AS FILIPINOS aspire for a better year, a Dominican priest reminded Catholics to put their trust in God as they navigate the uncertainties of the future.
“It is common for us to hear from people hoping that 2024 would be good to them, but we should also remember that goodness will only come to us if we trust in the love of God,” Santo Domingo Convent prior Fr. Roger Quirao, O.P. said in his homily during the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Jan. 1.
Despite life’s uncertainties, Quirao said the presence of God and Mary lights people’s paths to overcome their personal challenges.
“We will never know what will happen this year. We won’t know who will live or die. We won’t know who will come or leave, but there is one thing that we will hold on to: it’s always the love of God and the maternal care of the Blessed Mother,” he said.
“We will face 2024 with full faith, hope, peace as the grace and love of the Lord and care of our beloved Mother Mary are there to guide us.”
Noting that the start of a year is a symbol of hope, Quirao called on Catholics to navigate their new year by “uplifting prayers and worries” to God under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He said the love of God and the maternal care of Mary would always provide sustenance and support even after people forget the occasion they prepared for.
“Not everything centers on the feast we serve or the happy occasions we celebrate in welcoming the new year. It should be centered on the Lord, the love of the Lord for us, as these would serve to guide us for the entire year,” the convent prior said.
The first day of January is dedicated to the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, who conceived Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated a week after Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.
According to the Catholic News Agency, the title “Mother of God” goes back to the third or fourth century, but the Greek term Theotokos or “The God-bearer” was officially consecrated as Catholic doctrine at the Council of Ephesus in 431, thus becoming the first Marian dogma. F – Julianne Loreign Vicente
