Friday, January 1, 2016

The General Minister celebrates the New Year's Eucharist in Curia

May Yahweh bless you and keep you!”  This is how the Lord instructed Moses to bless the people.  When we think of blessings, we always think of good things, of positive things, of riches, name and fame and a good life.  In the Book of Numbers, following this instruction on how to bless the people, we have more rules and regulations from God to Israel.
 
The General Minister celebrated the High Mass of the New Year and Feast of Mother Mary....He spoke about the Interior strength that all of us need to confront and face challenges of the new year.....He also prayed for the entire Order....He remembered especially the People of Holy Land....as they face huge challenges and problems...

We prayed for all those who are in trouble and live in fear......Let us spend this year in Prayer and promoting peace and brotherhood.


The Gospel reading relates what the shepherds said, saw and heard from the angels on high while they were in the fields watching their flocks and when they visited the Child lying in the manger.  And Mary kept all these in her heart. Mary who was called blessed also had to witness and endure the sufferings of her Son.


While some blessings may not be pleasant, always they mean the same thing, that God is in or with the person considered blessed.  While we may desire pleasant and good things, the presence of God in our lives transforms all experiences as experiences of loving and being loved.


Today we celebrate the Motherhood of Mary.  We draw inspiration and strength from her experience of being blessed.  She saw the face of God and lived.  Hopefully in our own lives and especially in our Mary-like experiences of caring for others, we will always see God’s hand in our lives.  There may be a gauge of being blessed:  the measure of peace in our hearts indicates our capacity to have allowed God’s blessing to rule our lives.

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