Experiencing God - 258 - Ascensions of the Lord

 

We hear from our first reading: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world.”

We have all known times of transition in our lives, when one phase of our lives comes to an end and a whole new phase of life begins.  One of these times of transition that I’m sure we can all relate to is when we leave home for the first time. At some point in time, we have all left the security and comfort of our parent’s home to begin our own way in life. We leave those who have instructed us, guided us, provided us with life’s essentials, to strike out on our own. And although our parents and family are often still there, at least at first, to keep a watchful eye on us, we know that something new is developing. In many senses, the letting go of the security we had experienced with parents and family in order to begin our own life can be a bit scary and uncomfortable, at least at first; but during this transition, we also carry with us an excitement, a joy and an expectation in regards to this new life that is unfolding. 
Today, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, Jesus returning to the Father. For the Apostles of Jesus, this would have been a time of a major transition in their lives, similar perhaps to ones we ourselves may have experienced. 

With the Ascension, one phase of the apostles’ relationship with Jesus was coming to an end, and a new and very different phase was beginning. 

For most of the apostles’ time, their connection with Jesus would have been very similar to that of any other close human relationship. After all, Jesus was as human and real to them as they were to each other. Jesus exhibited every human quality that they themselves exhibited. He shared all the same emotions, expectations, ups and downs that they themselves experienced, except perhaps for sin.  But for all intents and purposes, Jesus was one of them.  He had been present with them in an embodied way.  The apostles had listened to his teachings. They had witnesses Him serving and healing people.  They had walked with Him all over Galilee. They had accompanied Him on His journey into Jerusalem. They had shared many meals with Him. Now all of that was coming to an end.  Jesus was taking His leave, and from that moment on, He would no longer be visible to them in a bodily way.  So with the Ascension, there was an ending in the way that they previously connected with Jesus.  And there would certainly be a sadness and loss associated with this end.  In fact, in today’s first reading, the Apostles were described as left standing; ‘staring into the sky, or staring into space’, somewhat mystified, perhaps confused. 

Yet, from this ending, there was also a new beginning.  Jesus would be present to them in another way.  In our first reading from Acts, we hear that, as Jesus takes His leave, He promises them that in a few days time, they would receive the Holy Spirit’. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world.” And as we read in the Gospels, that they went back to Jerusalem as told, full of joy, full of expectation.

Therefore, at this time in 2023, as we celebrate this special feast day of the Ascension of the Lord, we are encouraged to celebrate it with the same joy and the same expectation that the apostles themselves experienced. And what the apostles experienced was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to them, the promise of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would change their lives forever. And the cause of their joy was that now they knew that the Ascension was not about Jesus leaving them but of leading them; leading them to a whole new way of being with Him: leading them to a whole new way of living out their faith.  Billions of Catholics and Christians around the world at this very moment know and live their faith in Christ, not by seeing Him as the apostles did, but by having their lives changed by the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Jesus continues to share His life with us, to lead and guide us this very way as much today as before.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle we face today is our tendency and danger of viewing this promise of Jesus merely from an intellectual or an ideological point of view.  In other words, Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit is only a metaphor to explain some extraordinary conversion event of those present during Pentecost.

Recently, I’ve been reading a book by Fr. Brice Higginbotham on Discipleship with an emphasis on John ‘s Gospel. In his book, Fr. Brice emphasizes that true Christian discipleship springs from two actions.  The first action is belief in Jesus.  Belief, as FR. Brice describes it, can be expanded to include things like trust or having confidence in.  So the first action for discipleship is to believe in Christ, to have trust and confidence in Him and His teachings.

But Fr. Brice emphases that belief by itself is insufficient for discipleship. Discipleship must also include ‘remaining with or abiding in’.  ‘Abiding in’ means encountering Jesus in a relationship of love, and being transformed by that relationship. ‘Abiding in’ is encountering of Jesus in a personal way, in an experiential way.  When we encounter Jesus in this manner, then there is no question about His continual presence with us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that was promised to the Apostles at the time of the Ascension.  I certainly recall my own personal encounter with Christ in my late twenties that was a major turning point and a major transition into a whole new way of life. Before that, the Holy Spirit was just something that I had read about.  After that, everything changed; I moved more deeply into prayer, and scripture came alive me as never before. This encounter led me to receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Basilica and later discerning Diaconate Ministry. 

