Solemnity of Mary,  Mother of God

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. – Luke 2:19

Do you know how big the largest jigsaw puzzle in the world is? It has 24,000 pieces! And you can buy it for P20,000 to do this puzzle, which I think I’ll be able to finish in 300 years.

         Here’s my message: Your past is like a giant jigsaw puzzle – and God is putting the pieces together to make a beautiful picture of your future.

       But your special jigsaw puzzle has billions of pieces. And each event in your past is like one piece of the puzzle.

       Each piece makes no sense. On its own, it means nothing. It only means something if you put them together. Once you put them together, you say, “Aha!”

       There are some pieces that are so dark, you’d wonder, “What use is this particular dark piece?” But each dark piece has a purpose. Without those dark pieces, the puzzle won’t be complete.

       As God worked in Mary’s life, so does He work in ours.  Let us allow Him to shape us in a particular way through the circumstances that happen to us.

       The past year may not have been perfect, but it is perfect for God’s purpose. Bo Sanchez (bosanchez@kerygmafamily.com)

Reflection: What part of your past do you find hard to accept?

Teach me to be grateful for everything that happens in my life. Lord, I trust that even the not-so-good events have a purpose.

One of the most important aspects of the character of God that we need to remember is that He always desires the best for each and every one of us; He always desires to bless us. We do not deserve His unmitigated kindness but that is of no account to Him – He gave it to us anyway. As we begin the New Year, let us resolve to be open to Him many blessings in our lives and be grateful for them.

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³”Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them, ‘This how you shall bless the Israelites.’ Say to them, ²⁴The Lord bless you and keep you! ²⁵The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! ²⁶The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! ²⁷So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

^1[2]May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. ^2[3]So may your way be known upon the earth; among all nations, your salvation. (R) ^4[5]May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on earth you guide. ^5[6]May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! (R) ^7[8]May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! (R)

Again, we hear of God’s blessing for us, this time of His Son sent to be our Redeemer. Perhaps one of our greatest sins is our blindness to the many blessings God bestows upon us. Perhaps a good way to begin this year would to pray for the grace of gratitude, particularly god God’s blessings. True gratitude is the sign of a person who understands the depths to which we are beholden to others for their goodness to us, especially to God.

⁴Brothers and sisters: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶As proof that you are sons, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.

Another sign of gratitude is the willingness to reflect upon the good things of God in our lives and acknowledge properly their origin. A part of gratitude is the willingness to respond to another’s goodness. There is an old saying: “One good turn deserves another.” This is a partial understanding of what gratitude is. Are we willing to respond to God’s many blessings in our lives? If so, how?

       In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.

¹⁶The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found May and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. ¹⁸All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. ²¹When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

think: We do not deserve God’s unmitigated kindness but that is of no account to Him – He gives it to us anyway.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Luke 1-3

Five Steps in Using Companion

Father, speak to me. I wish to receive Your Word into my heart. Send forth Your Spirit to me. Reveal Your Face to me today…

Prayerfully read the Bible passages assigned for the day, and underline words, phrases or verses that strike you.

Read your Didache reflection for the day.

Write your reflections and prayers in response to the Bible passages you have read.

Thank the Lord for His message to you, and pray that you may be able to live it out in your daily life. Father, I thank You, Your Word is manna to my spirit. May Your Word that I receive today transform my soul. Make me more like You. Amen.

PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

The ultimate purpose of my life

GOALS FOR THE QUARTER

Priority areas God wants me to work on

MARY: MOTHER OF GOD AND OUR MOTHER

A blessed and grace-filled 2014 to you and all your loved ones!

       You may be asking, what will this year bring to you? Do I sense some anxiety behind this question? If so, it’s understandable because, in the past, we have experienced not only good things. A loved one might have died. Problems, personal and otherwise, might have beset us. The daily news about terrorist attacks, wars, massacres, typhoons and earthquakes all over the world just add to our anxiety.

       And so we ask with some anxiety: What will this year bring – for me, for my loved one, for our society, and for the world?

       How meaningful and consoling it is that the Church presents to us, on this first day of the year, a feast of the Blessed Mother under the title “Mother of God.” When she stood at the foot of the cross of her Son, her maternal vocation and mission received another dimension. With the lines, “Woman, behold you Son” and “Behold your Mother,” Jesus gave His Mother to His future community, represented by John. Here, the Mother of God became our Mother!

       Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, is the best mother one can ever imagine. She was always close to her Son – from the moment she conceived Him in her womb until He died in agony. She was never far away!

       In the same way, Mary cares for us, her children. Many of us have experienced her maternal closeness and help.

       What will this year bring? A consoling answer emerges from today’s feast: it will be another year with our heavenly Mother! Another year full of problems, but we are never left alone. The Blessed Mother journeys with us through all our experiences this year. Especially in times of danger, she will be close by. When we feel weak, she will give us strength. When we ask why certain things are happening to us, she will tell us: “You will understand later, as I, too, understood God’s plan much later. Just trust in Him as I trusted, and everything will turn out right.” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTION: In which area of your life do you need most the assistance of the Blessed Mother?

Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, accompany me and my loved ones this year. With you at our side, we can face whatever is God’s plan for us. Mother, we need you.