Word to the Wise
Friday, January 1, 2016 -
[Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21]And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. [Luke]
When I was a lad so many years ago, the feast we celebrate today had a completely different focus! The spotlight then was on the circumcision of Jesus, marking him permanently as a Jewish male. As important as that fact was and is, the liturgical powers-that-be decided not long after the Second Vatican Council that a more appropriate focus would be the person of Mary as Mother of God. The brief line quoted above presents her as a disciple who reflects on all that God has done for her and (as the story would unfold) would do.
On this New Year's Day 2016, perhaps Mary's reflective example provides us with the material for a very fine "New Year's resolution." In our U.S.A. culture the pace of life seems to militate against a reflective attitude. The past disappears in a flash, archived in a computer somewhere, and the future seems to rush at us as if it is anxious to become past as soon as possible. Could we allow our faith to slow us down so that we can be grateful for the blessings of the past year and be hopeful for what is yet to come? The many terrible needs on our planet clamor for our attention. The endless drumbeat of the campaign for the presidency is mind-numbing. Everyday concerns confront us every morning.
I will make my own resolution to slow down and reflect more. Perhaps it is easier at 72 to do this compared with those who have greater youth and seemingly more pressing and stressful demands...I don't know. But I think I'll have some pretty good help in keeping the resolution if I keep Mary's example in front of me. I invite all the Beloved Congregation to do the same. And I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Healthy New Year 2016. AMEN