Here are 3 messages we can start the year with...
1. Obey the Mother; Follow the Son:
We start the year with Mary the Mother of God. She is intent always on leading us to her son...Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5) : that is her refrain all the while. When the Church Fathers at Ephesus, in 432, thought of resolving the confusion whether Jesus was God or Man, they thought of defining a dogma on Mary...what a way to understand the nature of Jesus through the vocation of Mary! She was called to be Mother of God and that is what she is...Mother of God, Mother of us all, Mother of the Church. Obey the Mother, and you will automatically be following the Son.
2. Open your hearts; Begin with God:
Happy New Year we wish each other: just look around and tell me, what is new? Same old house, same old people, same old things and same old problems...aren't they? I met this kid last week after Christmas and found him very sad about Christmas...and I asked him why? Did you parent not give you gifts? No they gave, he said. Did they not buy you new clothes? Hmm..that is the problem, he said. They bought ...but the same colour as last year! I could not help smiling at it and say to myself: how often we think as that kid did. We are so adamant not to see things in a brighter light. Every time we have something that would stop us from being happy. We are so judgmental with everything, specially with people, that we cannot see anything new. As Mother Teresa would say, we are busy judging and so we do not have the time to love. Look at every person every time with a new open heart and you will see life will be much more blessed.
3. Overcome Indifference; Win Peace:
Today is also 49th World Peace Day celebrated by the Church. Pope Francis gives this as his Peace Day Message: Overcome Indifference and Win Peace. If the peace that we have has to be true and real and god-given, it has to arise from mercy, solidarity and compassion. There can be no indifference there. The call is to overcome indifference, indifference about God, indifference about Others and Indifference about those who are suffering! It is in keeping with the Jubilee Year of Mercy...we are called to be merciful as the heavenly Father. God is never indifferent, says the Holy Father. Let us overcome our Indifference and we will grow more and more peaceful!
Happy New Year 2016! May God be with you and grant you peace!