One of our traditional invocations, when we want to wish people well, is to say ‘God bless you’. A Blessing implies finding favour with God.
On the first day of the New Year, it would be good to bless
and thank God for the gift of yet another year and ask for his blessings on
every day of the New Year. One of the blessings we have received is the gift of
Mary Mother of God and our mother. It would be great if we could count the
marvels God does for us every day!
‘Have a blessed New Year!’
Reflection
The blessing from today’s first reading is one of the best
known sections of the entire Torah, a priestly blessing upon the people. The
blessing is threefold, and was used by the Jewish priests to bless the people
at the end of the sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem. The words of the
blessing are almost self-explanatory; three times the name of Yahweh is
mentioned to remind us that He is the source of all blessing. The blessing
firstly recognizes the people’s dependence on God. Secondly, it wishes that God
gives the recipients a sign of his pleasure. Thirdly, it wishes ‘Peace’ that
precious gift of not only internal tranquility, but prosperity and happiness as
well. In summary, what is being said is that we are blessed because we are
children of Yahweh, his favoured sons and daughters!
Live the day before you die for God
A group of students being a bit puzzled by problems, went to
one of their favourite teachers for advice. This teacher had gained their
confidence because he seemed to have something the rest lacked. The teacher
tried his best to help them, and in concluding said to them “Live the day
before you die for God.” “But”objected one of the boys, “how can we do that? We
don’t know the day we are going to die.” “Then,” smiled the teacher, “live
every day as if it were the day before you die. It’s as simple as that.” Antony
Kolencherry
The Gospel reminds us of the journey of the shepherds to
Bethlehem. They had heard the good news of the birth of Jesus, they believed
and journeyed to discover the child born to be the Saviour of the world. Each
one has to make this journey during one’s life. The journey becomes meaningful
if we are ready and willing to move on, to journey solely guided by God’s word
and God’s promise. This too is the call of every Christian: to listen, believe,
and proclaim what we have heard, seen, and experienced in our lives. There is
another journey of faith alluded to in today’s gospel narrative, the faith
journey of Mary. The faith journey is not necessarily an external journey, but
it could very well be the longest journey of one’s life. To discover the face
of God, we need, like Mary, to listen, to treasure all these things and ponder
them in our heart. One needs to be a contemplative in action. When Mary said
‘yes’ to God she did not understand, but she journeyed in faith. At the
revelations of the shepherds, though the others were active in amazement, Mary
was silent and pondered all these things in her heart. Mary was blessed at the
Annunciation, blessed at the birth in Bethlehem, blessed by the visit of the
shepherds, as she contemplated them in the depth of her heart. Each time we
reflect, we pray, we let God be born in us and through us. The last part of the
gospel says that on the eighth day Jesus was circumcised and given the name
Jesus, which means ‘the one who saves’ the one who earns for us the privilege
to call God ‘Father’. Thanks to Jesus, we have the greatest blessing, for He is
as close as the mention of his name, and in and through His name alone are we
saved. Today as we begin a New Year we also thank God for Mary, who gives us
Jesus, who makes known to us the face of God, shining on us, looking kindly and
tenderly upon us and brings us His peace.
Giving birth to God
Chinua Achebe, the well-known Nigerian author, made an
interesting remark in his book ‘The Anthills of the Savanna’. He tells us how
in both the Bible and his African traditions, women are blamed for all that
went wrong in the world. In our biblical tradition it is the familiar story of
Eve. In Achebe’s tradition, women were the reason that God, who once lived very
near to his human creation left it. God was so near that the women, who were
pounding their millet into flour hit God. God warned them against this. They
would be careful for some time, but they would start to chat again, forget
about the divine presence, and hit God again. Finally God gave up and left. In
both cases, Achebe writes, men told these stories. They knew they weren’t true
stories and because they felt somewhat guilty about them, they added another
story in which they relate that final salvation will come through a woman,
different from all other women, who cooperates with God. That is why it is good
to consider that every woman is invited by God to be like Mary, cooperating
like Mary, to give birth to God in themselves and in the world in which they
live. Joseph Donders in ‘With Hearts on Fire’
The big difference
A shoeshine boy was plying his trade in New York’s Grand
Central Station. A silver medal danced at his neck as he slapped his shine
cloth, again and again, across a man’s shoes. “Sonny,” said the man curiously,
“what’s the hardware around your neck?” It’s a medal of the mother of Jesus,”
the boy replied. “Why her medal?” said the man. “She’s no different from your
mother.” “Could be,” said the boy, “but there’s a real big difference between
her son and me.” The boy’s devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, invites me to
ask: What role does Mary play in my life? How might she play an even bigger
role?
