Two verbs jump out at me in these readings: bless and reflect. In the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we hear an ancient Jewish prayer dating back to the time of Moses, “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you and kindly and give you peace!” I imagine that prayer was on Mary’s lips as she reflected on all that was happening to her: the birth of a son whose father was not Joseph and the visit of shepherds and their message.
I could use the opportunity to reflect on Mary, the blessed Mother of God, but given the circumstances that some of us find ourselves in, I think we need to reflect on how blessed we truly are. Just as Mary reflected on the events she experienced, good and bad alike, we need to take time to ponder the events and the people in our lives. Many of us feel that our life is filled with little things thus may seem so mundane. We heard, “The Lord bless you and keep you!” Yet, we may not realize just how blessed we truly are.
That attitude brings to mind a movie that came out last year. I am not much of a moviegoer, but I could not pass up seeing Woody Allen’s latest film, Midnight in Paris, when it was featured at the Clyde Theater. The star, a young man, named Gil, is a Hollywood screen writer living in Paris, who makes a decent living churning out scripts for forgettable films but he dreams of writing a good novel, like those of his heroes, Fitzgerald and Hemingway. He is obsessed with the 1920’s when the literature and art he adores flourished.
One night he gets lost in the city. While sitting on some church steps, an antique roadster pulls up, filled with revelers, who invite Gil to join them. Off they go to a terrific party where he finds Cole Porter playing his latest tunes, F. Scott Fitzgerald dancing with Zelda, and Ernest Hemingway chatting with friends at the bar. Gill has been miraculously transported to Paris in the 20’s. He is awed to meet his literary heroes and is surprised to discover that they do not consider themselves great or accomplished.
Gil leaves his fantasy world and returns to the present with a new understanding that one’s love of things past should animate and enliven the present, not displace it. He returns to his time and place with a new enthusiasm and resolve to make his own life a “golden age” in its own right.
As we let go of 2011 and venture into the New Year, we should be mindful that all time is a gift from God who in turn gives us the grace to make our own time good and holy, just as Mary did. We should thank God for blessing us during the past year. In the first reading, we are told, “The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!” In light of the current economic situation, you may not be seeing yourself as having been so blessed, but perhaps this comparison could help.
Suppose someone gave you a dish of sand mixed with fine iron filings. You look for the filings but you can’t see them. You feel for them with your fingers, but you can’t feel them. So you take a tiny magnet and run the magnet through the sand in the dish. Suddenly, the magnet is covered with iron filings.
The ungrateful person is like our fingers feeling for filings. Such a person finds nothing in life to be thankful for. The grateful person, on the other hand, is like a magnet sweeping through the sand. That person finds hundreds of things to be grateful for.
For Christmas, I gave my nephew a book entitled, The Present. The dust jacket features a gift wrapped box, leaving the reader to wonder what the present might be. The author, Spencer Johnson, makes the point that the present is not a gift found under the tree, but is the gift of the present moment. He points out that anytime you are unhappy in the present or feeling unsuccessful, it is time to learn from the past or plan for the future. He writes, “Only two things can rob you of the joy of the present: your negative thoughts about the past, or your negative thoughts about the future.” As he begins a new job, I hope my nephew sees the value of this message and the gift of time that God has blessed him with.
Lastly, we heard, “The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Peace has many meanings. Upfront, we see peace as the absence of conflict. Our country came one step closer to that when our troops left Iraq several days ago. World peace begins not when we leave battlefields, but when we look at our own hearts. Many in our families suffer from misunderstandings and deep seated resentments, communities are ravaged with racial or ethnic hostility, and nations are racked by political unrest. The world remains caught up in the throes of violent war, thus we wonder where this peace is that God promises.
Pope Paul VI once said, “No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness.” As we pray for peace in the coming year, let’s never forget that God has made us instruments of his peace. Should we ever be tempted to seek revenge, hopefully the Lord will remind us of the pope’s line.
Many of us meet the New Year with new attitudes and behaviors. Usually the resolutions we make are not too serious: eat less, exercise more, break old habits and adopt new ones. This time around, we should consider resolutions that will foster peace in our hearts. Some ideas that come to mind include performing some special kindness for a member of your family, spending time praying for peace, reading scripture, meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, and/or reaching out to the less fortunate. Be open to letting peace begin with you and the Lord will have many opportunities to bless you, to be gracious to you, and to look kindly upon you!