HOMILY Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God January 1, 2023
Franklin Fong, OFM
With the ending of the old year and the beginning of a new year, let us take some time to reflect in the value and the purpose of this gift of time we have been given.
Today’s readings focus our attention on the blessings we already received and the blessings to be welcomed.
In the first reading from the book of Numbers, God tells the priests to bless the people in his name. A gracious and kind God offers us wholeness, well-being and harmony in our faith journey. This is God sharing that very strong sense of fullness of God in life.
Psalm 67 is all about all the different ways that God blesses us in his mercy.
In the second reading from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians names the greatest blessing from God has been in the life of Jesus Christ who makes it possible for us to share in the very life of God. We hear about how Mary brought Christ into the world, thus arranging for the first Christmas celebration. As the mother of Jesus she plays a role in our birth as children who call God “Father”.
In the Gospel of Luke verses we hear of how Mary is more than the mother of Christ. Mary is the true disciple who “treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” She prayerfully pondered the meaning of the events of her life – the events in which she said “Yes” to God!
While we await and hope for the fullness of peace in heaven, we like Mary in the Gospel, can be grateful for the blessing of a reflective faith. A reflective faith reveals the presence of God in all that happened in our lives, Will we, then, in the coming year, be grateful for the time both to receive from others and to give to others?
Consider the question, “Who is Mary to me?” How does the history of your faith journey include care for and commitment for Mary?. Two weeks ago watching TV on “60 Minutes” there was a story about a recent miraculous healing at the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in France. The report included statement from a team of 300 physicians and medical researchers who reviewed the recent healing of a woman and declared that none of them could find any medical explanation for the healing. This becomes the 71st documented healing since 1858! The Holy Spirit works through Mary in very real ways !
So, this is how it is for each person and Mary too. What Mary is to you depends on you, on your own care for her and commitment to her. But, you might think, how much care and commitment should I have for Mary?
Isn’t that a backwards way to think about relationship with any person, though, Mary included? Maybe there is a better way. Recall that Elizabeth said to Mary, “who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). Maybe what we should ask ourselves is, “What are we that the mother of our Lord should come to us?”
It is a peace that flows from a true relationship with God and a just order among all persons.
So, during the new year, we should get beyond rushing through life while busily getting nowhere to make time through prayer and study for reflection. Consider reflecting on
- who we are as sons and daughters of God?
- What can we do to experience more of God’s peace?
- In what ways can we promote justice among the poor?
- In what ways can I promote harmony when I encounter conflict?
By doing reflection about your faith journey reveals the
presence of God in all that happens in our lives. What sort of journey are we making through the days of a new year? Can we be grateful for the time to receive from others and to give to others?
So brothers and sisters of the Chinese Catholic Community
that is the good news for
the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Alleluia Alleluia
A custom throughout Europe at this time when the three wisemen, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, return home using a different way than they had planned for to avoid getting caught by King Herod. People put together a sign to hang by their front door to let them know that they would be welcome if they came by their neighborhood. The sign had their first initials of their names, CMB with the digits of the new year before and after their initials.
So if you would like to place one in your home, to show that you would be welcoming the three wisemen to visit, then please take one for your living room!
(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)
鄺神父主日道理中譯本
禮儀年甲年天主之母節的講道, 2023 年 1 月 1 日
讀經一 : 户籍記 6: 22-27
讀經二: 聖保祿宗徒致迦拉達人書 4: 4-7
路加福音: 2: 16-21
隨著舊一年的結束和新一年的開始，讓我們花一些時間來反思我們在這年內所獲得天主恩賜的價值和其目的。
今天的讀經將我們的注意力和焦點集中在我們已經得到的恩寵和將要受到的恩寵上。
在户籍記的第一篇讀經中，天主告訴司祭們要奉祂的名祝福百姓。 一位仁慈和美善的天主在我們的信仰之旅中為我們提供了完善、幸福與和諧。 這是天主在我們的生命中令我們能常感受到祂的慈愛和富足感。
聖詠 67 是描述關於天主在他的憐憫中施恩祝福我們的所有不同方式。
在讀經二聖保祿宗徒寫給迦拉達人的書信中，天主最大的恩寵祝福是因著耶穌基督的降世,祂使我們人類有可能分享到天主的永恆不朽生命。 我們聽說聖母瑪利亞如何將基督帶到世界上，從而安排了第一個聖誕節慶祝活動。 作為耶穌基督的母親，她如同在我們眾人出生時扮演著稱天主為“父親, 阿爸父啊”的孩子角色。
在路加福音的經文中，我們聽到聖母瑪利亞不僅僅是耶穌基督的母親。 聖母是真真正正的門徒，她“把這一切都默存心中 ,反覆思量”。 她虔誠地思考她生命中所發生的事的真正意義——就是她對天主說“是”的那件事 (看！上主的婢女, 願照你的話成就於我罷!) !
