a new year. Seeing the events around the birth of Jesus, we are told, “Mary kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” Do we ever spend time reflecting on the ways God has touched our lives in the past year, in this past, very difficult, Christmas? Do we ever try to recall the moments of grace when God touched our lives? Do we treasure those moments in our minds and hearts?

Mary took time to reflect on these things and lift them all to the Father in prayer. The holiness of Mary was certainly God’s gift to her, but she also cooperated with that grace. Can we do the same?

Mary found the Word of God not only in reflection on the Scriptures and in divine revelation, but also in her own experience. “The Almighty has done great things for me, and HOLY is His name!” God speaks to us today through His Word and His Church – through signs and sacraments – but also through the experiences of our life if we but take the time to reflect on them, as Mary did.

The new calendars we hang today can either be a rerun of last year, or a road map through the seasons of the Church year and lives of the saints to a deeper, stronger and more honest spiritual life. Be people of HOPE!

Listening to the words of our 1st reading, the Blessing of Aaron, we ask God’s blessing and Mary’s intercession to guide us today as we begin the new year. Mayh it truly be for us a year of grace in which we bring to life the potential of our baptism and see God’s presence, blessing us, encouraging or correcting us in everything that happens, and filling us with HOPE.  

One of my favourite preachers of the past, Arbp. Fulton Sheen wrote: “The beginning of a new year is an opportunity for improvement. It makes little difference what the past has been, for we are not to look back to see if the furrow be crooked. What matters most is the sanctification of the now moment. Time is so precious that God doles it out second by second. If life in the past has been evil, the new year is an opportunity for penance. In such a way is time redeemed. If life, however, has been virtuous, the new year is an opportunity for greater self-perfection.”

Prayers

Celebrant:  The ‘Mother of God’ is Mary’s greatest title. In humility and faithfulness, she gave birth to her Son, the eternal Son of God, the Word-made-flesh. Let us join her as we come to the Father in prayer.

READER: For the Church reflected in Mary, that we may faithfully bring forth Jesus Christ in our world, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all peoples under Mary’s care, that in the coming year they may know peace, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all the sick, the poor, the persecuted, the lonely and the abandoned ones, that they may be consoled by our Mother’s powerful protection, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all families celebrating a New Year that they may share the happiness of the family of Nazareth, and for Maryann and David Tsoi for whom today’s Mass is especially offered in thanksgiving, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That God’s mercy in Jesus Christ will raise up those who have died, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT:  Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, hear the prayers of your people, gathered to honor the most holy Mother of your Son, our Savior, who lives and reigns for ever and ever,  (all) AMEN.