Peace and blessing: from where?

Dec 31-Jan 1 - Mary, Mother of God - Readings of the Day -


It's the last day of the year. The liturgy is filled with images and thoughts: end of the year, day of peace and the solemnity of Mary, the mother of God. Is it too much? How can I focus when all these things, apparently competing with each other, fill my mind and take all my attention?

Actually, when I let the Spirit guide me through the readings I can see that everything is there. Mary takes the prominent place even though she does and says nothing: she is the background against which all the characters in the Gospel act and make the Good News of Christmas a new reality for all of us.

Because of her Yes to God's Will, we have now received not just "a" Blessing from God; we have now the source of all Blessings living in our midst as we let Him be born and re-born in us. In the First Reading, we hear that God keeps His face shining before us, and He is gracious to us.

What does that mean? Before the coming of Jesus,  God's people were afraid to see His face because they knew they would die. Now His face is a human face: it's Jesus' face. We can gaze upon Him and see God's own; more surprisingly, we can see it reflected upon each other's face. It seems natural, when we see a newborn baby, to see if the baby looks more like the mother or the father. Now that we have all made God's children, we all have something of our Father in heaven impressed on our face. Each person I meet looks a bit like Jesus (or viceversa). Every time I see myself in the mirror I can courageously say that I look a bit like God and when I talk to whomever is before me, I have to develop and keep a sense of awe because I am talking to someone who is related to God.


The Lord be gracious to you. It's a way of saying that now the Lord has turned His face towards you, looking at you. It's the beginning of a new type of relationship with God, one that begins by looking at Him and call Him "father." What a privilege we have to call Him this way. How can I grow in this awareness this upcoming year? How can I make a new year resolution to grow in this intimacy that is proper of a child with the Father?