New Year’s Day – Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God

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How about all of us saying “happy new year”. It’s beautiful and unifies us. In the new year, we make resolutions. As a catholic priest, I heard quite a few funny ones. Someone would make a new year resolution say “From now on I’m not going to confess my husband’s sin” That is a good one. We don’t want to hear anybody else’s sins in the confession.

People would say “from now on, I will no longer contribute one or two pennies in the collection basket”. With inflation at 6.8 percent, It’s time to change .. ya..Little kids would promise: “From now on, we’re not gonna pray rosary and fall asleep” Do you sleep while praying rosary? I do. There’s a lot of new year resolutions that we could make, make fun of, and still feel happy about correcting and making those changes.Today is the first day of the new year. we’re celebrating this magnificent solemnity ‘Mary mother of God’

Why in the world would the church deliberately choose today to be the day to celebrate her beautiful vocation as mother of god? I believe it has to do with the three new things that our lord brought together with our blessed mother.

The first has to do with the new song – sing a new song to the lord. King David sings in psalm 98 – “Sing a new song to the lord, for he has done great things”. Does it sound like the hymn that our blessed mother sings – “My soul proclaims the greatness of the lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior” A new song here is not just a newly composed song made by anybody. This is an unrehearsed song coming straight out of the heart and countering the coming of God in the original context of psalm 98. It has to do with the newness that God brings, with new life that God shares, with his creation, with new things, amazing things, that he continually does to his people. Amazing, beautiful, and freshness that he shares with his people. That’s why king David and the rest of Israelite people wanted to sing this new song to him. Something beautiful he has done.

In exactly the same way, our blessed mother now with her consent to the invitation of God to be the mother, the vessel, a new era has entered into this old world. Where sin has already infected, when people long for the messiah, an old system of religious life may no longer be applicable, no longer saving the people . Our mother, my dear brothers and sister, with her yes, allows you and I could sing a new song, allow you and I could look up to God and say, wow, what a new and amazing thing you have done beyond anything we could imagine. Precisely for this reason, perhaps the church asked us to celebrate together this amazing establishment, accomplishment, or whatever you call it. Our blessed mother has been the first one who truly sings this beautiful song “My soul proclaims the greatness of the lord,He has done great things for me” The second new thing that we have to talk about coming from the book of revelation. A lamb sitting on the throne declared to the entire universal world: “I will make all things new”

“I will make all things new”. Isn’t that what our lord Jesus constantly talks about? when he talks about the new wine and new wine skin, isn’t he talking about the new kingdom of God the kingdom of God is at hand, isn’t that he’s talking about the new way of seeing, isn’t that he talking about the new way of being together,new way of uniting together in the person of our lord Jesus, the new way of coming together, heaven and earth united in him,through him and with him. You and I, we have a newness of life, a newness of heaven and earth. “I renew all things”. The new heaven and the new earth.

How could that be possible ? Well, the ancient world had long been looking for a messiah. They look for the sun, they look for the moon, they look for the political leaders, they look for anything and everything that couldn’t find it. The religious teachers thought that by using the blood of the animal to satisfy the wrath of God from on high, or using the blood of the animal could wipe away the sins of the people. None of that actually does so. They fought back the same pattern of life. Miserable, so sorrowful, pitiful, freedom is not there yet. but yet with Christ himself, my goodness what a change. What a newness in the way that we worship God we can call him now abba, father direct connection with God the father through him. We could pray to our father, we could ask for forgiveness. Now, we can actually taste God himself – the body and blood of the lord being offered on the altar now. He could sacramentally connect you and I, all together spiritually as one in the same family. Thanks to faith that we share, thanks to the God that we have, and thanks to the Christ, our savior. That is new, that is awesome, and new and amazingly new. My brothers and sister are from the book of revelation.

Finally, it has to do with Saint Paul, and the way he looks at the moment when you and I. Perhaps thanks to our parents, or personally we say yes to, new creature. Thanks to the water baptism and the power of the holy spirit we become new creature in christ Nicodemus asked how that could be possible. I’m a grown man. How could I enter into a mother’s womb again and therefore to be born anew. No, no, with Christ, everything will be renewed, with Christ and the water baptism, you and I are going to be made new again. If heaven and earth have already made new, if a new year of grace, God has earth into our world. Now you and I, we’re going to be direct receivers of that amazingly new, new world that we receive – new creature, New creature, new real relationship absolutely.

if we take a look at what it is. Our blessed mother, as a human creature made by God now being elevated to the level of the mother of God. Who could believe such a thing? What dignity does she have? what an honor and that is precisely you and I going to be received

Whoever listens to the word of the father and does it. He’s my brother and sister , whoever is being baptized in the blood of our lord in the holy spirit in the water of that holy baptism, we are now children of God, most high. We are now brothers and sisters. That’s why we could talk our language, we could share our culture, but we could never really break away from the coming bond of love, faith, and hope that we share a common faith, that we truly have been passed along.

That’s why we dare to say: here on this sacred land, 225 years ago established, the most beautiful magnificent gift for you and for me to belong to – saint joseph mission san jose. That’s the reason why we’re going to celebrate with our native people, where all those who arrive a little bit later, and for those who come now at this very moment .

Let’s be together, my brothers and sisters, once again on this very beautiful day celebrating these three new things: new world, new way God has shown himself, new heaven and a new earth and you and I were new. New, truly new creature in god, made anew by the water and blood of our lord, by the holy spirit. But the acceptance of our heavenly father and therefore we could look forward into this new year how could all of these new things that God have granted, truly translated in our life life of our community, life of our faith family isn’t that amazing to see if we could come more and more together, isn’t that awesome to see a new church community being built, isn’t that awesome to see what is ruined and falling apart could be renewed and made beautiful once again.

Let’s look forward to this turn in 2022. my brothers and sisters , not so much about i’m not gonna gossip, not just so much about i’m not gonna sleep during the rosary, not so much about i’m not gonna confess somebody else’s sins. Let’s talk about something far greater, and more beautiful, and more, more really life-saving, to our people. so we ask our blessed mother, we ask our blessed mother to help us all. Truly to ask almighty god, her son to really shower us with grace. so that we work together, collaborate, and also do the mission of Christ together. let’s make our mission, truly, a mission where the faith being shared, loved being embraced, and diversity cultural differences truly be honored. and respected. That’s the reason why we have this beautiful kick off of 225 year anniversary, our mother of god, and a new year all together.

So we pray for this beautiful community, and I pray for you, and please pray for me.I know my pace may not be your pace. I run quite fast. I know that I’m running fast. because I feel the urgency, the need, to really embrace this newness that Christ has offered. otherwise we’re going to gradually diminish, we’re gradually disappearing. We have seen that in our diocese. more than 550,000 people go to mass in the last 20 years, but now we drop down to 110,000 people on every given sunday. Our community suffers the same fate. So if we don’t embrace all these new things that the good lord offers, my brother and sister, we don’t have much of a chance. allow the good lord to renew all things and that’s a reason why I run fast. That’s the reason why I wanted to do it together with you. that’s the reason why we want to be coming back to what makes everything new – Christ himself and his mother and the faith of the church