SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD
January 1st. World Peace Day.
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La circumcisió del Senyor.Today we begin the New Year, we celebrate the circumcision of the Lord, the eighth day after Christmas, the World Peace Day and, finally, the liturgical celebration of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

Summoned by Jesus Christ, we begin the year around his table. We could not start this year in a better way. Independently of the way each one of us feels, whether we feel happy or sad, coming here to celebrate the Eucharist, means knowing and living out the fact that we are not alone, that Jesus accompanies us, that he lives in us to give us strength in this year we begin, and to continue to walk on the way of the Gospel.

Today is a feast day, with the desire that everything goes well. Our greeting in this day is: Happy New Year! We wish that everything goes well personally, and for all humanity, to men and women everywhere. One goal we should set for ourselves, this new year: To try to be happy fulfilling the will of God and, although we may feel insignificant, to contribute to making others happier, helping there to be less sufferings around us.

We manifest all these wishes, all these feelings, in remembering a very dearly loved person who is very close to all of us: Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God. For this reason, our reflection will be on this liturgical celebration: The maternity of the Mother of God. Mary is mother of Jesus as man and as God. The angel said to Mary: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Lk 1:30-33).

The liturgy takes us again to the stable where the shepherds adored the infant Jesus and told everybody about the message of the angel, and all were amazed (Lk 2:17-18). And Mary, the mother of Jesus, kept all this things in her heart and reflected on them (Lk 2:19). It is not difficult to imagine what Mary felt when contemplating the new born.

Mary knew that Jesus was the Son of God. The angel had told her: The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Lk 1:35). That son, who was flesh of her flesh, was at the same time son of God.

Mary also knew:

  • The name of that infant, Jesus, which means "God saves". The shepherds had told her that the angel of the Lord had said to them: Today in the city of David a saviour has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord (Lk 2:11).
  • That Jesus was the saviour of the world. She was happy about it, although salvation would come through the tree of the Cross.
  • That her son was the greatest born of a woman, and that his kingdom would have no end (see Lk 1:33). She knew that her son could not be compared to any Patriarch, any prophet, or any king on earth.
  • That that infant was her son and that he would love her above every other creature. Jesus has not loved any one on earth more than his mother Mary.
  • That his son would be loved from generation to generation.
  • That we, Christians, would love Jesus and, also would love her for being the Mother of God and of the Church.

Saint Leo the Great says: "When Jesus was born, we were also born, because when the head is born, the members are also born, and the mother of the head is also the mother of the members; this is why we call Mary , Mother of God and Mother of the Church."

Mary, being the Mother of God, knew many other things; more than we know; and all these things she kept and reflected on them in her heart.

Like Mary, we keep and reflect on the wonders that the Lord has done in us: the gift of life, the gift of health, the gift of having parents who love us, the gift of feeling loved by many persons, the gift of being Christian, the gift of having the daily bread, etc.

And all these things, and many others, lets ask the Lord, for this new year. And lets not forget to ask for the gift of peace for us, for our families and for the nations.

FOR THIS YEAR THAT BEGINS TODAY, WE HOPE:

* that our faith will increase;

* that our community will be more lively and missionary;

* that those who have abandoned the flock may return to it;

* that the suffering, due to violence, wars, hunger, divisions, etc, may come to an end;

* that those in government may find ways of dialogue to be bring about peace

* that we will find the inner Peace that only Jesus can give us.

Prayer

Lord, give me:

SERENITY to accept the things that I cannot change,

COURAGE to change the things that I can, and

WISDOM to know the difference.

To all of you, I wish a GOOD AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

TO BEGIN THE YEAR

Jesus doesn’t have hands;

he only has our hands

to carry out his work today.

Jesus doesn’t have feet,

he only has our feet

to guide men on his way.

Jesus doesn’t have lips;

he only has our lips

to speak about him to men.

Jesus doesn’t have any help;

he only has our help

to gather men around him.

We are the only Bible

that people can still read.

We are the last message from God

written with facts and words.

(A text of 14th century)