Dear Brothers and Sisters:

   We celebrate on our civil new year the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. These celebrations recall for us the blessing we all desire from God. We hear from Numbers:

"The Lord said to Moses:

‘Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:

This is how you shall bless the Israelites.

Say to them:

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.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

   To be blessed means God is entering into our life. It means he wants our good and sometimes that means certain elements of one's "old life" have to be purged, or healed. The greatest blessing we have comes in the form of the Word made flesh: Jesus. Jesus, whose name means, savior, comes to draw us out of the mires of sin into a new life. He is a blessing; but it also means a great deal has to change. A blessing is a call to suffer the pains of transformation into something greater. We recall how this blessing spoken over the Israelites meant great hope but also great personal suffering. 

   We have confidence, however, because as Ratzinger (later, Pope Benedict XVI) reminds us: "One who can say 'Father' to the Lord of the Universe has a firm foundation for his confidence. The future belongs to him."

   In this new civil year, may we ask Mary, our model and inspiration, to accompany us. She "ponders all these [words] in her heart." (Lk. 2:19). She is one who knows the meaning of blessing well. Her child is a blessing. Yet, this child was destined for the rising and falling of many--and her own heart would be pieced with a sword. (Cf. Lk. 2:34-35).

   The Lord, master of time and eternity, blesses us. May we entrust ourselves to him totally and in his hands find abundant life this year and always.

Happy New Year!

Fr. Turner