Mark Link in ‘Vision 2000’
Come to the stable
“A Legend from Russia” is a poem by Phyllis McGinley about
Christmas. The poem begins as the old grandmother, Babushka, is about to retire
for the evening: ‘When out of the winter’s rush and roar came shepherds
knocking upon her door. They tell her of a royal child a virgin just bore and
beg the grandmother to come and adore. Babushka is good-hearted, but she likes
her comfort, and so her reaction is to go later. “Tomorrow,” she mutters. “Wait
until then.” But the shepherds come back and knock again. This time they beg
only for a blanket: With comforting gifts, meat or bread, And we will carry it
in your stead. Again Babushka answers, “Tomorrow.” And when tomorrow comes,
she’s as good as her word. She packs a basket of food and gifts: A shawl for
the lady, soft as June, For the Child in the crib a silver spoon, Rattles and
toys and an ivory game . . . but the stable was empty when she came.
Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’
Being given a name
In his book Roots, Alex Haley tells how his African
ancestors name their children. Eight days after the child’s birth, the father
took the child into his arms whispered its name into its ear. That night the
father completed the ceremony. Carrying the child out under the stars, alone,
he lifted the baby up to the sky and said, “Behold the only thing greater than
yourself.” This naming rite helps us appreciate better the two rites that
surrounded the birth of Jesus: circumcision and presentation. Circumcision
initiated Jesus into the community of God’s chosen people. Presentation
consecrated Jesus to God. Mark Link in ‘Daily Homilies’
Thanks for all that has been!
In the popular musical 'The Fiddler on the Roof' someone
asks the wise Rabbi: Is there a blessing for the Czar?” The Rabbi replies, “May
God bless and keep the Czar....far away from us!” Indeed, there is a blessing
for everything and everyone. So, don’t hesitate to breathe a Spirit-blessing
upon your whole world –your body, your work, your studies, your friends and the
New Year. Let everything and everyone fill your mind as you whisper the words,
“I bless you with the holy name of Jesus!” Remember, God has created you to be
a blessing. May the New Year find us being a blessing unto all. Thus, with the
name of Jesus under the protection of Mary, and with the breath of God’s
Spirit, let’s pray the prayer of Dag Hammarsjold: “Lord, for all that has been,
Thanks! For all that will be, Yes!”
May we be blessed each day of the New Year!
1. Did you know that New Year's Day is the one holiday that
is almost universal? It is the world's most observed holiday.
I trust you've made your New Year's resolutions one of which
is to be in worship each week. Well done for this first Sunday. I won't ask you
if you've resolved to lose the weight you gained between Thanksgiving and
Christmas, or if you're planning on joining a health club, or if you're going
to run five miles a day. Five miles, by the way, is my total aggregate of a
lifetime of running.
The late Erma Bombeck made some memorable
resolutions over the years:
1. I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.
2. I'm going to follow my husband's suggestion to put a little excitement into
my life by living within our budget.
3. I'm going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.
4. I will never loan my car to anyone I have given birth to.
2. Joke writer Ed McManus has some words of
comfort for those of us who are setting resolutions: "Don't worry about
[keeping] those 2013 News Year's resolutions," he says. "You only
have to deal with them until the end of February and then you can give them up
for Lent." It sounds like he has been spying on some of us.
Resolutions are good, especially if there are changes we
need to make in our lives. I heard about one poor guy who dialled his
girlfriend and got the following recording: "I am not available right now,
but thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life.
Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are
one of the changes."
It's good to make changes, for the most part. As we are
often reminded by our critics, our spouses or our children, none of us is
perfect. In fact, some of us might have some deep regrets about the way we've
lived our lives.
