On January 1st the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. Mary embraces God's will and freely accepts God's grace, thus fulfilling an important role in God's plan of salvation. Down through the centuries, the Blessed Virgin has helped many in the Church to come closer to Christ...
Message for our life: Our Mother Mary is pure and holy. Like any mother, she desires that her children inherit or acquire her good qualities, thus she wants her children live a virtuous life. With Joseph, she succeeded in training the Child Jesus, so that He grew in holiness and in “favour before God and man.” The best way to honour our Heavenly Mother in this feast is to practise her qualities of Faith, obedience, purity, prayer and humble service. By doing so, we will strive to become saintly sons and daughters of our Heavenly Mother.
If we consider Mother Mary’s prayer life, in the Gospels we see her displaying a full range of prayerful attitudes: thanksgiving and praise (Magnificat), petition (Cana), humble surrender (Annunciation), painful acceptance of God’s will (Calvary), obedience (Presentation), concern for others (Visitation), learning in faith (Finding in the Temple), and offering (Calvary).
New year: As the new year begins it is common for people to make resolutions, regarding their health, well-being and dreams, and many of us also make some spiritual resolutions...When we consider prayer, almost everybody will say “I do not pray well enough; I should be better in my life of prayer.” Surely most of us do not pray as we should. When someone asked Thomas Merton, the famous spiritual writer, what is the one thing that one can do to improve one’s prayer life, he said in reply “TAKE THE TIME”, it’s a very simple response; nothing is complicated. Find time to lift up our mind and heart to God.
Following the example of Mother Mary, this year we choose to keep God the centre of our life and experience God’s presence in and around us. Through prayer we take time to radiate the Light of God shining within and around us.
Always we begin again …
We all know and realize that life is not only about destination but also about the journey. In this year, we are not solely focused on the end goal, but rather on the journey itself. It is only by being happy and attentive in every moment that our motivation can stay high.
A poem from Brendan Kennelly describes how everything is constantly changing, in order that life may be renewed and continue:
…Every beginning is a promise
born in light and dying in dark…
Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin.
Happy New Year to all!
Annie Anthonipillai
Via dei Gracchi, Rome