Kristus Aman Patronal Feast Day - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
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Mary, Queen of Peace
A man came home from work. Sat down in his favourite chair, turned on the TV and said to his wife: “Quick, bring me a beer before it starts!” She looked a little puzzled, but brought him a beer either way. When he finished it, he said, “Quick, bring me another beer. It’s gonna start!” This time she looked a little angry but brought him a beer either way. When it was gone, he said, “Quick, another beer before it starts!”
“That’s it!” She blows her top! “You waltz in here, sits down without a word of hello to me and then expects me to run around like your slave! Don’t you realize, that I cook, clean and iron all day long?”
The husband sighed, “Oh dear...it started”
Good evening sisters and brothers,
We have in fact hit the end...last day of our triduum. And so I hope I haven’t been pushing everyone past your limits like the husband who pushed his wife over the edge. In fact, as we come to the end, what we are really coming to, is the start. What do I mean by the start? I think it is fitting that this final triduum, ends on the 1st day of the new year. “New Year, New Me” we often say right?
But today, I hope now when you think “new year, new me” you’re not only thinking of going to the gym or on crazy diets. But this “new me” as an awareness of my baptismal identity. Because over the last 3 days we have been reminded and assured, that by virtue of our baptism we HAVE Faith, we HAVE Hope and we HAVE Love. And that is why we HAVE the necessary graces and the ability to live them out in our daily life as followers of Christ. The problem however, is that we either forget this good news easily because we are too caught up with the daily things of life or that we don’t even realise that we are already living out our baptism in our daily life.
This reminds me of a preacher, who one day made an announcement from the pulpit:
“I have good news and bad news! The good news is, we have enough money to retire the mortgage on the Church!”
A sigh of relief went through the congregation. He then continued; “The bad news is, the money is still in your pocket!”
Yes my sisters & brothers, because we already have “Baptism” in our pockets, what have been said over the last 3 days may or may not be something new for you. But it is shared with the hopes of achieving at least one of three things:
First, to be reminded of what we already have by virtue of our baptism.
Second, to be aware that what we have been doing so far is in fact living and participating in the divine life,
and third, to give meaning to the things we do by understanding “WHY” the Church calls us to do certain things.
For example,
To have a balanced faith so as to avoid falling into superstition or pride.
To hope with the knowledge that even in the difficulties of our life our life is ultimately aimed at union with God.
To love not because it makes us feel good but because we are in fact participating in the life of the Trinity.
And on this 4th day, and being “World Day of Peace”, we see how these 3 theological virtues come together in the context of “Peace” by reflecting on 3 questions. Namely,
What is “Peace” for us as Christians?
Why is Mary crowned “Queen of Peace” rather than Woman or Beacon or Mother of Peace?
and What does her “Queenship” say about our identities and empowered lives here on earth to be a gift of peace, especially as a Kristus Aman family?
My invitation, is that after this Triduum, to “take out from your pockets” these virtues that you already have and reflect on them. So that as we leave this place and walk into the year we don’t just be people who “HAVE” faith, hope and love but instead BE Faith, BE Hope and BE Love in the world. This is important. for if not, our faith will only be very inward looking by the end of this Triduum.
What is Peace?
So what is Peace? According to an online dictionary, “Peace” is defined as:
Freedom from disturbance. It is tranquillity. and it is a state or period in which there is no war.
Such definitions seem to imply, that “Peace” is not only very fragile, but it is also highly dependent on external factors. The moment there is a disturbance or a war for e.g., peace is gone. As Christians however, “Peace” is not based on situations or persons. Rather, it is based on one person only: Jesus Christ, whom today’s scriptures confer Him the title, the “Prince of Peace”. To base our life on Him, is to make Him the centre of our life. This is how we manifest a Christ centred community. Because doing such, makes visible, God’s unconditional love. Especially when not only live in harmony with one another but also work towards the building up of the Body of Christ and the restoration of Creation.
You must be saying to yourself, “Sure, this is easier said than done”. How can we apply this good news when we are constantly surrounded by so unsettling news everyday? Perhaps a place we could start, would be to first identify “Why”. Why is there so much trouble and division in the first place?
Pride.
Since the beginning of Creation, sin entered because humanity had always wanted to be autonomous from God. Rather than living “off” God and “for” God, which is basically a life dependent on God, we want to live a life that is off ourselves and for ourselves. Free from God, so that we can be in charge of our lives. Not realising, that we are merely fooling and making a mess of ourselves. When we hurt and kill one another in many ways, just to stay in control. This desire for autonomy still exist today, but under different forms: Secularism, Atheism and Humanism just to name a few.
