A new year has just begun and liturgically we started it with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God which means God entrusted the fragile baby Jesus under the care of the Blessed Mother. As we begin the New Year, let us entrust ourselves and the year ahead of us under the hands of our loving Mother.
There’s a beautiful message of the Blessed Mother when she appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico and she said, “I am here, I’m your mother. Do not be afraid, I am near!”
We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future in His hands and that is God. Like the Blessed Mother, let us be more trusting in God’s providence and love.
Let us listen again to our Mother who tells us: “Remember my child, when you are happy, I’m happy. When you are sad, I am sad. When you do good, I jump with joy. When you do bad, I cry, but I will always be your mother.”
As we begin our new year, let us begin it with a prayer. And what are we to pray? First of all, let us THANK GOD for the year that was. Whatever happened in the past year, good or bad, happy or sad, let us leave that all now, with gratitude in God’s heart. Second, let us SURRENDER TO GOD the year ahead of us. We do not know what the future holds, but we know He holds the future in His hands and that is enough. We believe that He will be with us every single day of the year, so we need not fear. Finally, let us ASK GOD to give us strength and courage to face whatever lies ahead of us, especially the grace to be able to carry out whatever mission we have for Him and the Blessed Mother.
As we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord this Sunday, which is His manifestation to the world as represented by the three magi, let us recognize Him and allow Him to work in us. When the three magi found Jesus with Mary and Joseph, they honored and recognized Jesus in their lives. We see that in their homage and offering of their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, a symbol of His identity as king, prophet and priest. As they left, their lives were changed. They did not return to Herod. They departed for their country by another way.
Jesus, as He manifests to us, can guide us and change us if we will only recognize and allow Him to work in us. As we begin with our new year, let us allow the Lord and the Blessed Mother to be part of our journey this year in 2020.