Reflection for Solemnity of Mary – Mother of God – New Year

A blessed New Year !
The New Year begins in the Church today w the celebration of the Octave of Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Words of blessing and peace greet us from the Book of Numbers :
The Lord bless 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 !
How important it is to hear and experience this blessing, believing that God is indeed with us as we mark the beginning of another year ! What a difference it makes to view the New Year within the context of God’s loving and saving presence ! Even the most faith-filled believer finds that human hopes and desires for union with God are continually exceeded by the reality of God’s presence with us.
The Shepherds traveled to Bethlehem to see if the word of God was to come to pass. Upon seeing the babe in the manger, they understood what they had been told concerning the child. The Shepherds went off and reported what they saw and heard. They later returned to Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus praising and glorifying God. They had been forever changed.
Today we have come together to hear the word of God, to praise and glorify him, and, much like the Shepherds, unto ponder how it will affect our live in the newness of this time. We know from the Scripture that everything is ultimately by God’s design. In our society today w hear the kids talk about the designer clothes that are in fashion. Well, we have a designer Church, designed for us by God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The threads of the fab of our designer Church are the words of God. These are the threads that need to be woven into the seamless garment of Christ in our lives. God designed it that way. God sent the Spirit of his Son, Jesus into our hearts that we may become the threads of the Church fabric. We join our hearts with all others to strengthen the garment of the Church, with each of us as a single thread dependent on all the other threads no matter what their color -light or dark, their position -high or low, their texture – soft or rough happens to be. All threads, all of us, are needed a are essential in fulfilling the design of God’s creation.
In accepting this truth we will know the Church fabric to be so strong it cannot be torn, and God’s word will be fulfilled, and his kingdom here on earth will be glorified. Then, like the Shepherds, we, too, will be changed. May this be our prayer for this new year and for each of our lives.
God bless you all and Happy New Year !
Fr. Dominic
Your brother in Christ,