If 2020 Was Rough, Give 2021 to Mary
If the last year has shown us anything, it has shown us that we are not in control. As someone who regularly struggles with anxiety, the fear of the unknown, and the inability to control outcomes of unfamiliar situations, 2020 forced me to come face to face with a lot of uncomfortable realities.
Regardless of where you sit on the “Struggle with Control Scale”, we should all be cognizant of the fact that we are not in control at all.
But 2020 did not cause the lack of control, we may have just been under the illusion that we had control. Our health could change in a moment after spending too much unmasked time with our loved ones, our ability to worship is not being governed by the faithful, the way our children are educated changes daily.
We can’t control outcomes, and we never could. The only thing we can control is our choices. And going in to 2021, with so little control, I think we should all choose to give over all of our expectations for the New Year to Mary.
Time To Feast
January 1st is not only the mark of a new calendar year full of hopes and dreams of a little more normalcy, it is also the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. January 1st is a feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary as we venerate her under her title as Mother of our Lord.
This is not just a day for resolutions to lose weight, to ignore toxic people, and to be more productive. It is the perfect day to give over all of your hopes for the New Year to Jesus through the hands of His Mother.
Mary is not just Christ’s mother, she is our mother too (John 19:26-27). And like a good mother, she will take us under her mantle and be with us throughout all of the uncertain times of our lives. Like a good mother, she gives us an example, some advice, and perpetual comfort. I think that is exactly what we need in 2021.
Her Example
In a homily reflecting on the Annunciation and Mary’s response, St. John Paul explains that, “For […] Mary, the divine promise comes as something completely unexpected. God disrupts the daily course of [life], overturning its settled rhythms and conventional expectations.” Just like all of us, as 2020 began, we had some semblance of a comfortable ebb and flow of life that was suddenly turned on its head.
When life takes an unexpected turn and things change, how should we respond? Mary’s example shows us that a faithful “yes” is the only response that brings peace. In the midst of life’s disruptions, God’s divine promise in Jesus remains. Life’s disruptions are, instead, an invitation to embrace uncertainty and walk by faith. Mary shows is how to do that.
Our settled rhythms and expectations of 2020 were overturned, and we would be foolish to expect 2021 to be any different. The only thing that is predicated is that our lives this side of Heaven will be filled with disruptions until we return to the Father.
Let us face these overturned conventional expectations and best laid plans of ours as Mary did by saying to God, “let it be”.
Her Advice
Ok, we give 2021 over to God through Mary’s hands, so now what do we do?
What do we do day to day to combat the daily anxiety, fear, and uncertainty?
We follow Mary’s advice: “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)
So many of us wrestle with the question of what God wants us to do with our lives, or with what our purpose or calling is. Instead of thinking that the future holds for us an unfulfilled destiny waiting to be uncovered, we should look at this very moment and ask ourselves if we are living in the right now for God?
At the end of the Hail Mary, we pray for Our Lady’s intercession “Now and at the hour of our death.” Those are the only moments that matter. Are we living and giving the present moment to Christ? Are we listening to His words and doing what He asks of us now? 2021 is an invitation to trust in the words of the Savior and to do whatever He tells us moment by moment.
What is Christ calling you to in this moment? How can you live out your call to be holy more dynamically now? What sin is weighing on your heart that you need to turn away from now? Let be 2021 be the year you give everything to Mary, and listen to her as she brings you closer and closer to Jesus.
Her Comfort
Like 2020, 2021 will have its moments of good and bad. Mary is there with us in both. But this year, let’s practice running to Mama Mary when things get to much to handle on our own.
One way I envision Mary speaking to me when I am particularly overwhelmed is I try to hear Mary repeating the words she said to Juan Diego,
“Listen and let it penetrate your heart…do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother?”
Part of giving your New Year to Mary requires that you allow her to be your comfort. That means we need to stop trying to self-soothe ourselves. All of the coping mechanisms we came up with in 2020 are most likely just ways we’ve decided to numb ourselves because reality has become so unbearable. In the New Year, let’s lean into the uncomfortable, and instead of self-soothing or numbing, let’s be honest with Mary about how much we’re struggling. Then let her presence in those moments be our comfort.
Comfort is not a feeling, it is a response to a reality. When things are hard, I seek comfort in my loved ones, not because they will change my situation, but because they can change my perspective. Your circumstance may not change when you run to Mary, but your disposition and perspective should. You are no longer alone. Your Mother is there to comfort you.
Let that reality change you.
Start Here
If you are looking for ways to keep close to Mary this New Year start with the Rosary!
If you are looking for a new rosary to start off your New Year’s devotion check out these beautifully handmade Rosaries:
And if you are struggling at all with praying to Mary, want to learn more about Mary, and how you can grow closer to her in 2021 here are great reads to start:
33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr Michael Gaitley
Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples
I pray that 2021 is the year that changes everything for the good for all of us. I firmly believe the first step to making that true is by giving it to Mary and letting her bring us to the Good - Jesus Himself.
Vero L’alto - Renzo