Homily, Mary Mother of God 1/1/2023
From The Pastor
As told in the gospel, after the birth of Jesus, even Mary and Joseph take their rest as the Child lies in the manger. I am sure for some, today will be another day for revelry and holiday gathering. Many others will take the day to rest and perhaps ponder the mysteries we have now celebrated. Christmas is a fast season. The four weeks of Advent are mirrored with four Sundays of Christmas. As Christmas was celebrated on Sunday this year, the Feast of the Holy Family was moved to the Friday of Christmas week, and the Baptism of Jesus to a Monday.
That leaves us with much to ponder in a short time. The Feast of the Holy Family gives us an image that confirms the humanity of Jesus in the ordinary setting of family life. Through the love and commitment of Mary and Joseph, Jesus is formed in the virtues and the challenges of family life. In the stability and security of his home, Jesus learns the virtues of love, respect, forgiveness, sharing, and the bonds of love created through family relationships. The love and goodness of his family life played an essential role in the realization and acceptance of his Divine nature.
The Feast of the Holy Family is also an image of our own families. All families are holy in that they are, ideally, a place of love, acceptance, and maturing formation in the Christian life. Painful as it can be at times, the challenges of family life also serve as a proving ground for forgiveness, tolerance, and persevering love. This is the intention of the second reading for the Feast of the Holy Family. St. Paul writes to the Colossians: ‘Because you are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves in heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with one another, forgiving one another as the Lord has forgiven you. Over all these virtues, put on love, which is the bond of perfection.’ This sounds very idealized, don’t you think? It does, but it is the peace to which we are called in Christ. This peace is known in the constancy of the presence of Christ in the home of our hearts through thick and thin.
We are all holy, not by our own doing, but by God’s life within us. Holy does not mean being goody, goody. Holy means to be set apart for a sacred purpose. Everyone of us has a sacred purpose, in one way or another, to bring love into the world in the service of God’s Kingdom.
Today celebrates the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. We also pray for the gift of a New Year filled with the grace of God. Today also continues to be a World Day of Prayer for Peace. Many themes to be sure, yet they all reflect the unitive life we share in Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. How might we imitate the obedient surrender of Mary in our lives throughout the New Year?
The readings over the span of these past days offer many opportunities. With the shepherds who gave glory to God for the Child revealed to them, we too can offer daily praise and glory to God for the gift of Jesus. Praise opens the heart to a spirit of gratitude. Gratitude weakens the inclination to complain as we secure our minds and hearts in the person of Jesus. Can we intentionally see the good that surrounds us, rather than the common drone of complaint, judgement, and criticism?
Why is this important? Because in Christ our lives are grounded in love. We profess love in Jesus as the Divine Savior. We are forgiven in the love of his mercy, and we are liberated by his dying and rising from the dead. In Christ, our nature and identity call us to imitate the One who has set us free from fear, and the inner oppression of negative self-regard, resistance to love, resentment, and the violence of competition so evident in the world.
Consider all Jesus surrendered in choosing to accept our human flesh. Leaving the glory of heaven, Jesus accepted the consequences of sin. As an infant, he was unknown to most. As an adult, he was rejected, scorned, humiliated, and finally tortured and put on a Cross. All for our sake. Jesus knows the pains and the worst of what it means to be human when we are lost in the lie and disorder of sin.
Now, because of Christ, we are no longer lost in sin. We are healed, forgiven, and freely offered the unconditional mercy of Our Lord. As we begin a new year, can we make a commitment to love more? Can we be more like Jesus in our interactions with others? Can we pray more to deepen our love for God through a greater love for those around us?
Prayer can teach us to surrender our weakness and fear to the Lord. Our weakness, whatever it is, will always draw God’s grace to us. We have only to ask for help, and then do the best we can. Prayer awakens compassion and empathy, with a maturing sense of justice for those who suffer. We are all aware of the tensions in the world. As Christians, we are made for love in our desire to imitate the life of Jesus. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. Ask Jesus to be reborn in you with a renewed spirit of faith, hope, and love. With every blessing and goodness in God’s grace, Happy New Year.
Father John Esper
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