One author has said of today’s Feast of Mary, “The Church continues to learn from Mary how to bring Christ into the world.”

I would suggest that this New Year of 2017 invites us to continue and increase our efforts daily in bringing God’s love and care and mercy to the world and to our everyday world.

The “work” – The mission of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the Earth is not just meant for a few special people.  It is meant for each and every one of us.

Like the Shepherds of today’s Gospel, we may not totally understand what we have “seen and heard” about the birth of the Child Jesus, but spread the message they did, in their day.  And now we are called, by our Baptisms, to continue spread the message of life, love, mercy, forgiveness, faith, hope and peace and so much more, in our day.

We all have the ability to spread the Gospel message in word and in actions…

As we, like Mary and so many people of God have over the centuries are:

• Spending time with our family and friends
• Visiting the sick and consoling the sorrowing
• Cheering the success of others and giving hope to those who fail
• Giving of our time and talent to assist others
• Bringing in some way, even small ways, the love of God each day to another

Just maybe the blessing from our First Reading today (Numbers 6: 22-27) is meant not only to be a blessing upon us but as a reminder for us to be a blessing to one another each day in words and actions that bring Christ to the world and to the people of our everyday world.

May we the Church of 2017, the Church of St. Mary’s, Crescent, (like Mary) continue to learn how to bring Christ into the world of 2017.