Weekly Homily of Father Mraz

Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God – B

Dec. 31, 2011-Jan. 1, 2012

Happy New Year! Today we are celebrating a number of things, we celebrate the beginning of the year 2012, the Motherhood of Mary, the naming of Jesus and the octave (8^th day) of Christmas. When there is a big celebration in the church we celebrate it for a full week after or 8 days after the main celebration thus this last week has been a celebration of Christmas Day. In Walnut Grove I saw they were taking the Christmas decorations down from the streets, and I thought Christmas is not even over. It was not the Octave yet, and the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics will not even begin celebrating Christmas until next weekend at Epiphany. Often we rush through a celebration in one day as a past event, when we should really stop and spend a week or more contemplating the meanings and implications of the feast for us today. This seems especially true this year as we celebrate the year 2012.

This year could be interesting with all the speculating of what it will bring. Each new year brings speculations and hopes that things will be better than the last year. But this year will probably be a lot like 1999 when we had people waiting in fear for January 1 of 2000 to come. Remember the Tele-evangelists were preaching the end of the world and that Jesus was going to return on January 1 of 2000 so everyone better be ready - because of various wars and disasters taking place in 1999. The computer technicians were terrified that because when computer programs were written they did not have 4 digets for the year but only 2 - so that when we changed centuries from 1900’s to 2000’s that the computers would think we are going back to 1900 and everything run by computer chips would stop. Clocks would not run, computers would not run, TV’s would not run, power plants would shut down, telephone and communications would cease. Everything would go dark and cold in the middle of winter so everyone was buying electric generators for their homes and businesses so they would not freeze to death. As we know Jesus did not come back and there were only minor computer problems and life went on.

This year we have the ancient Mayan Calendar running out on December 21, 2012 and people are wondering why? Is the world going to end? Is Jesus coming back? Is this an end of an epoch and the beginning of a new one? There is a lot of speculations already this past year with earthquakes, floods, droughts, storms, wars, a year of revolutions in the Arab countries, economies failing, monetary systems threatening to collapse, high unemployment, government gridlock, elections, etc.. What will this year bring? Will it bring hope for a better future or will it be a disaster? There is a lot of speculation and fears as we begin this year. So it seems a good time to take time to think of this Christmas celebration we are going through, the octave celebrations today and what it means for us.

What do we see with Christmas? We see God loving us so much that He comes down from heaven to take on our existence in this world, with all its problems, to take on our flesh and blood to experience our life here personally so we cannot say “God up in Heaven does not understand what it is like to be human on earth.” Jesus was born, of a poor working class family, in a barn, he was a refugee with the king trying to kill him, he worked with His hands as a carpenter, He spent time in prayer: Family prayer with Mary and Joseph, Communal prayer in the Temple and Synagogue and private prayer off by Himself in a lonely place and He daily found the strength He needed for the challenges of the day, to have compassion on the people He met and to meet their needs even to dying as a rejected and condemned criminal to forgive the sins of those who rejected Him and to give eternal life to those who believe and come to Him. Not only did He take on flesh and blood in the womb of Mary and live 2000 years ago, He gave us the Church to be His flesh and blood presence in the world throughout time so He could still dwell with His people in the Mass and the Eucharist – the same Body and Blood of Christ which was born of Mary and ministered and died and rose 2000 years ago. And not only that but He continues His ministry of aid for those in need, forgiveness of sinners, healing the sick, comforting the dying, celebrating new life in Baptism, and the wonder of Married life love in Matrimony as well as ministering and being present in the other sacraments. Christmas is not just a day to celebrate the birth of a baby 2000 years ago but of one who is STILL with us today, still ministering to us, still loving us through the tragedies and blessings and celebrations of life. Here we have a God who understands, who came down from Heaven and remains in the Church and the Sacraments with us today to give us Hope for the future year and future years. That is why we celebrate more than one day, to stop and realize that the Birth of Christ is a blessing for us all no matter what life may bring.

Today on the 8^th day was the day that Jesus was circumcised and became one of God’s chosen people. At the circumcision the child received His name. He was given the Name Jesus, the name given to Him at His conception by the Angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation and to St. Joseph in his dream. The name Jesus gives us confidence as for the Jew a name, especially one given by God Himself is a definition of who the person is. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua meaning “God Saves.” Why should we fear when we have with us someone whose very definition of His existence and purpose is to be “Savior” and not just a human savior like a hero, but greater than that “God saves” and remember God can do anything no matter what problems come upon the world or in our lives. God can make Crosses into Resurrections into a new and better life than before. So as we begin this challenging year let us take time to reflect on the Holy Name of Jesus and what it means and will mean for us that “God Saves” is with us daily and only a prayer or sacrament away.

When a child is born the first attentions rightly goes to the child who was born, but after that the attention focuses on the mother of the Child. So 8 days ago we reflected on the child Jesus being born but now we turn our attention to the Motherhood of Mary. Mary is Jesus’ Mother and Jesus gave her to us on the Cross to be our mother too. What is a mother? Isn’t a mother a person full of love for her children, someone who will take care of them in their needs, someone who daily gives of herself out of love for her children in her daily duties of cooking, cleaning, baking, laundering, teaching, correcting and guiding. Isn’t she the one children run to for protection when they are afraid, someone who will cradle a crying child in her arms, who will stay awake and watch all night over a sick child. Isn’t a mother someone who daily is there for her children in their play, in their sports and recreation, in their education, in their needs. Isn’t she a person of prayer interceding to God for her children for God’s blessing for their safety and protection, for God’s wisdom so they do what is right for their eternal future so they can be blessed and be blessing for the world and when they choose to fail she is there with God’s mercy, truth and love to pick them up and put them back on the road to righteousness and to God. Today we celebrate the Motherhood of Mary, not only the Mother of Jesus but the mother that He gave us to be our mother and the mother of the whole body of Christ the Church. Why should we fear a new year if we have such a mother who knew good times, daily love in daily duties in life and even who knew poverty, hate, threats to the life of her child, and sorrow but also forgiveness and joy after the cross to give hope no matter what life brings.

Then we begin the new year with a blessing in our first reading, so if we begin with a blessing why should we fear, God is with us as our Father, protector and guide. And so we begin the new year with the blessing Moses gave to His people as they began their journey through the desert of life to the promised land. “’The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!’ So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites and I will bless them!” Be not afraid, God is with us, God Saves is with us, Mary our mother is with us on our journey through this year and God is here to bless us no matter what life brings if we just come to Him in prayer, the Mass and the Sacraments where we meet Jesus in the flesh, who is here to save us.