Good morning good people, May the Lord bless you abundantly as we have just entered a brand New Year of Blessing. It is 01st January 2024.
Everyone loves the warmth of a loving mother. The Church provides one for the year and that is Our Beloved Mother Mary.
Pope Francis teaches us, “Mother of God: a dogma of faith, but also a “dogma of hope”; God in man, and man in God, forever. Holy Mother of God.”
Wishing you all Happy and Healthy New Year 2024.
M – O – T – H – E – R
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell
“MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me. Howard Johnson (c. 1915)
As we begin another year of blessings, we entrust the care and protection of the entire year in the hands of Our Most Beloved Mother Mary. As the first reading bestows on everyone the special blessing of God, so we are all endowed with this blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So, they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Num.6:24-27).
As we are celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Pope Francis calls on us to “entrust this year to the Mother of God” and consecrate our lives to her. With her “tender love…she will lead us to Jesus.” On this day the Church also marks the World Day of Peace.
“The Mother, then, stands at the very heart of the mystery of time. It pleased God to turn history around through her, the woman. With that one word, “woman”, the Scripture brings us back to the beginning, to Genesis, and makes us realize that the Mother and Child mark a new creation, a new beginning. Thus, at the beginning of the time of salvation, there is the Mother of God, our Holy Mother.”
Mary is not merely the mother of Jesus, the Mother of God and of all of us. There are few things we can learn from this feast especially from Mary, Mother of God. She is hailed to the Heaven just because of Her unwavering faith in God; her unchanging Yes to God; today We honour her unique privilege and her relationship with God.
She was never proud by hold this crown and boast around rather as soon she was offered this responsibility, honour, this one time privilege, she ran to help her cousin Elizabeth who was expecting a baby at her old age.
God had the dream to save the world through Jesus, the Only Son. She fulfilled the dream of God.
God has a dream for each one of us. Yes, I know we all have our resolutions ready for the year, yet, as a believer we all need to discern the dream
She stood by Jesus till the end and encouraging Him to complete the plan and will of the Father.
She did not keep Her only Jesus for Herself but was able to give Him as ransom for all. That is why St. Augustine praised Her telling, “She conceived Jesus in her heart before conceiving him in her womb.” The name Jesus means “God Saves” or “God is salvation”.
She stood firm against all the unjust structure against women.
Yes, we have a mother to intercede and recommend all that we have in our heart. “No one reaches the Father without Jesus, and in the same none can reach Jesus without Mary,” says Pope Leo XII.
The first heralds, the Shepherds proclaimed peace wherever they went.
As we begin the journey into 2024, we have the attitude and openness of the shepherd.
As Mother Mary reflected everything that unfolded before Her, so we need to include God in all our plans, wishes and resolutions we have for this year. As we look back and thank, so we can look forward with expectation and surrender like Mary. May God bless you.