Happy New Year to all! How did you welcome the beginning of 2018?
Liturgically, our New Year began with the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1st. A celebration in which we recognize the role of our Blessed Mother in the plan of God and that is to be the mother of His only Son in order to bring light and salvation to all. Thanks to her fiat, the plan of God unfolded. She became the Mother of God and her motherhood even extends to all of us in that we can call her also as our mother. We can recourse to her anytime in our need and she will be there to give her maternal care. Her words to Juan Diego when she appeared in Guadalupe, Mexico is proof of this. She said, “Listen and let it penetrate your heart…do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? Is there anything else you need? Let us bear in mind then that we have our Blessed Mother that we can turn to. She will never turn us down. She can lead us closer to her Son.
This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany means the manifestation of God into the world. He first manifested to the magi who at that time were searching for the newborn king. They came from the east and with the help of a star that served as their guide, they were able to find the place where Jesus was born. As soon as they found Him, they prostrated and did Him homage. They opened their treasures and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, which are symbolic recognizing His kingship. This indicated that Jesus was not just the king of the Jews, but the king of all humanity. He is Emmanuel (“God with us”). Then the magi departed for their country by another way. Again, this is symbolic that whenever we encounter Jesus, we never return the same.
Points to ponder: W hat encounters with Jesus have you had during this Christmas season? How did it change you?
The magi came to Jesus, worshipped Him, and gave Him gifts. As followers of Jesus, we can worship Him through giving of our time, talent, and treasure. In what way, in this new year of 2018, can you better give of yourself in order to worship Jesus?