Mary, Model of Prayer (January 1)

 

Most of the reflections in my brief homily today are not my own: they are my rough translation of the commentary on the readings offered in Le Letture Bibliche delle Domeniche: Anno C by Albert Vanhoye, SJ. Cardinal Vanhoye, who died last July, was a brilliant and pastoral scripture scholar, and wrote in a wonderfully clear Italian, perhaps because it was not his first language.

But I have one personal thought to share. Those of you who have come to Mass today are doing a very Catholic thing.

All Christians have a solemn invitation to Sunday worship; it comes from the Ten Commandments and ancient tradition. It’s a matter of divine law.

But this holy day—other than Christmas, the last remnant of the seven or so holy days of obligation we observed when I was in elementary school—is a matter of Church law. You’re doing a truly Catholic thing, obeying the authority of the Church by attending Mass.

Of course, I am not suggesting that all or even most of you are here simply because you’re supposed to be! We begin a new year today and we begin it under the protection of Mary. That too is wonderfully Catholic.

Eight days after the birth of Jesus we recall his mother: and in a special way we ask her to obtain peace for us, since today is also the world day of prayer for peace.

The first reading is chosen precisely for the first day of the year: it’s a priestly blessing taken from the Book of Numbers.  The formula of the blessing is extraordinarily rich. It invokes the sacred name of the Lord three times and prays that we will live under the watchful and gracious gaze of our loving God.

But the last word of the blessing is peace. And here we ask not only for the absence of war but rather prosperity, welfare in all things, a truly happy new year free from conflict and distress.

The Gospel leads us back to Bethlehem, to that timeless picture of Mary contemplating her newborn son. At the beginning of this new year, we ask for the grace to know her a little better, to understand her place in our lives and in our Church.

We get a glimpse of Mary’s profound interior life as she ponders Christ’s birth in her heart. Deepening our own inner life through the reading of scripture, times of reflection, and especially by meditating with the Rosary would be a terrific new year’s resolution for any of us.

The second reading tells us that we will have lots of help if we decide to imitate Mary by treasuring the mysteries of our faith through regular prayer. The Holy Spirit who first came to Mary now comes to us; yes, she is the Mother of God, but we are sons and daughters of God, and the Spirit dwells in our hearts.

What a blessing for us to begin 2022 together with Mary, together with the Church, together with one another.