Monday, January 2, 2017

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Cycle A - January 1, 2016

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
Cycle A
January 1, 2016 4:00pm and 9:30am
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville
 
Theme: New Year’s Resolutions


Erma’s Resolutions  


Some of us, maybe many of us here can remember Erma Bombeck.

Erma was a well known humorist and brought smiles to many faces.  She wrote about fifteen books and many newspaper columns.

She died in 1996.  Well, one year Erma Bombeck came up with a list of six New Year’s resolutions and they go like this.:

1.    I’m going to clean this dump just as soon as the kids grow up.
2.    I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.
3.    I’m going to follow my husband’s suggestion to put a little excitement into my life by living within our budget.
4.    I’m going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.
5.    I will never lend my car to anyone I have given birth to.
6.    And, finally, just like last year, I am going to remember that my children need love most when they deserve it least.

Mary


With all of Erma’s wit, she ends with a very insightful resolution.

That resolution – about loving her children when they deserve it least – shows some careful reflection.  Erma must have reflected on her role as a mother and discerned what she was called to do.

In today’s gospel, Mary is also presented as a person who reflects.  Saint Luke says that after she has given birth to Jesus, “Mary treasures all these things and reflects on them in her heart.”

Well, the example of Mary calls us to some reflection.  This can be especially appropriate on New Year’s Day.

So, if we are inclined to make some New Year’s resolutions, I recommend that we reflect on the three dimensions of time – on the past, the future, and the present.  And let’s do it in that order – the past, then the future, and finally the present and see what resolutions are appropriate.

Resolutions: The Past


First, the past.  Maybe we need to resolve to stop saying things like “If only I had done this” or “If only I had not said that.”

Usually, our “if onlys” are a waste of time and energy.  We cannot bring back or re-do the past.

On the other hand, if our regret is based on an appropriate feeling of guilt, then let’s resolve to ask for forgiveness from the person involved or from God.  In this way, we bring the past to completion and let the past be past.

Resolutions: The Future

Then, the future.  Maybe we need to resolve to stop saying things like “What if this happens” or “What if he does that.”

Usually our “what ifs,” like our “if onlys,” are a waste of time and energy.  They are almost always focused on something in the future that we cannot control.

So maybe we need to resolve to cut out the “what ifs” and instead follow Mary’s example and trust in God about the future – trusting that God will be with us through whatever happens.  Maybe this resolution will enable us to approach the future with less anxiety and more peace.

Resolutions: The Present

And that takes us to the last dimension of time, I think, the most important: the present.   Maybe we need to resolve to be present to the present – to really be present to the person we are with or the work we are doing at any given moment.

I think this may be the most important resolution for us today.  Our Smartphones – like my iPhone – they enable us to be connected with other people and with all kinds of things.

They are a great help, but we may find ourselves texting or talking with someone else and not communicating with those sitting right at the same table with us.  So maybe we need to resolve to be present to who and what is present.

Maybe we need to resolve to find how God is coming to us right here and now.  And maybe we can find our peace and joy and fulfillment in this way – by being present to the present.

Conclusion


So, they are my thoughts for New Year’s.  Happy New Year!