SOLEMN FEAST OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD; NEW YEAR 2014

REFLECTING THE YEAR WITH MARY

The Blessed Virgin Mary was our one constant companion from the start of Advent.  Amazing, mysterious events unfolded so rapidly in her life simple and unsuspecting life. The angelic visitor came, then she was pregnant, and then she gave birth to the Child in poverty. She would have to flee with St. Joseph to Egypt to protect her son.  She would spend years of exile before coming back home.

With this fast cadence, what young woman would not suffer a dizzying confusion?  But today, the Gospel leads us to the secret of Mary’s survival.  How did she manage to confront and surpass all her troubles?  The gospel says:  Mary “kept all these words, pondering them in her heart” (Lk. 2:19). 

I have always wondered about the connection between Mama Mary and the New Year. But it became clear to me that we are not only to absorb events as they happen but to try to understand their meaning and God’s message in them too.

We must adopt an attitude of reflection, of pondering.  The New Year signals the start of a string of events yet to unfold. Some events are expected.  Many will come as a surprise.  Some events will happen by change. But a lot more will be divinely appointed.

Each New Year opens us up to the possibility of a new diagnosis from the doctor’s clinic, of a death in the family or within the circle of our friends, of loss of something valuable or essential, of a twist in our relationships with people close to our hearts, and of the flood of blessings that the Lord unceasingly gives.

These events will call us to pause or maybe even force us to stop. We will ask questions, demand answers, try to understand. And it is not psychology alone, or processing techniques that will suffice to help us get to the core of things.  We need something not only comforting and secure, but something truly assuring, peaceful and lasting. We need to experience the presence of God this year.

And Mother Mary is our gentle companion in this venture. She pondered and treasured things in her heart. In her reflection she gazed at the face of Jesus, her Child. Her peace, composure and steady response were the product of a living relationship with the Son of God to whom she dedicated her life.

Are we capable of the same attitude at the start of the New Year?  Can we maintain this attitude throughout the next twelve months?  We certainly have need of the reflective posture of Mother Mary so that our faith can carry us through all the surprises of this year filled with grace upon grace.

Let us ask the Mama Mary to teach us to listen to God’s Word, keep it in our hearts and treasure it so that it will be our anchor and our guide.