Jan 1^st, 2008

Numbers: 6: 22-27 Ps 67 Gal 4:4-7 Luke 2: 2:16-21

The advent-Christmas Celebrations is like running a spiritual marathon. In Lent,

I strike my breast,

I am sorry for my sins,

I try and change my life for the better.

But Advent Christmas is s kaleidoscope of expectation and excitement. It could also be a very painful period for those who have lost loved ones and even if these have died years ago, the memory becomes fresh at this time.

Then we celebrate Christmas. We tried not to be caught up in the historical details: Travel on a donkey from Nazareth; Bethlehem; the innkeeper, the shepherds, the Wise men. We concentrate on the mystery

of a God who loved us, and continues to love us. God is Emmanuel - God with us.

This is important for all: those who have their act together, those who find this period a hard time, because of separation, divorce, death, parents brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. GOD IS WITH US in all this turmoil, in all this joy.

A week later, that is today, we celebrate another aspect of Christmas. In fact we celebrate, three MANIFESTATIONS or epiphanies. The first on Christmas day to the shepherds and those around Bethlehem, the second today: to the Jewish People, the third on the 12th day of Christmas: and I am not referring to

a partridge in a pear tree or

five golden rings nor

ten drunken Lords leaping.

The twelfth day of Christmas is when we celebrate the Visit of the Wisemen from the East. And for our Eastern Rite Catholics - this is the major celebration of Christmas.

These three major feasts almost seem to give one a spiritual indigestion. How does one keep up the heightened celebration and rejoicing. It is like the “command performance” Christmas Parties: St. Vincent de Paul, the CWL, the Knights, the Parish Staff. After all that turkey, there is a tendency to say GOBBLE, GOBBLE instead of articulating human words. As if that were not enough, in between we have the delightful feasts of St. Stephen, St. John and the Holy Innocents.

Our feast is rich in meaning. As a child, we used to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Circumcision of our Lord. So I prepared a homily on the significance of Name and Holiness in the Judeo Christian tradition:

“Name” in Hebrew thought represented all a person is or does

Names were important for what they stood for

when a person gives another his “blessing”, he stakes his possessions, reputation, honor, position in society.

God wants

to “bless us”

to be gracious to us,

to give us peace?

Then I went to the Text and the Feast Day of 1st January, and realised: OOPS I DID IT AGAIN. I should have “read the instructions first.” Our feast is no longer called the Holy Name of Jesus. Today we celebrate the feast of Mary, the Mother of God.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD gets its meaning from Christmas

If Mary had not cooperated with the plan of God, we would not have Christmas the way we have it today. I cannot imagine how the Word would come and dwell among us.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD helps us to understand Christmas better.

The Feast of the Mary, the Mother of God makes possible the way for the tremendous mystery that continues to baffle human reasoning and understanding. Why would a God

so self contained,

so self sufficient choose

to come and dwell among men and women,

to be become like us in all things but sin. THE ONLY ANSWER IS LOVE. But if you have never experienced Love or at least made an attempt to love, we will be like Scrooge and say: BAH HUMBUG. What baffles me however, is how these same people who dilute the whole Christmas message are the first to take a Holiday in the name of Christmas.

Mary has a central place in both the Eastern and Western Traditions. In our Western and Roman Catholic tradition we tend to stress the Virginity of Mary. She became the Mother of Jesus and yet did not loose her virginity.

In our Eastern Rite Christians, the emphasis is on the Mother of God. Her glory , her importance, her place of honour is because she said YES to this great calling: to be the Theo-tokos: the God bearer, the one who made it possible

for God who is all powerful to become vulnerable,

for God who is immaterial and unseen, to become flesh and dwell among us

for God who is all merciful to be at the mercy of creatures.

One can only say: How awesome. Even Mary realised that and so she could say:

my soul magnifies the Lord

the Lord has done great things for me

from now on all generations will call me Blessed.

And indeed we do: at every Mass, after praying for the dead, we pray for the church,

“remember Lord, your church, may we grow in love together with Mary, the Mother of God.”

May this Mary, Mother of God draw us closer to Jesus during this Christmas Season and fill us with the Peace and Joy he came to bring.