St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish
Theme:
“But Mary treasured all these words
and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
We store many in our memory dreams of great things that we wish to achieve in life. We
keep in our memory brilliant moments of our life. We store in our memory sweet words
that we have heard. We keep in our memory inspiring achievements of our role models.
On New Year’s Day, the church gives us the inspiration of Mary, Mother of God because
she stored and meditated in her heart all the great things she heard about the child Jesus:
“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19).
What are the great things about the child Jesus that Mary kept in her heart? Mary
treasured in her heart all that the shepherds had heard from the angels of the Lord:
“When the angels had left them
the shepherds said to one another,
Let us go now to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.
So they went with haste
and found Mary and Joseph,
and the child lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known what had been told them about this child;
and all who heard it were amazed
at what the shepherds told them.”
Mary treasured all these words and events in her heart because she pondered what it
means to be the Mother of God. And as the Mother of God she treasured in her womb the
child Jesus, whose name means in Hebrew “God saves.” As the Mother of God Mary also
treasured in her heart all these words that have been made known not only to the
shepherds, but to her herself, and to Joseph. The New Year’s Day is a time to celebrate
Mary, who treasured in her womb, in her heart and her life all the amazing things that
God is doing through her. Mary therefore is Mother of God who saves, and she is also
Mother of the people who Jesus saves, the church and humanity.
New Year’s Day is the time to celebrate the mediatrix of Mary, Mother of God because
just as she treasured these words and pondered them in her heart, she also treasured the
implications of these for the whole humanity and pondered them in her heart because of
her son, Jesus (meaning God saves).
Mary, Mother of God treasured these words and pondered them in her heart because she
was surrounded by people glorifying and praising God for his marvelous saving works.
Mary is therefore Mother to all those have heard and seen the wonderful works of the
Lord as well:
“But Mary treasured all these words
and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:19-20)
Mary is the Mother of those who carry out the works as have been instructed and given
by the Lord through his angel:
“After eight days had passed,
it was time to circumcise the child;
and he was called Jesus,
the name given by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21)
This first day of the year 2021, how do we allow Mary, Mother of God to guide us to
treasure and ponder in our heart hearts graceful memories and works of the Lord? How
do we carry out the works of the Lord that Mary treasured and pondered in her heart?
How do we treasure and value all the words of the Lord this year 2021? We can treasure
all the words of the Lord in our hearts by becoming fully the adopted sons and daughters
of God:
“When the fullness of time had come,
God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under the law,
in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as children.
And because you are children,
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
‘Abba! Father!’
So you are no longer a slave but a child,
and if a child then also an heir, through God.” (Galatians 4.4-7)
When we become adopted sons and daughters of God, then we become heirs of eternal
life. And as heirs, Mary the Mother of God becomes the Mother of all heirs of eternal life
of God. As children of the Mother of God, we share in the priestly blessings of God,
starting the first day of year 2021:
“The Lord spoke to Moses:
Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
‘Thus you shall bless the Israelites:
You shall say to them,
‘The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.’
So they shall put my name on the Israelites,
and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6.22-27)
Let us allow Mary, Mother of God to guide us how to treasure and ponder all the words
and deeds of the Lord in our hearts. Let us allow Mary, Mother of God to surround us
with blessings from God so that we glorify and praise him throughout this year 2021. Let
us allow Mary, Mother of God to adopt us so that the Lord will redeem us in the fullness
of time.