In the Ascension, Christ does not leave us, but leads us, and makes Himself known to us in a manner that is different from before.

 I have a quote from Pope Leo the Great that speaks about this difference, this transition that the apostles experienced.    He writes:  In the Ascension, Jesus’ visible presence in bodily form has passed into the sacraments.  As a result, our faith is nobler and stronger because sight has been replaced a relationship of trust in Jesus whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, and enlightened from on high.  Our faith is increased by the Lord’s ascension and strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost. 

 

So even though Jesus’ bodily presence is no longer visible to us, His presence continues to remain truly visible to us through the sacraments of the church, particularly the Eucharist, the body, soul, and divinity of Christ, that we share during mass.  We, the Church, becomes the Body of Christ, through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  And it is we as church that take up the great commission given to us by Jesus at the time of the Ascension:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. This cannot be accomplished without the presence of the Holy Spirit who remains active in each of our lives as we believe in Jesus and remain or abide with Him.

I conclude with the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila which describes for us this new relationship of trust and our call to respond.

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet, on earth but yours.  Yours are the eyes with which He sees, Yours are the feet with which He walks. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world. 

God Bless

 

Experiencing God - 257 Doubting Thomas

 

I’ve found that the journey through Holy Week beginning with the mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday, and ending with the Easter Vigil on Saturday can be a real Topsy Turvey ride. As we engage ourselves in reliving these Easter events, many emotions are aroused and we can get bounced around a bit. On Holy Thursday, we confidently embrace Jesus’ model for service to others through the washing of feet and the last supper. And then on Good Friday, we relive the cruelty of the rejection, torture and death of Jesus on the cross to finally to move into the hope, joy and celebration the resurrection event at the Easter Vigil and on Easter morning.  If you think this is an emotional roller coaster for us who are just replaying these events, imagine what it must have been like to those who experienced them in real time. One thing that I became more aware of this year is that when we dramatize these Easter events, we have the advantage of knowing the eventual outcome.  Those who experienced them in real time did not have that advantage.  In fact, for those followers who were closest to Jesus, it would probably be difficult to capture in words the trauma they experienced by these events.  Our Gospel reading today starts with these very people doing what we ourselves would do when faced with a disaster of such overwhelming proportions. They were huddling together, fearful of the perpetrators, sharing their grief and loss, and carrying the shame of wondering if they might not have done something more to prevent this tragedy. Without the appearances of the resurrected Christ that followed, it is unlikely that the Christian story, as we know it, would ever have happened as we understand it today.

In today’s gospel, we hear that Thomas was not present when these appearances began. We don’t know where he was, but it took some persuasion from the others before he would even meet with them. But it is obvious, if he did not go with them to experience the risen Christ himself, he would probably have continued live in doubt  since there would be no wounds of Jesus for him to see. There would be no profession of his changed faith: “My Lord and My God”. But he did go, and he saw and believed and it changed his life.  Because of his encounter with the Lord, he accepted Jesus’ great commission of spreading the Gospel to many places of the world including to the Parthians, Medes and Persians, and to be eventually martyred in India for doing so. Without the appearances, Peter and Andrew would probably have return to fishing, and James and John to their father Zebedee to take on what they had left behind some three years before. But the appearances of Jesus changed all that. With His appearances, they were all changed.  Three of the four I mentioned were eventually martyred for the cause of the Gospel; Andrew in Greece, Peter in Rome, James in Jerusalem. John the evangelist, would be imprisoned on the Island of Patmos.  For them and for the other witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, their for their own selves were suddenly less important than sharing the Gospel of Christ which they did through their preaching and through their writings.

