NUMBERS 6:22-27 | GALATIANS 4:4-7 | LUKE 2:16-21
The Pastor’s Reflections
When I was a child, still in grade school, I always stayed up with the adults until midnight on New Year’s Eve. There was lots of food and homemade holiday pastries. Sometimes my uncle, who lived in the same building two floors below us, would take out his accordion and play the same songs he always played when he took out his accordion. I found it interesting that he always tapped his foot to the beat of the song as he rocked back and forth on his chair. But when midnight finally came, and uncle Henry played Auld Lang Syne, everybody would hug and kiss and cry, uncle Henry included. I understood the hugging and kissing, but I never understood the crying. In fact, that moment always made me want to cry, too!
Looking for an answer, as I was writing this reflection, I consulted the all-knowing master, Google. Here’s what I found. Auld Lang Syne “evokes an undeniable sentimentality, a disorienting nostalgia, an instantaneous affection for the
people around you at the exact moment, loved ones and strangers alike.”
It seems that this melody, accompanying words we don’t immediately understand, has the magical ability to touch the deepest desires of our hearts. It dissolves the walls that separate us, and it gently lights the inner candle of hope.
This year I won’t be listening to uncle Henry’s accordion. I won’t be giving a hug and a kiss to relatives, but I’ll probably get choked up again when I hear the magical melody at midnight.
Instead of singing and crying with you, I’d like to offer you best wishes and a blessing. This is the blessing we’ll be hearing at Mass today.
“The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you And be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!”
Numbers 6:24-26
