Feast of the Epiphany Jan 2, 3 2016

The life of Jesus begins with Mary at the Bethlehem crib. Therefore it is most appropriate we begin the New Year with Mary on this her feast day of Mary the Mother of God.
Perhaps this year following the example of Mary, instead of filling your plate with your plans, your resolutions for the New Year, simply try to be open for what God has planned for you in 2016.

Live this year with open hands and a trusting heart. As with Mary, say YES to God’s plan for you this year. You may not hear the voice of the angel Gabriel as Mary did, but when you make room for God in your life, you will discern God’s call. Yes, we may be surprised at what will happen. It may not be what you expect. There may be interruptions to our plans. But know this, God won’t leave us alone.

You won’t need to make new plans for your family life, your work life, or your neighborhood life. All that is necessary is to follow the example of Mary:

The evangelist tells in today’s Gospel: “The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were astonished by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, pondering on them in her heart.”

My goal, my prayer for this New Year is to simply follow the example of Mary: “She kept all these things, pondering on them in her heart.” My simple plan is to take a few minutes each evening -- It could be any time of the day – and simple be aware of my day, what has happened, who I have encountered, and most importantly to be grateful for how God has been present in my life this day.

This simple act of awareness, of reflection, of pondering, naming the feelings of the day is Mary’s pattern of prayer. This also is recommended by St Ignatius in his SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. It is called the awareness examen. A simple example: What beautiful thing did you see or experience today? It came from God of course. Why not say thank you.

For me, I visited today my brother-in-law today as he is a patient in Unity hospital. To pray with him and his two beautiful daughters and to share with him the Sacrament of the Sick was truly a God moment for me today. God was present to all of us.

Mary’s prayer was to ponder in her heart all that was happening to her. To ponder means more than thinking, planning, organizing, worrying, doing, procrastinating, scurrying, etc. To ponder means that we pray with a faith-filled heart over the joys and the struggles and challenges of the day. It means to meditate, quiet down and know that we live surrounded by God’s unending love. We give thanks for the blessings of the day.

May we pray as Mary prayed. May we pray each and every day – and not just to ask God for a favor. Seek to make your life a conversation with God. Listen and ponder in your heart what God has to say to you. God is speaking to you in all that is happening in your life – in both life’s joys and in life’s sufferings. They are all part of the conversation God is having with you. God desires for you to ponder these things in your heart and to say YES to the plan of God in your life.


What is life going to be like for yourself and for myself in 2016? We may end up like our parish patron St Joseph in situations that are not of our own doing. Joseph’s flight into Egypt from Bethlehem was unexpected and meant leaving behind the comfortable and the familiar and opening himself to new possibilities. Like Joseph, we need to trust that God goes with us and our future is full of hope.

Along with the prayer of Mary of pondering in our hearts the events of our lives, I also commend to you the beautiful practice of asking for a blessing. Before going on a trip or in dealing with illness in life, I am often asked to give a blessing for a person. This blessing places our lives in the hands of our loving God with much trust and much gratitude.

May the blessing that the Lord said to Moses be the blessing the Lord speaks to each of us:

The Lord bless 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.

May your lives be blessed in all of 2016.