Dear God, I wish everyone a Happy New Year”The five years old Priya said at Mass. “Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother came to visit me” Luke 1:41-42. When the clock signaled the birth of the new year of 2002, I was home with my family, celebrating the Holy Mass, as is a custom for many years. When the New Year was born, it was time for our intercessory prayers and one of our guests, Doctor Ranit from the Philippines just finished the intercessory prayers and we could hear the fire works. I expected someone else to pick up the intercessory prayers. There came a very keen voice, the voice of a five years old young girl by the name Priya, my niece. I think she couldn’t wait long to greet everyone a Happy New Year. Priyam said “ Dear God I wish everyone a Happy New Year” and she hid her face in the lap of her dad. People couldn’t stop laughing. Thus we welcomed the New Year both in prayer and joyfully . I was in a group of Indian people, mostly professionals, (engineers, and businessmen and women mostly, non Christians most of them) at 11.00 Pm last night and they were getting ready to dance and to create a dancing and joyful mood at the stroke of the midnight to welcome the new Year. They did welcome the New Year the way they planned in alcohol, food and noise. But some of us greeted the New Year with the celebration of the Holy Mass and intercessory prayers. I have heard from some people in the Middle east that they were planning to spend the midnight, in prayer to welcome the new Year. Every year, on the first of January, the Holy Mother Church celebrates the feast of Mary Mother of God and Mother of the Church. On this feast day, as God respected a woman, who is God’s own handiwork, “Then God made man fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, God took out one of man’s ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him” Genesis 2:21. The Holy Hands of God molded the woman, Eve, beautifully. God is the craftsman. God made her with his bare hands, with is imagination, with his creativity and formed the woman in his holine! ss and own image. God chose another woman in the course of time, or in the fullness of time, and went into her body to be born as a man. God not only touched her body but also ate from her body. God lived inside her body and sanctified that body. God gave Mary a chance to feel God’s feelings and God felt the feelings of Mary. This Mary who was pregnant with God, the Mother of God, went to visit one of her relatives by the name Elizabeth. There is a saying that goodness diffuses. God is good. The good God diffused and influenced the being of even Elizabeth. God fired Elizabeth up. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and praised God in a loud voice. Elizabeth praised God in a Loud voice and stated that Mary is the “most blessed among all women” Luke 1:42. Elizabeth blessed God and blessed Mary because she felt the power of God. She felt holy as her and her son’s sins were forgiven. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greetings, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” Luke 1:41 Yes, it is possible for a mother to feel the status of her children. The mothers feel what the children in her womb go through. The blessing of Elizabeth prompted the response from Mary. Mary also broke into songs. She blessed God because of the blessed child she had in her womb, who is our creator God. God loved Mary and made her His mother, his abode. God found favor with Mary and respected her. At the annunciation, the Angel, God’s emissary, greeted Mary with Heavenly Peace. I think no other woman had that singular honor to hear from an angel that she is greatly blessed. “ Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and God has greatly blessed you” Luke 1:28. Then to a “deeply troubled Mary” the angel of God was kind and respectful and said “Don’t be frightened Mary, God has been gracious to you” Luke 1:30. God was gracious to Mary and made her God’s mother. Mary became the Mother of Jesus, the son of the Most high. “For this reason the holy Child will be called the Son of God” Luke 1: 35. Mary became the mother of Jesus, “Immanuel which means God is with us” Matthew 1:23. Every year, on the first of January, the Universal Church celebrates the feast of Mary Mother of God. I think there is enough reason for us to celebrate this feast right after the solemnity of Christmas. The Christ Event made Mary the Mother of Jesus, our savior. “ Because he will save people from their sins” Matthew 1:21. The savior who redeems us from our sins took human form from Mary. Every respect Mary was his mother. Mother Mary loved her son Jesus with all anxiety. When Jesus got lost, she and Joseph we! nt searching for him and found him in the Temple. Like any other mother she expressed her love and concern and asked Jesus, “ son why have you done this to us” Luke 2:48. Jesus said to her that he was to be in his Father’s house. His Father is God and Mary is Jesus’ mother. Mary is the Mother of the, “Son of God” Luke 1:35. Mary, the Mother of God, was silent and even obedient to his mother. God in the person of Jesus was obedient to his mother. “ So Jesus went back with t! hem to Nazareth, where he was obedient to them.” Luke 2:51. God in the person of Jesus was obedient to Mary. Jesus did what Mary asked him to do. He learned new techniques to communicate and to articulate, from Mary. She learned wisdom from Mary and “Jesus gained favor with God and men”. Luke 2:52 Mother Mary followed Jesus like his shadow as any other mother would do. She listened to Jesus. Mary prayed for Jesus. She prayed with Jesus, offered “sacrifices of two young pigeons” Luke2: 24, in behalf of Jesus. Mary visited the temple of Jerusalem with Jesus. Mary was with Jesus along his way of the Cross. She stood by her son as he suffered on the cross. Jesus saw his mother by the cross and Jesus felt for her. He knew that someone has to take care of her and to provide for her. Jesus felt the way any other son would feel at his death about the surviving mot! her. “Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son”. Then he said to the disciple, “she is your mother”. From that time the disciple took her to live in his home” John 19:26-27 As Jesus breathed his last, the powers of the nature were shaken. The Roman officer and the army were terrified and they also said “ He really was the Son of God” Matthew 27:54. which again proves that his mother Mary is the Mother of God. The friends and family of Jesus lowered Jesus from the Cross and laid him in his mother’s lap. Mary was present when the apostles had the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At the Inauguration of the Church Mary was present. >From the beginning till the culmination of the Christ event, the birth and progress of the Church, Mary stood by Jesus and the Church. She is now in heaven, with the Glorious Church interceding in our behalf. Mary is the Mother of God. She is also our mother. The official Prayer of the Church on the feast of Mary Mother of God is as follows (which we say at the conclusion of the Mass in the Latin rite). “Father as we proclaim the virgin Mary to be the mother of Christ and the mother of the Church, may our communion with her son, bring us salvation”. Mary is the Mother of Christ and also the Mother of the Church. Mary is our Mother. I would say Mary is my mother too. Happy Feast Blessings for a Joyful and Blessed New Year 2002. God Bless Fr. Thomas Mathew/January 1,2002 California ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. 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