It was the last day of the family’s summer
vacation on the lake. The parents sent their two sons outside to play while
they cleaned up the house and packed the car for the long drive home.
About half an hour later, the father asked the
mother to go find the kids and tell them it was almost time to go. As she went
out, he started vacuuming the carpets.
About another half an hour passed and she still
hadn’t returned with the kids. He walked out onto the deck to see what they
might be up to. The three of them were in the lake splashing around and
laughing. At this point, the father was becoming furious. While they were
goofing around, he was left alone to take care of all the cleaning and packing.
Didn’t they realize that they had to get on the road soon to avoid the traffic?
So he stormed down to the lake to give them a
piece of his mind and march them back to the house to help him with the
packing. However, when he got to the edge of the water, the two boys splashed
him and got him soaking wet. Not even taking off his shoes, he went into the
water and started splashing them back. All of a sudden, he forgot his foul mood
and joined in on the fun. They had a ball rolling around in the lake, splashing
each other, and laughing. It turned out
to be the best time they had together all week and a memory they would cherish
for years to come.
On the drive home, the father could not help but
laugh at himself. He was so worried about getting packed and on the road that
he might have missed all the fun they had down by the lake. He wondered how
many moments like those he must have missed because he was too preoccupied with
other things to pay attention to all the blessings around him. A tear welled up
in his eyes as he thought about how blessed he was to have a healthy family and
to have the means to spend a week together at the lake. He promised himself
that he would slow down and take more time to enjoy all the good things God had
blessed him with.
Today, we begin the new year by slowing down,
stepping away from our busy lives, and reflecting on all the blessings God has
given us. We look back at all the good things that happened in 2019. Even
during the difficult times, we may have had a sense that God was with us
carrying us through it all and providing for us. As we look ahead to 2020, we
might have feelings of anticipation and anxiety. Nonetheless, we begin this
year offering it all up to God with the confidence that He will give us the
strength to endure it all and to find blessing in even the smallest things.
In today’s first reading, God gives Moses a
blessing to invoke on the people of Israel. It speaks to how generous our
Heavenly Father is to us. He wants to bless and protect us. He is smiling down
upon us with love and mercy. He is being gracious to us by providing for all
our needs. He looks kindly upon us and gives us peace. Our Heavenly Father is a
God of blessings. His blessings are all around us. However, we can only notice
them if we take time to slow down and open our eyes to them.
The greatest blessing we have is the gift of
faith. To believe in a God who is loving and kind gives our hearts much peace
and joy. We believe that there is a purpose to the universe. We are not here by
accident but we were loved into existence by an All-Powerful God. Ultimately,
the world is not a cold, dark place that is bent on our destruction. Rather, it
is a home that is given to us by our Heavenly Father. And this life is not just
a meaningless exercise in survival. Rather, we are on a journey to a heavenly
homeland. As Saint Paul tells us in today’s second reading, we are not slaves
to dark forces beyond our control. Rather we are sons and daughters of God Most
High - a God who loves us, who blesses us, and who carries us in His hands. Our
faith gives us the confidence that all things will work out for our good if we
put the will of our Heavenly Father before our own. Faith is the blessing we
should always be slowing down to appreciate. It is a blessing we should also
take time to cultivate through prayer and through frequent reception of the
sacraments.
We begin this new year by celebrating the Blessed
Virgin Mary under her title as Mother of God. Because Jesus is God and Mary is
His mother, we rightfully call her “Mother of God”. She is also our mother
because we have become brothers and sisters of Jesus through baptism. Also,
Jesus Himself gave Mary to us to be our mother when He said from the cross,
“Behold your mother.”
Mary is a great model of prayer for us. In the
days leading up to Jesus’ birth, many things were happening around her. Though
she was close to giving birth, she had to travel with Joseph all the way to
Bethlehem. Once there, they couldn’t find anywhere to stay except a dirty
stable. After giving birth to Jesus, they were visited by shepherds and later
by wise men from the East. In the midst of all the chaos, Mary kept her focus
on God. Rather than complain, she trusted. Saint Luke tells us that “Mary kept
all these things reflecting on them in her heart.” We should do the same. No
matter what is going on around us, no matter how hectic life gets, we should
take time to reflect and ask ourselves where God is in the midst of it all.
Then we will never miss out on all the blessings our Heavenly Father wants to
shower us with.
As this new year begins, let us resolve to slow
down, to take time to notice all the blessings around us. At every moment of
every day, God is with us, providing for us, and blessing us. If we stay
focused on Him, our lives will become richer and we will become a blessing in turn
for the people around us.
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