On this “World Day of Peace” and on this our Patronal Feast, we are called to return again to that Garden God made for Adam & Eve so we can again understand the true meaning of Peace. As mentioned earlier, “Peace” is not the absence of war. But it is when we are in communion with the divine, just as how Love is a participation with the divine life. Seeing “Peace” in this manner, moves us away from confusing “Peace”, with “comfort” or a “lack of struggle”. In fact, even in troubles or in an environment that has the effects of sin, faith assures us that Peace can still exist. For in the scriptures, while Jesus comforted the afflicted. He also afflicted the overly comfortable to bring them back to God. Peace can exist, as long as we fix our eyes on God. For doing so reminds us, that we HAVE faith, hope and love and so we have the graces to believe, hope and love like gods. This is why we can always have peace no matter what situation of life we may be in. However, it is when we choose to break our communion with God like Adam and Eve, or like our current day desire for autonomy, that’s when we do not find peace within ourselves. Not because God is punishing us, but because sin makes us forget that we have a God who loves us unconditionally. Without Christ who is our peace and without the eyes of faith, the world can seem like a rather painful and depressing place. This is why, many who look at the natural moments of struggle and challenges can be easily tipped overboard into depression, addiction and suicide.
Why is Mary crowned “Queen of Peace” rather than Woman or Beacon or Mother of Peace?
And now on our second point of reflection: Mary as “Queen of Peace”. From our last 3 days of reflections, we can safely say
that She is given the title “Queen” for at least 2 obvious reasons.
First, because she lived a life of total submission to the will of God. Unlike Adam and Eve and us who constantly desires autonomy, Mary submitted her will and desire to follow God. This is the irony of our life and faith. When Jesus said in Jhn 12:25: “those who love their life will lose it and those who hate it will keep it for eternal life tells us in this context, that we lose true peace and life when we wish to be autonomous from God while we gain peace, freedom and life, when we submit to God who knows and wants the best for us.
Secondly, to say that Mary is “Queen” is to place an authority on her. We recognize that she has the authoritative stand on what it means to reflect God’s kingdom here on earth. This is because just as there may be many good, committed and dedicated doctors in the world. There will always be one or two in the world that would be renowned for a particular skill or knowledge to have an authoritative say in the field because of their experience during their profession. Mary, both as person and as symbol of the Church
has this authoritative figure to lead, guide and accompany us as a person and as a symbol of Church on what it means to be “Peace” because she reflected “Peace” throughout her life. And as her children and as the 2nd reading calls us “Sons and Daughters of God” we are called to follow after her example of life. In other words, to BE peace like Mary.
Perhaps we should ask ourselves. When I pray, do I see myself like and with Mary, as person and as Church who not only merely recites prayers, but BE a prayer also? Take the “Lord’s Prayer”, the “Our Father” for example. When we pray “Thy Kingdom Come”,
do we also pray in the same vein, “my Kingdom go”? For Mary, she didn’t cling onto her own kingdom. Instead she desired fully, for God’s Kingdom to reign through her life. This is her “Fiat” as well as the many moments when the scriptures describes her to be pondering and praying. On this note, I thought it was a great and wonderful thing, that of all the images of our lady to be the image for our Patronal feast we chose the image of “Our Lady of Fatima”. Because while we often only think of the 3 secrets when we think of Fatima, what is often forgotten is, at the core of these 3 secrets and messages she is pointing us to action, to be like her. That is, to be heralds of peace and builders of God’s kingdom here a kingdom of peace, with our eyes fixed on God a kingdom of communion.
What then does her queenship say about our identities and empowered lives here on earth to be a gift of peace as a Kristus Aman community?
We now turn to our third and final point of tonight’s reflection, and that is: What does Mary’s queenship say about our identities and empowered lives here on earth to be gifts of peace, especially as a Kristus Aman Community?
I suppose that just as Mary always draw and point people to her Son. Just like today’s Solemnity, which highlights the divinity of Jesus when we call her “Mother of God”, we too are called to do the same by being instruments of peace. As the 2nd reading reminds and assures us, that we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so. And especially we who carries the name “Peace of Christ” this is our invitation and challenge. So that by our life, both as individuals and as a community of faith, people will come to know this God of peace. This is one of the many ways to evangelise today. BE people of Peace. Peace that is founded on Faith, Hope and Love.
Less on going around forcing people to believe in Jesus. No. For that would only get us behind bars. Rather, by first fixing our eyes on God so that we are constantly in communion with God and one another. And in turn, our lives will reflect His peace to all who comes here. Because each time when we choose BE peace to one another we are in fact restoring this communion or in other words, building communion amongst all people. Not just a communion which consists of a collection of ppl gathered for one purpose. But also a communion where there is one-ness. Where every member is fully the “body of Christ” and “one with God”.
