Homily for 1st January 2019
_“The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” *(Numbers 6:25-26.)*_
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let me start by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. Last year had its own unique challenges but we thank God it has finally ended and we are happy and grateful to God for the grace to see another year.
This morning, we are celebrating the Solemnity of a woman who remained cheerful and grateful despite the many challenges she had to put up with, in taking on the responsibility, of being the Mother of Jesus. And in today’s Gospel passage, we are told: “She treasured all these things in her heart.” She wasn’t noisy, she wasn’t a gossiping woman, a nagging and complaining woman, she just accepted everything that came her way gracefully and quietly.
As we begin a New Year, we ought to emulate the outstanding disposition of Mary. She was told she had a great responsibility to carry and she did not complain, she was waiting for it. All she said was “I am the handmaid of God, let it be done according to God’s will.” That should be our number one statement as we enter this New Year. We all have great expectations for this New Year, but we do not know how it will turn out to be, so all we can say is “God, let it be done according to your will.”
Mary accepted the plan of God in her life, she took in the highs and the lows, she was ready for the joys as well as the pains involved. She never gave up but continued to look forward gallantly in hope to that day of her reward when all generations would actually start calling her blessed. This was Mary’s attitude to life and what kept her going.
Mary is so outstanding today because she knew her role in God’s plan and was willing to obey every detail, every command to the letter. When the Child was born, she gave the very name “Jesus” in obedience to the Angel’s instruction. She knew that through her, God was about to fulfil his promise. As St. Paul say: “At the fullness of time, God sent his son born of a woman born under the law, to redeem those under the law so that WE MIGHT BECOME SONS OF GOD.” Gal. 4, 4. And that is what we are. We are no longer slaves, we have received adoption as sons.
We are sons, we are not slaves, thanks to Jesus, the Son of God, born of a woman. You know the difference between a son and a slave? Both of them eat the same food every day but while one eats on a golden plate, the other eats scraps from the left-overs. While one is truly concerned about protecting the house, the other is concerned about his monthly pay. While one obeys the Father’s instruction always out of pure love and knowledge of right and wrong, the other obeys ONLY when people are looking. Do not be surprised that many Christians today live like slaves in God’s house when they should be sons.
I pray for you that this new year, you shall rise to your true position as a Son in God’s house. That you shall possess your possession. That you shall eat no longer remnants but real food from the golden plate of God’s word, the Bible. That you shall be well fed, that is, so blessed that you shall be a blessing to the people you will meet throughout this year. I pray that you will no longer live a pretentious life but uphold your Christian values, that you will be light in the midst of the darkness of sin and evil in our world.
Above all, I pray for you as Moses prayed for the people: “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!”
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, I thank you with all my heart for this New Year. Make it be the best year of my life. Amen.
*Happy New Year. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Bible Study: Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 67, Galatians 4:4-7 and Luke 2:16-21).*
Fr. Abu.
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