So with these appearances of the resurrected Christ, lives were changed, in fact the world was changed, and these events continued to influence the lives of people and societies throughout the centuries more than any other single event in human history.  Today, we are a part of that chain of events.
In the year 2000, Pope John Paul 11 designated this second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.  He decided that immediately after Easter, when the Paschal mysteries were still fresh in peoples minds and hearts, it was a good opportunity for the church to reflect more deeply on God’s mercy manifested in the Resurrection of Jesus.  He noted that the resurrection of Jesus is the core of our faith. As we read in 1 Corinthians, without the resurrection of Jesus, there is no Christianity.  So Pope John Paul reinforces for the church that connection of God’s Divine Mercy with the transformational gift of Christ’s death and resurrection. They are one in the same.

So what is Divine Mercy?  The ordinary definition of mercy is the compassionate treatment of those in distress, especially when it’s within our power to punish or to harm. If someone has wronged us, and we are in a position to punish them for it, then to forgive is to show mercy. It is not as common in today’s world where suing or seeking retribution is looked upon as a sign of strength.  From the biblical sense, Divine Mercy, derived from the Latin ‘merced’ means “the price been paid”. So it relates directly to forgiveness, as Jesus continually taught in the Gospels.  If we each take the time to reflect upon this as Pope John Paul  intended, we can easily come up with many of our own personal stories of a time or situation where God extended his hand mercy to us. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all miss the mark. If God has extended mercy to us for our indiscretions, then we are called also to extend that same mercy to others.  

 

 

It is important to know that the reason why God extends His Divine mercy to us, and asks us to do likewise, is not because He feels sorry for us, or has pity on us.  It is because he wants to heal us, to transform us, to change us into the person that He intended for us to be in the first place. So change or transformation becomes the purpose. This transformation process is so evident in the relationship that existed between Jesus and the apostles. He connects with this rather rag tag group of people, invites them into a relationship, guides them, teaches them, heals them, sends them out. He never gives up on them.  And you can be sure, that He never gives up on us as well.  And even though they were a little slow off the mark at times, as we are often ourselves, Jesus teaches them that Kingdom of God cannot be found through a life of our own self rule, doing what only benefits ourselves, but by dying to ourselves through actions of love and service and mercy to others. Jesus not only teaches this to the apostles, but lived it out completely in His own life as witnessed by the unfolding events of Easter.  He does this by his own denial of self, and by his death and resurrection, paying the price for us. And then, appearing to the apostles, and sending His Holy Spirit so that we may be impowered to live that out in our  lives as well. 

So our transformation and God’s Divine Mercy found through forgiveness, are linked and inseparatable. In our first reading from Acts, we witness the fruits of this played out in the life of the infant Christian community: “The faithful devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done. All who believed were united together, and had all things in common.” 

I would like to conclude with a quote from St. Mother Teresa on her own wisdom about God’s action of Divine Mercy. It’s a little different. Perhaps, more of a call, of how to respond to difficult situations in our own life in Christian community. She says:

People may often seem unreasonable and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Giving the world the best you have, may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. 

Samaritan Woman at the Well - 256

 

There’s a story of a beggar who had been sitting by the side of the street for many many years. One day a stranger walked by: And the beggar, holding out his old baseball cap, mechanically mumbled: “Can you spare some change?”  “I have nothing to give you” said the stranger.  Then the stranger added: “What’s that you are sitting on”?  “Nothing” replied the beggar. “Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.” “Ever look inside?” asked the stranger. “No”, said the beggar.  What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.”  “Have a look inside,” insisted the stranger.  The beggar managed to pry open the lid.  With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold. 
Today, I am, in many respects, like this stranger who really has nothing much to give you, but inviting you to look inside.  Not inside any box, as in the story, but somewhere even closer: Inside yourself.  For it is only inside ourselves that we will find our true wealth.  This true wealth is not some material object like gold or some fleeting outward pleasure. If that is all we seek, then we will remain only beggars.  But our true wealth is that radiant joy of being, that unshakable peace that come from knowing Jesus in a deep and personal way.
Today, during this third weekend of Lent, you have just heard this rather lengthy Gospel we are all familiar with: Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. And in a sense, it is a story of a stranger, Jesus, inviting this woman to look inside to find her true treasure, which up to this time, remains hidden from her.