3. Dr. Les Parrott tells about a guy in
Fredericksburg, Virginia named Cliff Satterthwaite who helps people get rid of
their regrets. Each New Year's Eve Mr. Satterthwaite sets up a booth there in
Fredericksburg where those celebrating New Year's Eve can come for a moment of
sober reflection. Put the emphasis on "sober" reflection. Those who
come write their regrets on a scrap of paper, then they set a match to them and
turn them to ashes in an adjacent canister. Literally, their regrets go up in
smoke. At least, that's the general idea.
We could do that. We could write our regrets on a piece of
paper and bring them to the altar and watch them go up in smoke. That might be
very therapeutic for some of us as we begin a new year. But our text for the
day from the prologue to the Gospel of John puts the emphasis not on our past,
but on our future. Not on our regrets, but on our possibilities....
4. Tom Ervin, Professor of Music at the
University of Arizona was attending a conference for music teachers in New
York. While at the conference he purchased a talking metronome. A metronome is
a device for counting the beats in a song. Before Tom and his son boarded their
flight home, Tom hefted his carry-on bag onto the security-check conveyor belt.
The security guard's eyes widened as he watched the monitor.
He asked Tom what he had in the bag. Then the guard slowly pulled out of the
bag this strange looking device, a six-by-three-inch black box covered with
dials and switches. Other travellers, sensing trouble, vacated the area.
"It's a metronome," Tom replied weakly, as his son
cringed in embarrassment. "It's a talking metronome," he insisted.
"Look, I'll show you." He took the box and flipped a switch,
realizing that he had no idea how it worked. "One . . . two . . . three .
. . four," said the metronome in perfect time. Everyone breathed a sigh of
relief.
As they gathered their belongings, Tom's son whispered,
"Aren't you glad it didn't go 'four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .
'?" For the past few weeks we have been counting down the days until
Christmas. Now we could count the hours until the dawning of a New Year. But we
need to linger with Mary and Joseph for a little while longer, because what
happened immediately after Christmas is a stark reminder of the world in which
we live...
6. Stay Focused!
We sometimes miss the great opportunities of life because we
get sidetracked. I once heard the tale of a talented and gifted bloodhound in
England that started a hunt by chasing a full-grown male deer. During the chase
a fox crossed his path, so he began now to chase the fox. A rabbit crossed his
hunting path, so he began to chase the rabbit. After chasing the rabbit for a
while, a tiny field mouse crossed his path, and he chased the mouse to the
corner of a farmer's barn. The bloodhound had begun the hunt chasing a prized
male deer for his master and wound up barking at a tiny mouse. It is a rare
human being who can do three or four different things at a time--moving in
different directions.
The Apostle Paul knew his number one priority in life was to
live his life to the honor and glory of God by preaching the Gospel. However,
we know that Paul is not in a plush hotel room but in prison. He receives a
report that all is not well at the Church in Philippi. His very life could be
ended at any moment. And the list goes on. However, the Apostle Paul would not
allow anything to cross his path that would deter him from his priority. Paul
knew that his new life was a gift from God, not from the promises of humanity.
His life was to be lived for his master. Nothing would sidetrack him of that
priority! Eric S. Ritz
7. Living by the Calendar Instead of the Clock (New
Year's)
"Leisure," from the Latin, means "to be
free." Leisure is anything that restores you to peace while you are doing
it. So, gardening, golf, reading, puzzles, and many other things can restore us
to peace as we do them. Another cousin of leisure is the word
"paragon." This little-used word means "the second thing that we
do in life that keeps the first thing in tune." Hence, our work may draw
energy from us, and we have then a "paragon," a leisure thing we do
in order to restore us.
Most often, to build toward leisure demands that we
disassemble something else. In Thomas Moore's book Meditations, he tells of a
pilgrim walking along a road. The pilgrim sees some men working on a stone
building.
"You look like a
monk," the pilgrim said.
"I am that," said the monk.
"Who is that working on the abbey?"
"My monks. I'm the abbot."
"It's good to see a monastery going up," said the pilgrim.
"They're tearing it down," said the abbot.
"Whatever for?" asked the pilgrim.
"So we can see the sun rise at dawn," said the abbot.
