“Looking Him in the eye.”

Mary, Mother of God

            We have memories of where we were when this or that happened. If old enough, we remember where we were when astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. A mother remembers everything that went on when her children were born. The father remembers his wife’s joy.

            And today, we have a new memory: where we were during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For some, the day will come when a young younger person will ask us in our older age, “What was it like during a pandemic? How did it affect you?”  So, what will we answer?

            We have memories of many things, some good and some bad, and all of them are important for they contribute to who we are today. The joys and the scars combine in a patchwork that shapes our attitudes and affects our decisions. This is not bad; it is just the way things are. But we must understand our personal history, because while our past helps to shape us, our challenge is to not let it control us. And there is only one way to avoid letting our past control us:  we must remember that in addition to our past, we have a future.

            Our feast today is an old one. It was in 431 at the Council of Ephesus that Mary was declared Mother of God. This was a great statement of faith that used the person of Mary to say something about Jesus. Not only is He fully human, but He is also the Son of God. We should remember the history of our Church and our faith because it, too, shapes us today as much as do our personal histories. But rather than remembering a major event in Church history, today it is more valuable to remember Mary as a human mother with a human child.

            A mother gives birth and very quickly the doctor places the newborn in her arms. What a powerful, emotional moment it is when a mother and father see the face of their child for the first time. Grandparents and siblings add to the excitement. Finally, after everyone has left and parents struggle to savor every moment of the event, they completely understand Luke’s statement: “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

            Though today is the first day of a new year, it is in many ways just another day. The sun came up, and there are some things we must do. And like every other New Year’s Day, there are some things we want to do – such as enjoy some football games. But we should not let the opportunity given by the first day of a new year escape us either.

            This is a birth for us. We have our past, but to give our past meaning, we must think of our future. Every year we make New Year’s resolutions, and every year they quickly become faded memories.

            But this is the year to go beyond the usual goals of losing weight, getting in shape, quitting smoking, and getting organized. As every parent has hopes for the new child, each of us should have hopes for our new year; we should have hopes for our parish.

             What will my contribution be? What will I do differently this year that will make good happen? What can I do to make 2022 a year of peace?

             The Gospel is filled with symbolism. Luke is looking ahead to the moment of telling us about the Body of Christ. For Luke, there is no longer hay for animals in the manger; there is Food for us – the Body of Christ. What will my relationship be with the Body of Christ this year?

            When a child is born, the world changes. God has given us a gift. We have within us the power to create magnificent events for ourselves, events that will change our own piece of the world. Given to us in this rare moment in time when time itself begs us to make changes.

            When we look God in the eye, what will we see? When that young younger person asks us how the pandemic affected us, what are we going to be able to say?

            Happy New Year! Let us make it a great one!