Homily for 1 January 2024 by Fr. Oscarito Antonio Boongaling
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
It is fitting that the church begins the new calendar year with the liturgical celebration of the motherhood of Mary. Mary serves as the doorway into the New Year…into new life, new hope, new beginning. And why not? Mary was the doorway of Jesus to humanity. His personal story within history as a human being began in the womb of Mary. God fully entrusted his Son to this woman whom he created and molded according to the designs of his love. And Mary has shown how she responded to God’s gift to her and Israel, how she responded to the mysteries that unfolded along with this gift.
In today’s Gospel, we heard the shepherds have visited the child Jesus. They told the parents what the angels announced to them. They have treated the child as a celebrity. In the middle of all this commotion, how did his mother respond? “Mary kept all these things, reflecting them in her heart.” She had shown same response at other times – her encounter with old folks Simeon and Anna in the Temple, the reply of Jesus when Mary and Joseph found him during One Passover feast, and perhaps other events while Jesus was growing up. Mary would not grasp and comprehend every revelation in the course of her son’s extraordinary life (Luke 2:48-49) but she kept memories that confirm the angel Gabriel’s promise that “no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37). Mary is quiet, peaceful, and spiritually receptive. Her faith ran deep and strong, she guarded the secrets of God and gracefully awaited their fulfillment. Blessed Guerric of Igny, one of the Cistercian Fathers, once wrote in his sermons – “that Mary learned and understood that silence and purity of life and heart were necessary to behold the mystery of God’s word. Silence was the context where Mary disposed herself to listen attentively and diligently to God’s word manifesting himself. Purity of heart and life means Mary had given herself to no one but God alone, thereby opening herself to God’s will.” (From the various sermons of Blessed Guerric)
When we are faced with people, situations and things that we do not understand, we find ways to distract ourselves – our gadgets and the internet, our work and recreation. We get upset and complain because God has not answered our prayers or fixed our situations. Mary has shown us the appropriate disposition: to be fully present because what happens is not an accident, it will take time for the mystery to unfold. Everything falls into the purpose of God and finds its proper place in the greater scheme of things. May the simple lesson that Mary teaches us today make a difference in our life for the rest of the year.