I’ve come to believe that we will never find this inner treasure that Jesus speaks about unless we first begin to seek it in a sincere way; until we begin to knock on the door of our hearts and invite it in, in prayer.  Otherwise, we only remain somewhat distracted by passing the events of life. I know this is true for myself, because when I am caught up in passing distractions, it is the times I feel most distant from God. But when I allow God to break through, it is then that I discover the treasure that has been there all the time. Sometimes we need someone to remind us of the importance of faith in our lives so that we may retain that unshakeable peace that comes from knowing Christ. 

And this is what Jesus is doing in our Gospel reading today.  He is taking the time to remind this Samaritan woman, a stranger to Him, that there is something in her life that she is missing, something worth searching for.  But first He must make that connection with her because she is very distracted by the things around her.  In making this connection, Jesus does not judge her, or remind her of her failings, but begins by letting her know that she too, despite her failings, is a Child of God.  Jesus invites her  to look inside, to claim this true treasure that is there but remained hidden from her view.  He does this by reminding her that “everyone who drink ordinary well water will become thirsty again.  But the one who drinks the water that He gives, will never be thirsty, and it will become like a spring within gushing to eternal life.”

 

 

The fact is, without God, we all thirst for something. Without God and that personal relationship with Christ, we all experience that sense of emptiness, and the more we try to fill this inner emptiness with those outer superficial things and events of life, the emptier we will feel. So as beggars, we must begin to look inside to discover that treasure that remains hidden from our view.  The Samaritan woman’s responds to Jesus: “Give me this water so that I too may never be thirsty again.” 

This story about Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well is one of the recommendation Gospel readings for the rite of Baptism.  For the many baptisms that I have celebrated over the last 40 years, this particular Gospel has been used almost exclusively to open a discussion on baptism with the parents.  I have found generally that most young couples have a sense of the importance of having their child baptized, but they do not have a good understanding as to why. They perhaps see it as the responsible thing that parents do for their children: But, most often, they fail to see the Sacrament of Baptism as a beginning step in on-going faith development for their child: That the outward signs of water, chrism, candles and white garments must be accompanied by an inward seeking of Jesus, asking Him to be present in the life of their child and in their own lives as well. So it is important that they hear Jesus’ petition to the Samaritan woman to receive this living water that he offers freely to all who ask. “If only you knew this gift that God is offering you, and who it is who is asking you for a drink. Then You would ask Him instead, and He will give you living water.”  

 

Those of you who are familiar the New Evangelization initiative in our Archdiocese of Halifax/Yarmouth know that this particularly Gospel reading is often referenced as the best scripture examples of a way to reach out to those who, for whatever reason, are separated from our faith and our church.  A few months ago, I mentioned to you about the three B’s of the New Evangelization or conversion to Christ. Belonging, Believing and Behavior. The first step, belonging, means making that connection. We invite another to be a part of what we are about. We do this simply, without judgement, accepting the other person as they are.  Jesus does this simply by asking the Samaritan woman to share with Him a cup of water. He opens a conversation with one to whom a Jewish person would not normally associate. This begins the development of trust.  Secondly, after making this connection, we move to the believing; the sharing of our own experience of faith, perhaps how our lives have grown and have been changed by our relationship with Christ. In our Gospel, Jesus gently enters into this dialog by inviting the Samaritan woman to look deeper, getting in touch with her own thirst for what is missing in her life. With this, she begins to see something in Jesus that she was now aware of before.

And thirdly, going deeper leads to a behavior change, a movement away from the surface of things, to a change of heart, and a discovery Christ’s presence within.  We see this change in the Samaritan woman. After encountering Jesus, she leaves her water jar behind, and returns to the village where she shares her experience of Jesus with the town folks. And invites them to come and meet Jesus themselves.

