God's grace and peace is always given to each generation
by Sister Sally Ann Brickner
On the first day of the New Year, Holy Mother Church draws our attention to our Blessed Mother, Mary, and proclaims her to be Theotokos, which is Greek for God-bearer. Having given her “yes” to God’s angel, the humble Virgin Mary was “baptized” or overshadowed by the Holy Spirit who stirred to life in her womb God’s own Son of justice and peace.
Through our baptism, we, too, have been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. Through grace, we have divine life within us and have been made God’s heirs, as St. Paul writes to the Galatians. As God’s children, we are invited to be for others the blessing that Moses instructed his brother Aaron and his sons to give to the Israelites:
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 kindly and give you peace!
The first day of the New Year is also the World Day of Peace. In his message for Sunday our Holy Father Pope Francis wrote, “Our greatest and yet most fragile treasure is our shared humanity as brothers and sisters, children of God. None of us can be saved alone.” Pope Francis concluded that, as artisans of peace, we can work together to make this a good year. How might we do that? Resolve to greet every person with God’s benediction:
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 kindly and give you peace!
My prayer is for peace not only for me but for the world.