There’s a ritual my friend’s grandparents practiced every New Year’s Eve. At midnight, they’d open the front door in their house to “let the old year out.” When he told me this, I laughed and asked if they were witches rather than Irish Catholics. His response? “I don’t know, but this year, I’m opening every door and window I’ve got.”

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks so much for stopping by to read this homily for THE FEAST OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD – (New Year’s Day)  January 1, 2025.  I appreciate your sharing this on your social media posts and your feedback and comments…  I’m also grateful for all those who’ve asked for the audio version and share them as well at SOUNDCLOUD click HERE or from ITUNES as a podcast HERE.  May the Lord be glorified in your reading and sharing- Father Jim – 

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That story captures something profound about how we approach New Year’s Day. We’re all looking for ways to leave behind what weighs us down. The media fills our screens with somber year-end retrospectives. The losses. The wars. The setbacks. We feel time slipping through our fingers in a culture obsessed with youth. And so we grasp at rituals and resolutions, hoping somehow this year will be different.

But our presence here today, on this Feast of Mary, Mother of God, points us toward a deeper truth. Yes, we’re marking a new calendar year, but more importantly, we’re celebrating the woman who shows us how to face uncertainty with extraordinary grace.

Picture Mary’s year: An angel appears with world-changing news. She’s carrying God’s son. Her betrothed husband Joseph struggles to understand. Soon they’re fleeing from those who want to kill her newborn child. Talk about plans being disrupted! Yet in her moment of greatest fear, the angel’s words ring out: “Do not be afraid.”

That was the same message echoed to St. Joseph in his dreams inviting him into God’s plan of salvation; it was the same message the shepherds heard that first Christmas night. Why? Because fear dissolves in the presence of perfect love. The angel wasn’t promising Mary an easy path. Instead, those words invited her to tap into something more profound than her circumstances – the unshakeable reality that she was created by God, loved by God, and now carrying God himself.

Mary’s response transformed her from mother to disciple. She who gave birth to Jesus would learn to follow Him. Her faith wasn’t static – it grew, evolved, deepened. Through joy and sorrow, triumph and tragedy, she kept her eyes fixed on her son.

Pope Benedict once offered wisdom about entering a new year. He said that regardless of whether our year was easy or difficult, barren or fruitful, we must give thanks. Why? Because goodness exists in this world, and ultimately, goodness will triumph – thanks to our Triune God – The Father who sent His son Jesus Christ, who was born, died, and rose again and Holy Spirit who abides within us ever since we were baptized.

Yes, evil often seems louder. Violence and injustice grab headlines while acts of love and daily faithfulness go unnoticed. That’s precisely why we need to pause. To reflect. To step away from the endless news cycle and into silence. It’s in those quiet moments that wisdom takes root, and we begin to see with new eyes.

As we cross the threshold into 2025, we don’t need to throw open our doors or windows to let the old year escape. Instead, we’re invited to open our hearts wider to Christ. To listen carefully to Mary’s testimony, echoing through the centuries: “Do not be afraid.” The answer we’re seeking isn’t in a fresh calendar or a list of resolutions. It’s in allowing Jesus to enter more deeply into our lives.

With Christ at the center – He who makes all things new – this year will truly be blessed. Not because it will be perfect or painless, but because we’ll face it with the same trust that Mary showed that first Christmas night. Through her example and prayers, may we learn to say “yes” to God’s plan, even when – especially when – it differs from our own.