The prayer booklet we are currently reviewing in our New Evangelization group on Thursday evenings is called: “We have come to Adore Him.”  I would like to conclude with a brief quote from Pope Benedict from this booklet.  He writes: “In our life with Jesus, in our life in prayer, we don’t simply find God; we also find ourselves.” What is this Christian life and mission really about. It is about a God who is infinite in His love for us, and who wants to share with us the richness this love.  And in finding ourselves, we receive and know that we are infinitely loved by God.  

I noticed that our parish has developed and is proposing a new mission statement which for me speaks of this.

  Our Mission is to be a welcoming community of Jesus’ disciples who journey together in right Faith, certain Hope, and live out of His love in word and deed.   Let us pray for the grace to see this come about in our church and our lives,   

Christ Our Light - 255

 

Three weekends ago at our masses, we heard that Gospel reading about Jesus coming to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy of being a “Light of the World”.  “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” An image we can all relate too. In our Gospels, Jesus is often referred to as the light, as the one who helps us see through the darkness.  When we speak of Jesus in this way, it is not in the same sense as turning on the electric lights in our homes or in our churches so that we can see to get around.  Nor is it like the light of the sun that rises in the morning to clear away the darkness so that we can get on with our daily chores. Perhaps these are good analogies, but Jesus as the light speaks to us in a different way.  The light of Christ certainly helps us to see through a darkness, but it is an inner darkness, an inner blindness that we all experience from time to time.  Through Christ’s light, we can see the world in a new way, we can see life in a new way, and we can see others in a new way.  You might say that we begin to see the world, life and others in a way that God Himself sees it.  And paradoxically, we also begin to see the mess we create when we ignore this light that Jesus offers.  The dysfunction in our homes, the violence in our communities, the wars and famine in our nations are now seen as signs of the absence of Christ’s light.  And we suddenly are no longer comfortable with standing by and allowing these atrocities to continue.  

We are called to action, to address these areas of darkness to the extent that it is possible for us.
Our Gospel this past weekend goes beyond announcing that only Jesus is the light of the world.  Jesus is proclaiming to you and to me that we are also the light of the world.  I would guess that what he is saying from this is that we who are Christian, we who have had their eyes opened by Christ’s light must become the bearers of that same light to others.  We are meant to share that light, through our actions, with those, who for whatever reason, are unable to see it.  The whole purpose of this is so that the lives of others and the actions of darkness may be changed as well.
In last weekend’s Gospel, Jesus tells us with great conviction: “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Do not put it under a bushel basket, but put it on a lampstand where it may shine for everyone in the house.”
In the same manner, Jesus is insisting that you are “the salt of the earth”.  What does that mean?  We all know what salt is used for. When we put a little salt on our food, we are highlighting and enhancing the flavour of the food itself.  This stimulates our sense of taste and enjoyment of the food.

But Jesus is not speaking here about food. He is speaking about something else.
During the weddings where I was the presider, I’ve often used this particular Gospel reading. When couples are getting married, there love for each other is so obvious, and the flavour of their relationship with each other is so evident to everyone.  So weddings are a good time to remind the couple of the importance of retaining that flavour, that saltiness in their relationship, to keep it alive and always in the forefront of things. In other words, give it a priority and to work at it.  Jesus came to reveal and share with us the true flavour of life, to open up in us the capacity to taste the goodness of His Grace and be transformed by it.  As Christians, we are, in turn called to share that flavour of Christ with those around us.  When Jesus calls us to be ‘the salt of the earth’, He is inviting us to extend that flavour into all areas of our life.  In that way, the lives of others who we encounter can also be awakened to that true flavour of a life of Grace as well.  But if we, as salt of the earth, lose this flavour, then we become very ineffective tools for sharing the joy of the Gospel or a life of Grace.   

