Homilies

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today, as the world celebrates the beginning of the new year 2017, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Mary, Mother of God. It is the oldest of all Marian feasts in the liturgy. Accordingly, this feast was formerly celebrated in 11 October. It was moved to January 1 during the pontificate of the now Blessed Pope Paul VI. Coincidentally, it was the same pope who declared, in 1968, the first day of the year as the World Day of Peace. Thus, insofar as the Catholic Church is concerned, there are two important celebrations today: the Solemnity of the Mother of God and the World Day of Peace.

 

Let us first make our reflections on the motherhood of Mary. Mary’s title as Mother of God (Greek: Theotokos) has something to do with the mystery of Incarnation. The Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, once reflected, “We find the mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine Word and the Divine Motherhood of Mary summed up in a few words: the Virgin's great privilege is precisely to be Mother of the Son who is God.” And according to said pope, “The most logical and proper place for this Marian feast is therefore eight days after Christmas.” Indeed, when Mary gave birth to Jesus (Lk 2:7) in the night of Bethlehem, the Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah were fulfilled.

 

Mary is Mother because she gave birth to her Son, Jesus, who is Lord and Savior. But as the gospel passage suggests, she is also Mother because she adhered totally to the will of God the Father. Remember the words of Jesus, “My mother, brother….. are those who do the will of my Father”. The text of the gospel says, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” We can now say that in following the will of God, Mary did two important things: she listened to the Word, and she reflected on it.

 

This is something we can learn from Mary. We can emulate her on how she obeyed the will of God. In the same way, taking the words of Jesus, we can also be his brother or sister, if we do the will of the Father. So, in the context of Mary’s motherhood, doing the will of the Father demands a good relationship to the Word: listening to and reflecting on it.

 

We, people, have many opportunities to listen to the Word of God. For example, in every celebration of the holy Eucharist, there is always a liturgy of the Word. However, not all of us use it properly. For some, they miss the opportunity to listen to the Word because they fail to listen to it attentively. In addition, listening to the Word is not enough. We must also spend time reflecting on the Word of God. The Word of God in Hebrew is ‘dabar.” Accordingly, dabar is different from the words that we say because dabar has an inherent power and dynamism. That once you really listen to it, you will be moved. So, if we want to be moved by the Word, we must spend time reflecting on it.

 

Let us now turn our reflections to the second celebration, that is, the World Day Peace. When then Pope Paul VI declared in 1968 the first day of the year as the World Day of Peace, it was not meant to be an exclusive celebration in the Catholic Church. Rather, it has been extended to the “true friends of Peace”. Indeed, peace for so many years has been the aspiration of the world and its governments. Peace is rather elusive but this annual celebration reminds us that we must strive in achieving peace.

 

In the first reading, from the Book of Numbers, we heard of the Lord instructing Moses to tell Aaron and his sons on how they will bless the Israelites. This is he blessing, “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!”

 

New Year is not only about personal resolutions. New Year is also a time to ask some God for blessings, and to give as well some wishes for our beloved ones and friends. In the first reading, there is an emphasis on the blessing of “peace.” I would say that, if there is an important and relevant blessing we will ask from God nowadays, it is peace. We have enough of wars, conflicts, noise in the world and in our society. We want to get rid of all these things. We want peace.

 

However, as the popes stressed, peace is not merely pacifism. Pope Paul VI said that this peace “proclaims the highest and most universal values of life which are truth, justice, freedom and love." Without these, there cannot be true peace. Pope Benedict XVI also said that true peace, that is, “the peace proclaimed by the Angels on Christmas night, is not merely a human triumph or the fruit of political agreements; it is first and foremost a divine gift to be ceaselessly implored, and at the same time a commitment to be carried forward patiently, always remaining docile to the Lord's commands.”

 

Indeed, peace is a gift from God, but it is also a task or a commitment. For us, Christians, we can attain this peace if we continue to cling ourselves to Jesus who the Prince of Peace.