I think that the Catholic Church starts every New Year with the feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God because of the unique and unparalleled significance of her Son Jesus Christ. He made all the difference in her life. He must make all the difference in ours too. 

However, while Mary was conceived immaculate, without even the stain of original sin we, sinful and weak people, need to refocus on Christ on New Year’s Day so that we might have a decent chance of getting closer and closer to him, and of becoming more and more like him in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

If Hanna (Marys’ mom) and Joseph’s mom had had it their way when they were negotiating the marriage contract between the two families, as it was done back then, Mary would have married Joseph and the two would have had children according to God’s will and live the life of a good Hebrew couple. 

But, of course, both Mary and Joseph would have faded into obscurity. However, enters the Archangel Gabriel, who receives from Mary her total surrender to God’s will, and we know the rest of the story: it is the History of our Salvation. 

It is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary who made her into the Mother of God. 

Mother of God is a title that must blow our little, puny minds. 

Yet, this is exactly what God did: he stooped down to the lowliness of his obedient handmaid and made her his Mother! 

Let us consider how the Son of God, transformed completely, thoroughly his Mother’s life—every second of every minute of every hour of her life. 

For nine months he grew in her womb. It was impossible for her to be, not even for a second, distracted from this incredible reality! 

Then he was in her arms, or sleeping, or playing or eating, or working with Joseph; he was always so very close to her. 

And when he left Nazareth to start his public ministry, if anything else, the bond became stronger because he never left her mind and heart, all the way to his passion, death on a cross and resurrection. 

Present in her mind and heart, Jesus conditioned and shaped her life. 

However, we, poor, sinful mortals, love Jesus quite imperfectly and much, much less than she does.  

We think of him somewhat. We listen to him somewhat. We pray to him somewhat…. Hence, our bond with him is still very weak. 

Thus, even on this day, this beginning of a new year, we need the inspiration that can come to us only from the Holy Mother of God. 

Her secret is simple:  And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:19 

Mary felt the need for silent recollection to reflect, to sort things out, to ask God for light, for courage, for reassurance. 

Christ Jesus cannot shape our 2025 unless we, like her, carve out some silent time for ourselves, daily. 

Whenever I find a penitent who sounds distraught, restless, confused, I ask the usual question: “On a given day, how many minutes do you have for yourself?” 

Some reply: “None.” What a sad reply!  

If Jesus cannot find a little time in which we are there just for him, there is no way he can heal our wounds, guide us, enlighten us, comfort us and charge us with renewed energy for our multiple tasks according to our calling in life. 

Without some quiet time spent daily with Jesus, we run the risk of becoming restless, confused and pulled in different directions. 

It is wise to have a list of things to do and a flexible schedule for each day.  

However, at times there are so many things on our agenda that we begin to rush some of them or get nervous, impatient, even rude with people around us. 

Well, providentially, we might find ourselves forced by unforeseen circumstances to wait and wait and wait a bit more. 

The Lord has decreed to have us “waste” time seemingly for no good reason at all. But we shall make the most of it by starting a Rosary or praying for the cause of the delay or meditating on the homily from the previous Sunday, and so on.  

We ought to learn that the Lord calls all the shots in our life! We must make the most of his divine design. 

What matters is that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we use every second of every minute of every hour letting Christ Jesus transform us into a good replica of himself as he did with his Mother. 

Happy and Holy New Year to all of you.