If we are finding it difficult to do this as an individual, this is why BEC’s are important. More than just a social gathering, BEC’s are to be places where we learn and live peace. By sharing our faith and supporting one another. Just like the early Christians in the Acts of the Apostles. It was their life as a Church that attracted many to the faith. Have our BEC been attracting people to know and love God? Speaking of evangelizing, this also applies to both our procession around this block later as well as at the end of every Mass when the Priest says “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. To process as a community of faith, be it around the block later or at the end of every Eucharist Is not about telling the world: “Hey we have a bigger God than you” Or that we are merely doing penance or fulfilling a vow.
No. That would only turn our procession and the command into a meaningless ritual and childish show of “Whose God is greater than whose”.
No. When we go in procession later and at the end of every mass. The command to “Go glorify the Lord by our life” is in fact a command for us baptised people of God to return to the world and tell them, that there is no need to worry, to despair or to feel hopeless because there is faith, hope, love and peace in the world because of us. This is how we as Church, BE the “Peace of Christ” (Kristus Aman). As opposed to naval-gazing when we say to ourselves: “We have peace”. As mentioned yesterday,
the prayer of blessing God gave Moses to teach Aaron in the 1st reading is a good example of how we BE the instruments of peace to the world.
Whenever we call upon the Lord. Whenever we speak words of blessings, comfort and assurances we are in fact inviting and bringing to consciousness in people that God who is in control of everything, is also within and around us. Even when we may find it difficult to believe at that moment. In other words, we become the face of God to the many in who are in despair, hopelessness and doubt. Sadly what we tend to do instead, is to curse, scold or belittle one another whenever we are angered or troubled ourselves
Forgetting, that in this highly stressful society, being God’s instrument of peace is of utmost importance. So instead of moving people’s hearts like the Shepherds in today’s Gospel our presence only makes people roll their eyes. Because every time they see us, they only hear complaints about anything and everything under the sun, rather than on God’s faithfulness.
Perhaps a suggestion for all of us as parishioners and visitors of Kristus Aman is that being the New Year, and on this parish feast day onwards let us strive to be people of Peace. People who speak words of blessing to self and one another. If it is too difficult, perhaps to go back again to our BEC’s:How are we being forgiving and peacemakers in our BEC’s? Can?
And just as Mary is “Queen of Peace”, both as a person & as symbol of Church, we too, as the body of Christ, as well as individuals,
are called to be the “Queen of Peace” to Christ who is our King. Not by war or any militant force for that would only be going against
the very nature of God who IS Peace. Rather, by inspiring a deep and radical love in others. Such as standing for justice and preach repentance by our lives. For as St Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel always, use words if necessary” And this is what it means in the “Lord’s Prayer” when we say “Thy Kingdom Come, they will be done”. When we pray these words, what follows is the comparison “on earth as it is in heaven”. In other words, we are meant to bring God’s kingdom to reign here on earth, as we will experience it in heaven on the last days.
This “Queenship” also means, that we cannot just “ala carte” our faith and privatise our beliefs. It means to daringly and actively go out to love everyone as God loves. No Christian should consider themselves to be mere soldiers or court jesters in the Kingdom. Rather to see themselves as humble nobles of His Kingdom sharing in the responsibility of Kingdom building. This is why at the end of the liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King is celebrated. To constantly remind us of our relation to this King
Mary as “Queen of Peace” and “Mother of God” is not a reflection on Mary’s greatness. Rather, it is a challenge to ask ourselves live in relation to the King. Bringing about peace here on earth through the Spirit of God.
CONCLUSION
So with that brothers and sisters, it is my prayer that these last four evenings have been a true celebration of the gifts that we have received as baptised children of God. That God has given us faith to know who He is.
Imagine that! To know who God is intimately and personally just as he knows us. And through this revelation, God gives us Hope!
Not the kind of hope that is for a better or more comfortable tomorrow, but a hope that is focused on the unshakeable truth, that our end is for God. Who will we be united with at the end of our earthly life.
And what does having faith and hope mean?
It means that we have love. We have the ability to be like God, and love the way only God can. With that, may the world, especially our neighbours who surround this parish experience the peace of God in their lives because of us. Therefore, as we give thanks for the gift of Jesus at this Eucharist let us ask through the intercession of Mary, our Queen of Peace especially on this “World day of Peace” and our first Patronal Feast that we may BE instruments of peace in the world. Let us as a faith community of Kristus Aman Be instruments of peace, “Glorifying the Lord, by our life”.