Richard A. Wing
8. Who Needs Resolutions? We Need a Revolution!
Welcome to this New Year. I trust that one of your
resolutions for this year is to be in worship every week. Good for you. That's
one resolution you've kept for at least one week.
I heard about one poor fellow who decided to make only
resolutions this year he could keep. He resolved to gain weight, to stop
exercising, to read less and watch more TV, to procrastinate more, to quit
giving money and time to charity, to not date any member of the cast of
Baywatch, and to never make New Year's resolutions again.
Maybe he's onto something. Why torture ourselves when we
never keep those resolutions more than a week anyway?
What we need, of course, is not another resolution, but a
revolution. We need a turning point in our lives. Like the wise men of old we
need to catch a glimpse of a guiding light, and we need to follow that light to
a New Life in Christ.
King Duncan, www.Sermons.com
9. Seven Resolutions
I like a list of resolutions prepared by the Rev. Walter
Schoedel. He calls them '7-UPS for the New Year.' No, this has nothing to do
with the soft drink. These 7-UPS fall under the heading of attitudes and
actions.
The first is WAKE
UP--Begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in it.
The second is DRESS-UP--Put on a smile. It improves your
looks. It says something about your attitude.
The third is SHUT-UP--Watch your tongue. Don't gossip. Say
nice things. Learn to listen.
The fourth is STAND-UP--Take a stand for what you believe.
Resist evil. Do good.
Five, LOOK-UP--Open your eyes to the Lord. After all, He is
your only Savior.
Six, REACH-UP--Spend time in prayer with your adorations,
confessions, thanksgivings and supplications to the Lord.
And finally, LIFT-UP--Be available to help those in
need--serving, supporting, and sharing.
If you're going to make New Year's resolutions this year, let me suggest Rev.
Schoedel's list.
Why do we bother to make New Year's resolutions in the first place? Why do we
feel this need each January 1 to set new goals? Maybe it is because resolutions
help us to identify our priorities. They answer the Question: how do I want to
invest my time, energy, money, and talents in this New Year? The New Year
reminds us that time is passing. It is up to each of us to maximize the
potential of every moment.
Walter Schoedel
10. Keep Your Head Right
Pastor Stephen Brown taught swimming and diving for a number
of years. He tells about a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many
professional divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to
take time to learn the basics. Time after time Brown tried to help Billy see
that the most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper
position. If his head entered the water properly, Brown explained, the rest of
his body would enter the water properly--at least, more properly than it had
been. Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up grinning,
"Mr. Brown," he would shout, "were my feet together?"
"Billy, I don't care whether your feet were together or
not," Brown shouted back. "Make sure your head is straight, then
everything else will work out."
The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and
really concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it.
"Mr. Brown, were my hands together?"
"Billy," Brown would groan in frustration,
"I'm going to get you a neck brace and weld it onto your head. For the
hundredth time, if your head is right the rest of you will be right. If your
head is wrong, the rest of you will be wrong."
And isn't that true in all of life? If our head is wrong,
our marriage will probably suffer. If our head is wrong, our priorities will be
fouled up. If our head is wrong, it may even affect our health in a negative
way. God understands our distress and God seeks to make us new persons so that
we can handle our distress more effectively.
Stephen Brown, When Being Good Isn't Good Enough, Nashville:
Thomas Nelson Publishers. Adapted by King Duncan
11. Humor: Resolutions
Wife to Spouse: "I don't want to brag, but here it is
February and I've kept every one of my New Year's resolutions. I've kept them
in a manila folder in the back of my desk!"
Orben's Current Comedy
12. Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest
not what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1
13. Getting Started
Some of us make resolutions like one man, named George, I
heard about recently. He said to a friend: "There's nothing like getting
up at six in the morning, going for a run around the park, and taking a brisk
shower before breakfast."
His friend Bob asked, "How long have you been doing
this?"
George said: "I start tomorrow."
14. Humor: 90 Days
We're only two days away from the New Year, and I can feel
the anticipation--or dread, depending on your point of view--growing.
I heard one guy say he already dreads the New Year. He said, "The holidays
aren't quite over and already I'm about 90 days ahead on my calories and 90
days behind on my bills." Some of you can identify with him.
