SOLEMN FEAST OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, NEW YEAR B
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SSSHHHHH!
It is New Year. For many it is the festivity of light, of sound, of noise! Just imagine how many fireworks are lit up to destroy the placid sky, how many gongs and trumpets and cannons blow to carry a signal, and how any firecrackers burst like uncontrolled laughter aimed against evil spirits and bad luck. New Year is a time of light, of movement, and of noise!
In the Gospel today, the way to encounter Jesus is through Mary, the mother of the Incarnate Son of God. Instead of noise, Mary signifies above all, serenity and calmness. In our imagination, Mary received the archangel Gabriel while she was in a state of prayer, study or doing her silent tasks. In todays reading, as Mary cared for her infant, she reflected quietly in her heart. There was no other way Mary could have received an angel and welcomed the Son of God in her life than through her silence.
We need silence to receive the message of the Lord. We need quiet to recognize the presence of Jesus in our various situations. This is what happened to Mary. This was what happened to Moses too, in the wilderness before the Lord spoke the Lord spoke to him in a burning bush.
Every New Year is an invitation to not only hear actively, but to listen passively to what the Lord has to say. Often when we listen, we do it actively – trying to catch the message, analyzing what was said, and questioning it even in our mind. Even with our mouths shut, our minds are working, calculating and reasoning.
Our Lady listened passively. She was bewildered but she did not argue. She did not fathom but she did not resist. She simply listened by receiving the Lord’s message and his presence with a quiet hospitality.
Each year, our simple lives are punctuated by the noise of unexpected events like sickness, death, sorrow, and surprising experiences. In those moments we will need to keep the balance and maintain our peace of mind and heart in order not only to survive but to mature and blossom. We will need to seek Mary’s help in guiding us to the sacred silence that makes Jesus present in our lives.
This New Year, we truly rejoice at the new beginnings, fresh opportunities, and novel chances open to us. But let us learn to receive all the blessings and all the challenges to come in a spirit of silence, prayer and surrender, like Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, did.
The Lord is with you!