New Year’s Message 2024

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The celebration of the new year is a dramatic event for all of us as we witness the
end of the previous year and the beginning of the coming year. As we stand at this
threshold, we implore God’s blessing.
Our readings today from Sacred Scriptures give voice to the longings of our hearts
and prayers for blessing. The first reading from the Book of Numbers speaks of the
priestly blessing given to the line of Aaron. This recitation of blessing over the
people of Israel is an invocation of God’s name and the promise of God to bless
the people whenever His name is invoked.
Our response in the Psalm echoes this longing for God’s blessing, “May God bless
us in his mercy!”
On this first day of the year, which is also the World Day of Prayer for Peace, we
continue to invoke the name of God to ask him to let his face shine upon us and to
show his face of peace and mercy, especially to places and peoples that need his
blessings now God also gives us a special blessing today, and that is Mary.
In our Gospel passage today, we see how Mary became a blessing and a mother
also to us. You will see in the story that when the shepherds came to Bethlehem in
haste, they told the story of how the angel appeared and brought them the good
news of the Savior’s birth. The Gospel explicitly said, “And Mary kept all these
things, reflecting on them in her heart.” Mary teaches us how to listen with love.
As we bid goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year, let us come to
Mary and tell her our triumphs and struggles, our joys and sorrows of the past
year, even our worries, uncertainties, and fears because of the violence, injustice
and corruption in our society.
And let us ask her to pray for our hopes and dreams this coming year.
I entrust all of you to the maternal embrace and prayers of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, The Mother of God