Reflecting Like Mary

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
1 January 2015

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting upon them in her heart.”

       As we begin the New Year of 2015, we, like Mary, have the opportunity to reflect upon things in our hearts.

       The close of any type of chapter in our lives, including the change of the calendar year, gives us the opportunity to reflect upon our lives and the events that have brought us to where we are now.

       In these days that have brought us from the close of one year to the dawning of another finds us full of joy and nostalgia, and we reflect upon all that has happened to us in this past year.

       All the good and bad, ugly and beautiful moments are brought to mind as we reflect upon what has been another chapter in our lives.

       But we must reflect like Mary – making sure that the Lord is in the center of that reflection. Mary reflected on these events that she kept in her heart, but always doing so while trusting in the Lord.

       As we continue to celebrate the memorial and reflection of how our God sent forth the revelation of His love through the Incarnation of Jesus, we must allow the totality of our lives – past, present and future – to be engulfed in the revelation of Divine love. Our reflection of the events in our hearts must be placed at the foot of the manger, as well as the foot of the Cross. We can never separate the Mystery of the Incarnation from the Paschal Mystery. They can never be divorced from one another, nor can they be divorced from our lives (or the life of any Christian man or woman.)

       Yet, we also know that a reflection is “something that shows the effect, existence, or character of something else” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflection). And so, for us as like for Mary, the events in our lives ought to show the effect, existence or character of God in our lives. Just as she reflected upon the events of her life in her heart, she allowed that reflection to be something which reflected and showed forth the power, glory, and ecstasy in union with our God.

       Our lives must do the same.

       In our reception of the Word and Sacrament, we, like Mary, become pregnant with the presence of the Living God in our midst. In the living out of our faith – including those moments of reflection – we give birth to the presence of Christ in our world, allowing Him to be enfleshed in our thoughts, words and actions, so that, like Mary, the reflection of our lives will show forth the power, glory and ecstasy of union with God active in the world.

       And so, on this great day when the passing of time is celebrated in so great a fashion, we *DO* take the time to reflect in our hearts upon how God moved through the many joys and sorrows we experienced in 2014, and, yet, we prepare our hearts to be a reflection of how the Revelation of Divine Love brought about in Jesus Christ is active and present, ever ancient and ever new, in 2015.

       May we, in this New Year of 2015, strive to be more like Mary each day: Not only reflecting on how God continues to be active in our lives, but be the reflection of how God is acting in and through us.

       And so, we pray:

Dear Lord,

We pray that this New Year will bring us closer to You.

May we take the time to get to know You.

Help us to truly celebrate the gifts You have graciously given us

and use them to serve You and spread Your word,

May we also see and love you in all the people we meet,

so that in turn, they can see You in us.

We know that all human relations take time

if they are to grow and deepen.

This is also true of our relations with You,

the Father and the Holy Spirit,

which must grow over the course of our lives.

In this new year,

let us realize that every action of ours

no matter how great or small

enables us to be in touch with You.

Let us accept You in our lives,

in the way it pleases You,

as Truth, to be spoken,

as Life, to be lived,

as Light, to be lighted,

as Love, to be followed,

as Joy, to be given,

as Peace, to be spread about,

as Sacrifice, to be offered among our relatives,

friends, neighbors and all people.

Amen.

------------------

Enjoy the journey . . .