Being Who We Are

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Just as an old year ends and we celebrate the start of a new year; so also we should celebrate every day as a new day. A new beginning...

In the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we learn that God wishes blessings to be given to the Israelites and instructs Moses in how He wishes the Israelites to be blessed. He wants us to have the same blessing.

We can begin our new year in a beautiful way by beginning it with God. We are doing this very thing by attending Mass as we are tonight, placing God in the center of our lives. We can start this New Year with God's blessing.

Paul reminds us in his letter to the Galatians that "when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son" to us... a seed of faith was given to us. In order to nourish that seed, we must come to know God; for only through a relationship with God, can we be fruitful.

Through Jesus' birth, we have become adopted sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. God desires us to be authentic human beings. Jesus showed us how... We glorify God by accepting who we are.

We see in Luke's Gospel, that the shepherds followed the angels' instructions and came quickly to the stable just as they were... from the hills where they were tending their sheep. When they saw the Child, they told all they had heard and seen. Then they spread the joy of Jesus' Birth everywhere they went.

This is how we too should live. Our way of glorifying God should be to bring joy to others by our words and our actions; to bring blessings and to be a blessing to others.

On this Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, we ask Mary to accompany us on our journey to God and to intercede for us before the Throne of Mercy.

May the Lord bless us and keep us. May the Lord let his face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May the Lord look upon us kindly and give us peace. Amen!