Mons. Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with the readers of Exaudi his reflection on the Gospel of this Monday, January 1, 2024, titled: “They will call on my name and I will bless them”
***
Numbers 6, 22-27: “They will call on my name and I will bless them”
Psalm 66: “Have mercy on us, Lord, and bless us”
Galatians 4, 4-7: “God sent his Son, born of a woman”
Saint Luke 2, 16-21: “They found Mary, Joseph, and the child. When the eight days were finished, they named him Jesus”
While some suffer and are torn apart, others get fed up with partying and noise under the pretext of the Christmas and New Year festivities… Forgotten by some and despised by others, the Nativity scene remains with its proposal of life, its offer of reconciliation and the only path that will lead us to true peace. What happened “at that time”, which Saint Luke in a poetic and beautiful way seeks to convey to us in his gospel about the childhood of Jesus, seems to be happening now: Christ continues his incarnation among the poor and despised, while the world continues his path of ignorance and contempt. This first day of the year appears saturated with parties and events. Also liturgically, amidst a wide range of opportunities for our reflection, it offers us the necessary pause and respite to take our breath and decisively begin the new year. The proposal is there: at the same time that this new day is presented to us as a moment of grace and blessing, we discover the passage of the Lord in the year that has gone, and we beg his blessing for the new year that begins. The image of Bethlehem brings new hopes and opportunities for the construction of a new possible world. Jesus offers himself to us as the true Prince of Peace, who with his life and love dismantles and builds, illuminates and discovers new paths for peace. And we can do all this hand in hand, with the example and under the care of Mary, the little one, the simple one, the one who listens to the word, the mother of Jesus.
What does the year that ends leave me? I look back and contemplate the succession of days as if in a whirlwind, and I stop to review what I experienced as important, what has left me gaps and emptiness, how many things I was able to do that brought me joy, how many things were left in the trunk of desires and good intentions… There were moments of loneliness, pain and suffering, it is true; but there were also moments of understanding, affection, work, successes and joys… It is life lived to the full, it is life as a gift from God. I am hurt by the absences of loved ones who have gone and have left me memories full of nostalgia and voids that are impossible to fill; I am hurt by my own and other people’s illnesses that test our faith and our strength, that undermine our security and that make us understand how fragile we are. I am hurt by violence, war, hunger, death and corruption. But as I look at each day and each moment, I discover with surprise and gratitude the presence of Jesus always and unconditionally. There are times when I have forgotten about Him, but He has never forgotten about me; there are times when my actions were not in accordance with His thoughts, but He never abandoned me. I have always felt his close, discreet and unconditional presence. As in Bethlehem, in silence in the midst of violence, he continues to offer his peace proposal. For me, this moment is a moment of grace and a gift of his love. Why not discover the value of your own life, a gift from God, as the first step to finding inner peace?
And like every good Christian, at the beginning of the year I find a blessing. Moses transmits to Aaron the way in which every Israelite must begin all his works, with the memory and experience of the presence of God in their lives: “The Lord bless you and protect you, make his face shine on you and grant you his favor. May the Lord look upon you with kindness and grant you peace.” It is the greatest event for all men: recognizing themselves in the hands of God. It is the beginning of true peace: discovering oneself as brothers and blessed by the same Father. It is to become a blessing to others and manifest the face of God in our lives, at the same time that we discover the face of God in them. This blessing finds its fullness in the Gospel passage. The text ends with the story of circumcision. It is a rite that expresses the Jewish roots of Jesus, the connection with the promises of the prophets of the Old Testament. Jesus was born under the Law, but he came to rescue those who were under the Law, to make them children of adoption. We have all been rescued by Jesus, because He is our brother. Now we can call God “Abba!”, Father. I confess that it is the best news I could receive: God is my father, who loves me, pampers me, forgives me, is attentive to me, guides me on the right path. Why fear, if God always accompanies me?
And this news and blessing is the best way we have to break the escalation of violence. Only when we discover the face and image of God, when we see the face and image of our Father in others, will we be able to overcome hatred, ambitions and resentments. This is how he does it and this is how Jesus teaches us. I think we have not realized the greatness and joy that this great news produces, knowing that God is my Father. Let us eliminate fear or fear from our beliefs, because it has no meaning in those who believe in the God revealed by Jesus. The name that the Child-God receives indicates what his mission is; at that time, his name was not given by chance or because his father liked him a lot. Jesus means “God saves”, that is, God is on our behalf. The religion of fear or aggression is not Christian, only the religion of love, hope and brotherhood is true. If God loves us, if he has made me his son, if Jesus has become man for me, but also for my brother, if he comes to save us all, why continue attacking us and fighting? Why not break the chain of violence with love?
Today, at the beginning of the year, let us renew the blessing that God our Father offers us in his Son Jesus. Let us seriously commit to building a world without violence. Let’s review our spaces and banish all family, institutional and discriminatory violence. If Jesus has become man for us, it is certain that he can build a different world, with his love, with his word and in his style. Mary, the small and faithful one, knew how to listen to the words and make them come to life. Let’s follow her example and build a better world from everyday life.
“Mary, Virgin of expectation and fulfillment, who preserves the secret of Christmas, make us capable of recognizing in the Child that you hold in your arms the announced Savior, who brings hope and peace to all.” Amen
