Few of us may know that the first day of the year is the greatest feast of Our Lady. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is the highest and the first Marian dogma: it was in the year 431 AD that the Council of Ephesus declared that Mary rightly deserves to be called the Mother of God because she gave the world God made man. How beautiful is the thought that every year ends and begins with the embrace of this heavenly mother.
Rightly, we pray the psalm of the day: "May God have mercy on us and bless us" and "Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you. May God bless us..." because God not only gave us Himself but also gave us His mother to be our mother. How great is His mercy towards us! And this should lead us to make the resolution for the New Year to show more mercy and love towards one another. We are living in times where it is easy to let stress and pride control us, causing us to hurt one another with our words and actions. Today's feast shows us that when we act this way, we lose the dignity that God has given us as human beings. It is only through respect and love, so beautifully exemplified by this heavenly Mother of ours, that we can find peace and happiness.
In today's second reading, St Paul tells us: "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father.' Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through God." This means that without or before Jesus, humanity's relationship with God depended on a law that, on its own, enslaved us. But now, our relationship with God is built through Jesus, who makes us children of God and frees us from the slavery of the law. Yes, because Jesus became one of us, and through Baptism, we become one with Him. We truly become children of God, and we can cry out, like Him and with Him, "Abba, Father." What better thought to begin the New Year than the realisation that God not only loves us but has made us His children through Jesus, His only Son?
In today's Gospel, we continue to hear what we heard on Christmas night, as the shepherds continue to show us how, despite their simple way of life, they were chosen by God to adore His Son, born for us. Could it be because of their simplicity that God chose them? Perhaps if it were us, we wouldn't be so impressed because, to the physical eye, all they found was a mother who had just given birth and her child in a state of poverty. Once again, Mary teaches us something special: "Mary, for her part, treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." How aware are we of the many gifts God gives us, and how much do we treasure them in our hearts?
On this first day of the year, we exchange wishes for the New Year. Perhaps the best type of wish we can give one another is found in the first reading. This is what we sincerely wish for you:
"May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let His face shine upon you and be gracious to you! May the Lord look kindly upon you and give you peace!"