 So what can we do to keep that light of Christ shining brightly in our own lives.  What can we do to retain our saltiness?
When I look back over the years of my own life, its not unusual to see that my spiritual journey did not flow in a perfect, straight and consistent line. I suspect that is true for all of us.

All those couples that I married in the past probably soon discovered that the salty flavour that was so evident on their wedding day was not always there, at least with the same intensity, in the years to come.  Circumstances would arise, often beyond their control, which would challenge their relationship.   
Some time ago, when Mary Anne and I were on a retreat in Kentucky, the retreat director spoke about it in this way. He told us that our spiritual journey is more like a zig zag line where we often veer off centre.  And he went on to compare it with the voyage of one of those ancient tall ships of the past as they crossed the ocean relying only on the sun and stars to guide them. They would start out with the greatest of intention, but because of storms at sea, they would often be blown of course until they realized a correction had to be made.  And when they made this correction, they would often over compensate, and then would have to back track.  At times clouds or fog would block their vision of the sun and stars, and they would go off course again.  And perhaps at times, the person steering the ship was just not paying attention, too much partying below deck, and they would again lose their direction and have to back track. But through persistence and patience, most ships would make the appropriate adjustments, and eventually reach their destination.
He went on to explain that our spiritual lives are something like that as well.

We encounter storms that temporarily blow us off course and leave us tossing about for a time. Perhaps a loss of a job, a death of a loved one, an unwanted pregnancy, an unexpected illness. At times, we may become inattentive, spending too much time on activities that were not healthy for us, and later realizing that we needed to make some important changes. And at time, perhaps the fog and confusion caused by inappropriate relationships or a pursuit of things grab too much of our attention causing us to leave more important priorities behind. But if during these times, we allow Jesus to be the light to guide us, and we make the necessary corrections when needed, we can get our lives back on track. But like the couple beginning a new marriage relationship, we have to give this a priority. We have to work at it.
The tall ships that crossed the ocean that I spoke about earlier had guide posts to help it in its journey. They had the stars at night, the sun by day, and probably a basic compass to keep in as much as possible on track. In our spiritual journey, we need guide posts as well.  

Three things that I have found personally necessary in my own life to help keep me on track are 1. Personal prayer, and I mean daily; 2. Sharing time with other people of faith, most often by being a part of a small group like this one; and 3. Attending church to be nourished by his word and by the sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Without these three guide posts, I’m not sure where I would be.

There’s a song we often sing in church, in fact we’ve sung it during our group meetings here that, for me, speaks of this.  It’s called Christ our Light: Longing for light, we wait in darkness.  Longing for truth, we turn to you.  Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see. Christ be our light; Shine in our hearts, Shine through the darkness.  Christ be our Light. Shine in your Church gathered today.”  To be ‘light of the world’ and ‘salt of the earth’, as Jesus tells us we are, we as individuals and as a society need to acknowledge, and be willing to share with others what we ourselves have received. Let us pray that this flavour, this joy of the Lord may be truly alive in all of us.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – 254

 

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – January 1, 2023

Happy New Year everyone.  This year, we have the unusual situation of New Year’s day falling on a Sunday: As a result, for this Sunday mass, we are celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God instead of the usual Feast of the Holy Family.  I understand that the next time that this will happen is 2033, so it is worthy of noting as we begin this new year, and perhaps a rare opportunity to focus on this important solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  

In Psalm 119, there is a beautiful line that I’m sure you are all familiar with: “Your Word, oh Lord, is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path.” “Your Word, oh Lord, is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path.” This phrase is meant to emphasize the wisdom that comes from listening to and following God’s Word. God’s Word becomes a lamp that keeps our feet from stumbling over the unseen obstacles in our path. God’s Word becomes the light that provides guidance and direction we need for our journey.  I believe we can all acknowledge as well that Mary, the Holy Mother of God, is also a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.  She is that lamp, that light, perhaps not so much from what she has spoken, but from the faith and trust she exhibited during her whole life time in pondering, listening to and obeying God’s word spoken to her. In every aspect of her personhood, full of grace, she acts as intercessor, leading us to Jesus her Son. 
As Catholic Christians, we are very privileged to have that special connection to Mary, for it is not a connection that is shared by many other Christian denominations, and certainly not by our secular world. 

