Solemnity of Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

We begin the New Year with a look at the Mother of God.

Although sincere and benevolent, our mutual New Year’s wishes for “happiness and health” still have their shadow: that the years of our lives—even if we live them in health and happiness—will be shortened by another year in the new year. The fulfillment of time means for us the shortening of our lives. What fulfillment in the new year can compensate us for the loss of time? What exceptional event would it have to be?

St. Paul writes that God sent his Son when the time was fulfilled (cf. Gal 4:4). What can it mean that time was fulfilled then, when nothing has changed over time in the change of seasons, in wars, crises, births, and deaths? When Jesus was born, time and events were still passing similarly. After all – as St. Paul writes Paul – also in this fullness of time the Son of God was born of a woman and according to the law (cf. Gal 4:4). Nothing extraordinary happened outwardly. And yet, it was a turning point in history. Who knew about it? When the shepherds told them what had been said about this child, all who heard it marveled. But Mary kept all these words in her heart and pondered them. After eight days they gave him the name Jesus, which the angel had given him before he was conceived in his Mother’s womb (cf. Lk 2:17-19,21).

Our era is generally referred to as the time “after Christ.” In the new year, it will be another year older. We know how “old” this time is, but we do not know our place in this process for the duration of time. We do not know when this time will be fulfilled towards its end. Is Christianity also aging with time instead of being fulfilled? Our ancestors did not call years “after Christ” but “years of the Lord.” And this is precisely what we forget: that time, understood in a Christian way, does not age if fulfilled in Christ. How we forget this is evident from our mutual wishes, that we wish for many things, starting with health, but we do not wish for the fullness of life in Christ, and yet we say that we are Christians.

Jesus Christ was born and submitted to everything that the time law determined. With his coming into the world, time was fulfilled. For us, this means that we, too, are not deprived of our humanity and snatched away to another world, but are incorporated into the one who did not become superhuman. However, in this time, this world suffered for us and died to save us. Christ does not live among us only for extraordinary situations, Sundays, and holidays but for a completely ordinary mortal life. The time has come for us in Bethlehem to be fulfilled in that Christ will stand by our side in this coming year, that we will not be dependent on ourselves, on our piety, on our anxiety and weakness, on the conditions of the world, but that we can turn to him because, through faith in Christ Jesus, we are all children of God (cf. Gal 3:26).

Let us begin the new civil year by looking at Mary, the Mother of God, under her protection. She was the first confirmation of the hope that God placed in his creation. She also reinforces our hope, which we need as we look into the unknown of the new year. Let us also remember our Slavic apostles, St. Cyril and Methodius, the holy fathers Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, the patron of our diocese, St. John the Baptist, and our patrons. All of these fulfilled earthly time and preceded us into eternity, but they form one community of the Church of Christ with us. In them, we have our intercessors with God. When we realize all this well, we will find that we do not have to be so helpless and sad in this world, even when we must carry our cross.

In God is our hope. Our concern must be to eliminate everything that erodes this hope. These are sins. The beginning of all evil temptations lies in the instability of the spirit and a small trust in God. Therefore, we must not despair but ask God to help us in all our sufferings. He certainly – according to the words of St. Paul – will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength, but with the test will also give us the ability to endure (1 Cor 10:13). I wish you and ask for unwavering hope and faith in him who became man for us to redeem us in the coming year.