當我們等待並希望天堂裡充滿和平時，我們就像福音中的聖母一樣，可以為反思信仰的恩寵而感恩。 反省我們個人的信仰能揭示了天主在我們生活中發生的一切中祂的臨在，那麼，在來年，我們是否會感恩從其他人那裡接受了和給予其他人你的時間,愛心與關懷呢？
請大家想想這問題，“聖母瑪利亞為我來說是誰呢？” 你的信仰歷程的歷史中有否及如何包括對聖母瑪利亞的關心和承諾？ 兩週前我觀看電視時在“60 分鐘”節目中，有一個故事講述了最近在法國路德聖母聖殿所發生的奇蹟。 該報告包括一個由 300 名醫生和醫學研究人員組成的醫學團隊發表的聲明，他們審查了一名婦女最近的康復情況個案，並宣稱他們中沒有人能找到任何關於這名婦女康復的合理科學解釋。 這成為自 1858 年以來第 71 次有記載的非科學性的康復治愈奇蹟！ 聖神以非常真實的方式通過聖母來工作！
所以，這恩寵對每個人是如此，對聖母瑪利亞也是如此。 聖母瑪利亞對你的意義取決於你本人，取決於你個人對她的愛和對她的承諾。 但是，你可能會想，我心裡該對聖母瑪利亞有著多少愛和承諾呢？
這不是一種倒退的方式來思考與任何人的關係，包括聖母瑪利亞在內？ 也許會有更好的方法? 回想一下依撒伯爾對聖母瑪利亞說：“我是誰，我主的母親會來找我？” （路加福音 1:43）。 也許我們應該俯心自問：“我們是什麼人，我們主的母親竟然來找我們？”
這是一種和平的標誌，源於我們與天主的真正關係和所有人與人之間的公正秩序。
所以，在新的一年裡，我們該試圖跨越匆匆忙忙的日常生活, 無處前行, 原地踏步. 我勉勵大家為通過祈禱和學習反思來騰出一點時間。 學習考慮並反思以下幾點:
· 作為天主的兒女，我們是誰？
· 我們可以做些什麼來體驗更多天主的平安恩寵？
· 我們可以通過哪些方式在窮苦人中促進社會正義, 公正秩序？
· 當我遇到衝突時，我可以通過哪些方式促進彼此間的和諧？
通過反思你個人的信仰歷程可揭示了在我們生活中發生的一切事情中都有天主的臨在。 在新的一年裡，我們正在經歷怎樣的旅程？ 我們能感恩從其他人那裡接受了和給予其他人你的時間,愛心與關懷嗎？
所以華人天主教會的兄弟姐妹們, 這是聖母瑪利亞，天主之母節的好消息!
亞肋路亞, 亞肋路亞
當時整個歐洲都有一種習俗，三位賢士卡斯帕、梅爾基奧爾和巴爾塔薩為了避免被黑洛德王抓住，採用了與他們原定計劃不同的方式返回家園。 人們在前門掛了一個牌子，讓他們知道如果他們來到他們的村莊，他們會受到歡迎。 牌子上有他們名字的首字母，CMB 和他們首字母前後的新年數字 (例如: CMB 2023) 。
所以如果你想在家裡放一個，以表示你歡迎三位賢士來訪，那麼請在你的客廳放一個吧！