During my younger years of growing up in the country, I had the opportunity of attending some Sunday School classes at the local Baptist and United Churches. During these classes I don’t remember Mary ever being mentioned that much, except perhaps as being Jesus’ mother. At age 20, when I began to take Catholic instructions with Fr. Pienfettie at Canadian Martyrs Parish, it was then that I began to notice the special emphasis that the Catholic Church gave to Mary, particularly in the praying of the rosary, and the many prayers and special feast day offered to her.  And my curiosity was aroused at that time as to why this difference, and how did this difference come about. During this time as well, I remember a co-worker and good friend of mine, asking me: “Why do you Catholics give so much attention to Mary?  For us, Mary is just a person like ourselves. When we pray, we pray to Jesus or to God the Father. Very good questions, questions that I had no answer for at the time.
In my research that followed, I began to discover some of the answers to these questions which I would like to share with you briefly today.
 During the time of the reformation in the mid 1500, Martin Luther, in his response to errors that had crept into areas of the church, decreed that we are only saved by the actions of Grace, and not by works, or any kind or human action. This decree developed into a belief that the good works we humans do, in a response to faith, must never be attributed to the individual person, but only to God. 

 And those who thought that way quite naturally concluded that to honour Mary, the saints, for the good deeds they performed was to rob God of the glory, and to glorify a human person instead.

The Catholic position, on the other hand, has always been to recognize and insist on the basic goodness of human nature. We are part of God’s creation, and we are created for goodness.  But we cannot remain motionless in our response. As in any relationship, we must respond in kind. As a result, by the virtue of Grace, we work in cooperation with God and the Holy Spirit for our own salvation and the salvation of others. To think otherwise would be like believing that God created us hopelessly flawed and could only be saved by His action alone.  So the Catholic teachings related to Mary, and our devotions to her were quite simply acknowledging and following this ancient principle.  As a result, we continue to recognize and honour Mary, as a human person, who, through Grace, works in cooperation with God’s plan for salvation.  We honor Mary for her perfect response in faith in accepting to be Mother of God.  “I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be done to me in accordance to your will.”    And we see Mary as specially chosen by God, to be the instrument of His Divine Plan.
The Church from the very beginning has always possessed a very strong connection to Mary and her role in the salvation event.  In fact, Mary’s title of Mother of God goes back to the Council of Ephesus in 431. It was through Mary, and through her intercession that many over the years have found the path to Christ and become followers of Jesus.   There is, it seems, an invisible mystical connection, between Jesus and His mother that draws us more deeply into drama of our Christian faith. 

We turn to Mary in our times of hardship and need, and pray that she may intercede for us to her Son.  Through Mary’s depth of faith and surrender to God, she becomes that icon of where we desire to be ourselves in matters of faith. In her assumption of both body and soul into heaven, she becomes the icon of where we desire to go, to enter that perfect union with the Father.
It seems strange to me that when our secular society recognizes our sports, music and movie stars by honouring them in Halls of Fame, that we should not also honor the Saints, whose faith and example have opened windows for us to touch the very source of life itself. And Mary, the Mother of God, the greatest of the saints, provides the clearest window we have to her Son Jesus, and His Kingdom.  She is that lamp for our feet and light for our path. Certainly, a human person like ourselves, but the person who became that perfect vessel to carry God’s greatest gift to us, her very own son Jesus. Our Gospel reading speaks of those special early moments in Jesus’ life where Mary was present; his birth, the visit from the shepherds, the giving of his name; all treasured moments that Mary pondered in her heart. Let us pray at the beginning of this new year that we do the same.   In celebration of this special solemnity, I invite you to share with me that prayer of the Queenship of Mary.

 Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, Our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement O loving O sweet Virgin Mary. 

V. Pray for us oh holy mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen