Starting Anew, In Christ, Under The Maternal Gaze Of Mary

We are starting anew. We enter the New Year with hope and expectation. There is something mysterious about starting over. It inspires in us a sense of awe and wonder. In the Church, we celebrate something very special. The first day of the year is dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. It is also the World Day of Peace. Finally, we celebrate in a special way the Church herself.

Meaning of the New Year

So much of our culture is fascinated with the 31^st of December as a very secular feast. There are parties. It is common to get drunk and lost in revelry. The old year is cast off and the new year is heralded in with great festivity. There is a very secular hope that shines through the various celebrations. How different it is for us as Catholics to use this first day of the year to remember Mary, Mother of God.

Basilica and Breakfast

For several years as a young priest, I was able to spend Christmas and New Year’s in Mexico City. We developed a bit of a tradition to go to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe for Mass on January 1^st, then go out for breakfast at IHOP. “Primo la mistica, poi la mastica.” The Italians have a phrase about moments of fraternity and depth are often followed by a shared meal. It is certainly often the case. What never ceased to amaze me was the constant stream of pilgrims to the Basilica, early on the morning of the first day of the New Year. When so many people are recovering from the excesses of the previous night, these people were coming to entrust the new year to the Blessed Mother.

Joys and Hopes

It is with this spirit that we too gather today. We want Mary to be with us as we face the “joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties” (Gaudium et Spes, 1) of the New Year. To enter that Basilica and see the image of Mary impressed upon the tilma is always special and always new. There is a sense of safety, as if we are truly in our mother’s arms. “¿No estoy yo aquí, que soy tu Madre?” “Am I not here, who am your Mother?” These words of Maria of Guadalupe to Juan Diego echo still in our hearts when we approach the image of the Blessed Mother left on the hill of Tepeyac.

The shepherds in the Gospel of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, remind us that we are all called to seek Jesus, held close in the arms of his loving mother.

Prayer for Peace

We are starting anew with the hope of a year characterized by peace. It is also the World Day of Peace. In his message for the 2024 World Day of Peace, Pope Francis reflects on the valuable contribution science and technology can make for peace. In the past, much of scientific progress has contributed to peace. It should be our goal to make sure to govern future technological advancements so that they are always serving humankind and never putting the poor and oppressed under greater burdens. He mentions specifically artificial intelligence as one of the new areas of technological advancement that should be harnessed for the good of humanity, helping to lead us to greater peace.

Our hearts and minds turn towards the Holy Land in a special way and we implore God for peace, based in justice.

Support the Church

We are starting anew with hopes for the Church. Looking over the past 12 months, we have seen challenges for the Church. The Church is looking to accommodate all the faithful and be a true beacon towards all to bring them to God. And yet, the problems of the world tempt us. The evil of the world threatens to contaminate us. Pope Francis refers to this as spiritual worldliness. It is one of the great temptations in our modern age. Of course, we must do everything in our power to combat it through our re-dedication to Christ and his Church. The shepherds give us a great example of leaving what is familiar and comfortable to follow God’s word in our world. We can do this most successfully by calling on the Blessed Mother and trusting in her motherly care.

Invocation to Mary to begin the New Year

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you have given the world its true light,
Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.
You abandoned yourself completely
to God’s call
and thus became a wellspring
of the goodness which flows forth from him.
Show us Jesus. Lead us to him.
Teach us to know and love him,
so that we too can become
capable of true love
and be fountains of living water
in the midst of a thirsting world.

(Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 42)