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!
