Old Wailing into New.

The dawning of a new year causes many of us to reflect in our hearts. We may have turned the page on the old calendar with gratitude, with some Auld Lang Syne wistfulness, or with regrets or even deep remorse over things we have done or have failed to do. For some of us, the old year brought crushing sorrow—or incandescent joy. The new year may bring either of those extremes, or it may simply bring a normal ebb and flow of life’s disappointments and delights.

Today’s Gospel hints at the whirlwind of things that the brand-new mother, Mary, reflected upon in her own heart. Anyone who has given birth can relate to the transformative sense of before and after, of old wailing into new. For a new mother, the first days and weeks often include replaying the birth, keeping it close and reflecting on it (even if at the same time longing for uninterrupted sleep). It’s likely that the very young Mary reflected on her own physical feat of laboring to give birth. But of course she was not just any postpartum mother. Because of her message from the angel Gabriel, repeatedly confirmed by earthly signs such as the witness of the shepherds, she already sensed that this child represented not only a shift in her own maternal universe but in the fabric of the universe itself.

Mary carried an equanimity and an unfolding wisdom born of saying “yes” to the new. May we follow her example and notice in this new year where God is offering opportunities for us to offer a “yes” of our own.

Amy Kuebelbeck. Taken from Give Us This Day.

Amy Kuebelbeck is a journalist and liturgical musician in St. Paul, Minnesota.