Homily for 1 January 2013
Based on the Nm. 6:22-27 (1st Rdng.), Gal. 4:4-7 (2nd
Rdng.) and Lk. 2:16-21 (Gospel)
From the Series “Reflections and
Teachings of the Desert”
PEACE AND PROSPERITY
Happy New Year! This is the
customary and usual greeting we give during New Year’s Day. But what could really
make us happy?
The scripture readings for today
give us the way how we could really be happy, not only for this year, but for
the rest of our lives.
Psalm 4:6+ says: “Who will give us
sight of happiness? Many say, Show us the light of your face, turned towards
us!” This verse of the psalm prays for a sight of happiness to be given, and it
is by turning the light of God’s face towards us.
What is the meaning of the phrase
“the light of your face”? Psalm 80:3 says: Yahweh Sabaoth, bring us back, let your face smile on us and
we shall be safe.” Another psalm, Psalm 31:16, says: “Let your face smile on
your servant, save me in your love.” The other psalm, Ps. 67:1, also says: “May God show kindness and bless us, and make
his face smile on us!”
The phrase “light of your face”
surely means the smile of God. The smile then is surely the sight of happiness
that we are asking for. And for this new year to be happy, let us see many
smiles on people’s faces, and most of all, for God’s smile on his face turned
towards us so that we could really enjoy his graciousness and favor for the
rest of our lives.
As this verse taken from the first
reading for today, which is Numbers 6:25, says, “May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be
gracious to you.” The “light of your face” and “his face shine on you” all mean
the same thing, God’s smile on his children.
God
brings peace and prosperity on his people when he smiles. As Proverbs 16:15
says, “When the king’s face brighten it spell life, his favor is like the rain
in spring.” Peace and prosperity are the two good things that people wish for to
come during New Year’s Day. As Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem,
prosperity to your houses! Peace inside your city walls, prosperity to your
palaces.”
God
smiles and gives peace and prosperity, not because we are his people but more
so because we are his children. This is what the Second Reading taken from Gal.
4:4-7 for today says about being God’s sons. Particularly, Gal. 4:4-5 says,
“But when the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a
subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be
adopted as sons.” This is the guarantee that God will always smile at us and be
gracious to us; because we are his children, he cannot refuse us therefore with
his favors of peace and prosperity.
All
these were made possible through the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. This
is the reason why the Gospel reading for today, about the birth of Christ in
the manger and the visit of the shepherds, is very important for us. His birth
as a human being made sonship possible for us. As Jn. 1:12 says, “But to all
who did accept him, he gave the power to become children of God, to all who
believe in the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the
flesh or will of man but of God himself.”
Christ’s
birth as a son of God reminds us of our own birth as children of God as
Christians.
The
Jewish circumcision as a rite of initiation and as sign (see footnote e to Gn,
17:10) and “seal of the righteousness of faith” (Rm. 4:11) is parallel to our
own Christian baptism which is also a rite of initiation with the catechumenate
and as a sign and seal of the righteousness of faith.
In
the gospel for today (Lk. 2:16-21), the people were kept ignorant and unknowing
about Jesus Christ’s birth. It was only revealed to the shepherds and their
animals. They have natural wisdom called instinct to know about Christ’s birth.
Mary kept safe in
her heart and mind all the marvelous things that the shepherds told them (Lk.
2:19).
The shepherds
glorified and praised God (Lk. 2:20).
The blessing,
glorifying and praising of God shall bring peace to the place and prosperity to
their houses and palaces to those whom God smiles and give his sight of
happiness.
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