As a gift from the Great God, a new year is given to us today. It is like a newborn child, born from the bosom of time. As part of our own ‘self’, our own life, part of our destiny, a child of time and human blood, a new year is placed in our lap today.
When we seriously and thoughtfully observe this newborn, we are immediately filled with fear for this child of time. Indeed, it is a truly troubled child from a poor home. It is neither tender nor smiling, like other healthy children. Nor can it wish for itself, like others, a soft bed, prosperity, and good hopes. No, we rejoice over a few diapers, remnants from a better time — in these we wrap it!
And if we were to predict its fate, then we would truly be afraid! Certainly we would wish it happiness from the bottom of our hearts, but we do not foresee too much good. It is a true child of sorrow — this new year. We worry about its life and well-being. For its body, but even more for its soul. There is fear for this child’s soul! How many dangers threaten from everywhere! What will become of this child?
Parents are aware that in the cradle where their newborn slumbers, a new human destiny is hidden, with all its hopes, but also with all its unexpected turns and dangers from which our life is woven.
Therefore, they take the little one in their arms in prayer and come to God’s house to bring their child to God, so that the Almighty may be a gracious guide and protector to it.
Then we too, bravely deciding, want to take our child of sorrow in our arms and present it before God, so that it may receive God’s blessing and baptism.
“Glory to God in the highest!” This was the heavenly baptismal pronouncement over the newborn of Bethlehem. In this accompanying word, the poor outcast child of Bethlehem saw the meaning and purpose of its life. In this, it found strength in its poverty and need. In this word, its poor parents found forgetfulness of their troubles and solace in suffering. “Glory to God in the highest!” let this also be the accompanying word for the new year of blessing.
“Glory to God!” thus we want to baptize the new year and each of its days, so that they may be gracious to us.
“Glory be to God!” mighty and powerful is this word! From the depths of all existence it rises, before God’s throne, as a testimony that He created all this only for Himself. “Glory be to God!” this is a world event, from which the singer exclaimed: “The heavens declare the glory of the Eternal!”
“Glory be to God!” this is a feeling of life that strengthens the prophet’s soul, so that he exclaims: “Heaven and earth are full of your glory!” (Isa. 6, 3.) “Glory be to God!” Christians prayed this from the deepest, heart ready for death, when it was still a disgrace and shame, a state crime, to believe in this and to pray to this God.
“Glory be to God!” This is the great world plan that gives its ultimate meaning to every world event, to all world history, to every act of God and man. When God stretched out His creative hand, it came into being for His glory. When God conceived and accomplished redemption, it was for His glory. When God blesses, when He greets, when He makes blessed, or condemns — it is for His glory. He has subjected all existence, all living and inanimate things, to Himself, so that He may be “all in all” — the one, the highest, the God of all existence of the worlds. (1 Cor. 15, 28.)
“Glory be to God!” How small our human desires become there! How trivial, how ridiculous our needs and demands on life become there! How shameful our worry for life becomes; how contemptible our self-worship!
“Glory be to God!” Once we have understood that glory belongs to our God, and to Him alone, that God’s glory and God Himself are the ultimate and finally the only value — if we understand and affirm this — then surely we stand on solid ground. Then surely our being is anchored in the eternal.
The matter is not whether the new year brings health, happiness, success, prosperity; the only truly important thing is that the angels’ proclamation be fulfilled in the new year.
“Glory to God,” let this stand as a motto over the new year. May no deed be done this year that does not fulfill this watchword. May no cent enter our year for which we cannot account before God. May no praise delight us in which God cannot rejoice with us. May no pleasure see us as a guest where God could not be a table companion.
“Glory to God!” Let this be the rallying cry for all the forces hidden within us. May all noble forces from the hidden depths of our being gather to action! “Ultimate achievement” is demanded of us by today’s world and life. “Ultimate achievement” is also demanded in its own way by faith from everyone who is truly earnest about the glory of God!
Thus we can and must all work together on the great plan of the world. So wide is the field of work, so immense is the task. The world, which has forgotten its purpose in life, people who have bitterly gone astray in the meaning of life, must again recognize as their life’s purpose: “Glory to God!” They must find peace and security for their soul in this dedication to God’s cause.
God’s angels sing a lullaby to the new year, to our child of sorrow: “Glory to God!” This is a word of comfort that God’s angel whispers into our ear day by day. This is a word of comfort that calls out courage to us in a difficult struggle. – It also becomes for us a word full of richer and deeper happiness.
Church Life : Voice of Estonian Catholics ; 1934-01, pp. 1-2