Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
NM 6:22-27; PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; GAL 4:4-7; HEB 1:1-2; LK 2:16-21
As I read and meditated on today’s readings, I kept getting drawn back to the passage from Numbers:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
As 2014 has come to an end, and 2015 starts, this is what I ask for from God for this year. While 2014 had many great things happen, such as the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome with our Bishop, it also came with much sadness and difficult times. In 2014, there was a fair amount of deaths, five priests, two deacons, a nun and an aunt, among others. And many health issues plagued the family including heart, kidneys, and one of the most feared, cancer. So it probably makes sense that today, while the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, I focus on the passage from Numbers.
Life can be difficult and challenging. And as I reflect on 2014, and on Mary, life was not as difficult for us as it was for her and those we hear about in today’s Gospel passage. Being a shepherd was hard work. While in the Holy Land, we visited the area where the shepherds were taking care of their sheep when the angels appeared to them, to tell them of Jesus. We visited the Church of the Nativity, the location talked about in today’s readings. And while those locations don’t appear to be all that harsh in 2014, they were not anything most of us would want to have to experience in our daily lives. And yet in all that, the shepherds and Mary were able to be amazed and find joy. And that is what we need to do also. Even in challenging circumstances, we need to be drawn closer to God. We need to rely on Him to get us through those times we may find ourselves in, being unable to cope with things around us, and thus humble ourselves to become more dependent on God. Because that is what gives God joy, our full trust and faith in Him.
So as we begin this year, a challenge I am giving myself, and invite you to join in with me, is to make the passage from Numbers my prayer, not only for myself, but for everyone I encounter in 2015.
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