A New Year's Blessing

One of the great joys of being a priest is being able to impart blessings upon people – that is, to call down God’s favor upon them. Blessings are often given when starting something new. At the end of every confession, for instance, the priest absolves the penitent with a blessing, so that they can start their spiritual life fresh, free from sin and guilt. During a wedding, the newly married bride and groom receive a special Nuptial Blessing from the priest. And if you start a new job, or move into a new home, or buy a new car, you can ask for the priest to bless you to get you off on the right foot.

In today’s first reading, the Israelite people are beginning something new. Freed from slavery in Egypt, now they have entered into a covenant with God on Mount Sinai, in which he promises to be with them and they promised to be faithful to him. To begin this new relationship, God communicates a special formula by which Moses’s brother Aaron and his family would impart priestly blessings upon the Israelites: “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Shortly after receiving this blessing formula, they will move on from Sinai to continue their journey through the desert. They still have trials and struggles to undergo, but they do so now with God’s presence with them, and with his blessing upon them.

As we begin a New Year, we too want to start it off on the right foot. Perhaps we have certain resolutions we have made about how we can improve our lives as individuals. And surely collectively we hope for something much better in 2021 than what we endured last year. It is fitting therefore that we begin the year by asking for God’s blessing here at Mass. We do so during the Christmas season, a time in which we contemplate – like Mary does in today’s Gospel – the marvelous way in which God *has* blessed us: not by any formula of words or set of special favors, but by sending us his Son. With her, we reflect upon the mystery of how the same God who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai now dwells among us. In Jesus, God has truly visited his people.

Marianne Stokes, Madonna and Child (c. 1900)

And that mystery is itself the greatest blessing we could possibly receive. That may seem flippant to say, especially at the end of a difficult year, in the middle of a pandemic, with so many worries that we still face. But while we all have certain desires we wish to be fulfilled this year, many of which are very good and holy, the greatest thing God could do for us is to renew what he has already done: to renew within us the saving grace of his Son. Every blessing we receive finds its source in the mystery we celebrate in this Christmas season, the mystery of the Lord’s Incarnation.

So, friends, as we start the New Year, perhaps we can get off on the right foot by asking for that blessing anew. God wants to give it to us – not by helping us fulfill our resolutions, but by helping us encounter anew the mystery of Emmanuel, “God-with-us”. It is fine to ask God for the particular blessings we desire, the things he knows we need; but let’s also ask for those things which will make us more Christlike – minds more humble, hearts more devout, wills more pure, and lives in general more faithful to our relationship with him as his people. What better time than a New Year to make whatever changes we need to? 

In the name of Jesus Christ, as his priest, I am happy to give you my blessing:“The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!”