1 January 2026- Solemnity of Mary,
The Holy Mother of God
Mass Readings: Num 6: 22-27 Ps 67
Gal 4:4-7 Lk 2:16-21
Key Verse to Meditate: After eight days had
passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name
given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb (Lk 2:21).
My
dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Happy New Year 2026 to
each and every one!
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the
Mother of God.
A few days after Christmas and the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, on
this first day of the New Year 2026, we return to the dawn of Christ’s journey
in the history of humanity, celebrating his Mother, who is also our Mother. Mary is also the Queen of Peace, because
she is the Mother of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, to whom this first day of the year is dedicated.
It is an
ineffable gift of Jesus to each and every one of us that he gives Mary, his
Mother, to us as our heavenly Mother and Queen. Today is the first day of the
year, and traditionally this day is dedicated to the feast of Mary, Most Holy
Mother of God. This celebration, in fact, coincides with the eighth day after
the birth of Jesus—the day of his circumcision, namely, the imposition of the
name on the child Jesus. From the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear in today’s Gospel
the following words: “When the eight days prescribed for circumcision were
completed, he was given the name Jesus, as he had been called by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb” (Lk 2:21). Even the name Jesus, which
means “God saves,” was given according to what had already been foretold by the
angel (Lk 1:31).
Church
Documents on Mother Mary
At the
beginning of the New Year 2026, Holy Mother Church opens the year with the
Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. In 431, at the Council of Ephesus, the
motherhood of Mary was solemnly defined. It was a singular grace given to Our
Lady to be the virginal Mother of the only Son of God, the second Person of the
Holy Trinity. God took his humanity from the Holy Virgin Mary.
The
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, celebrated on the first day of the year,
calls us to reflect on why Mary was chosen by God for such a unique vocation:
to be the Mother of all humanity. With Mary, we come to know God more deeply
and rediscover him as Father, Saviour, and Redeemer. The opening prayer of
today’s Mass is centred precisely on highlighting this maternity of Mary for
the whole Church.
For this
reason, the Second Vatican Council also sought to affirm doctrinally this truth
of faith regarding the Mother of God, defining her as Mother of the Church. The
prayer expresses this beautifully:
O God,
who in the fruitful virginity of Mary gave the human race the goods of eternal
salvation, grant that we may experience her intercession, since through her we
have received the Author of life (cf. Acts 3:15), Christ your Son.
Mary was
called the Mother of God, Theotokos, and this title helped
to resolve many theological disputes. This appellation is particularly dear to
Eastern Christians, especially our brothers and sisters in the Orthodox
Churches, where it is deeply rooted in theology and frequently repeated in
their rich and beautiful liturgies. The Byzantine liturgy, in particular,
venerates Mary as the “most perfect,” as seen in the many official prayers
dedicated to her.
Mary,
Mother of God
The
title “Mary, Mother of God” reminds us that Jesus was truly human because, as
Scripture says, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of
a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as children” (Gal 4:4–5). He was born of a
woman at a particular time in history. The privilege of being the Mother of God
meant that Mary would serve in a unique way and be of great help in the
redemptive work of Christ (as Co-Redemptrix). Mary was the first to be saved by
Christ and was also the first in the human race to receive Christ both bodily
and spiritually. The motherhood of Mary was, above all, a free gift beyond
compare, which immediately called her to be totally open to the grace of God.
With her “yes” (Lk 1:38), Mother Mary cooperates in the salvific work of God.
Mother
of Everyone
By
becoming the Mother of God, Mary also becomes the Mother of the Church and the
Mother of everyone. By giving birth to the Head of the mystical Body of the
Church, Jesus, she has, in a way, given birth to all of us who are members of
this mystical Body. Just as we need a mother to be born into this world, so too
we need a mother to be born into the life of grace, and that mother is our
Blessed Mother. God has decided not to leave us orphans; therefore, he has
given us a heavenly Mother. She sustains us in our journey of faith towards her
Son, Jesus Christ. Mother Mary stands between us and Jesus, her Son and Lord.
She presents all our petitions before her Son and intercedes for us. She is
like a light that illumines our path and makes our cold hearts feel the warmth
of grace as we encounter our frailties.
Life
of obedience to God’s Word
Mother
Mary is an invitation to a life of obedience to God’s Word and submission to
God’s will, lived in silence and prayer. Mother Mary represents all of us as
human beings. We need to become obedient to the will of God (Lk 1:38) and
willing to carry it out, whatever it may cost us in our life of faith. In Lk
2:19 and 2:51, we read that Mary kept all these things in her heart, pondering
over them. The Word of God must be meditated upon if we wish to bear fruit in
the life of grace. Listening to God’s Word and obeying or accepting the will of
God are, in a profound way, closely connected. May we imitate this Mother of
God in our lives, blessing everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus, in the same
way Moses was commanded to bless the Israelites: “The LORD bless you and keep
you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD
lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num 6:22–27).
First
and Second Readings
The first reading for this solemnity, taken from the Book of Numbers, reports the dialogue between the Lord and Moses inviting him to speak to Aaron and his sons, saying the following expressions of total gratitude to God: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face to you and grant you peace. We too are called to pronounce these lines of benedictions to the people we meet. The dignity and the mission of Mary for Christ and the Church is also recalled in the second reading of today’s celebration in the passage from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians: Brothers, when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law (Gal 4:4).
The
Gospel Reading
The
Gospel of today presents Mary to us, already from the birth of Jesus, as a
mother who, in the face of what happens, “guards everything, meditating on it
in her heart.” This is what the writer of the Third Gospel tells us in today’s
Gospel: “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Lk
2:19). On the first day of the year, the peace of Jesus is offered to us
through the peace of Mary, inviting everyone to be a witness of peace by
guarding and meditating on everything in the heart. We too are called to give
importance to the meditation of the Word of God, pondering everything in the
depths of our hearts throughout this year. Mary, whom we celebrate today as the
Mother of God, suggests to us the correct attitude for living the present and
the future, oriented toward what is essential: to keep every event in the heart
and meditate on it in the light of the Word. Only in this way will we discover,
in the events we live, the smile of God upon us. One of the reasons that
prompts us to look at Mary as the Mother of God is her capacity to keep
everything in her heart and ponder over it.
You
shall Name Him ‘Jesus’
After
the eighth day, every Jewish male child was named on the day of circumcision,
which was a sign instituted by Yahweh—a sign of the covenant (Gen 17:10–12).
The parents gave the name “Jesus,” which had already been revealed to them even
before he was conceived (Lk 1:31; Mt 1:21). Thus, we see that the name of Jesus
is exalted far above every other name on earth (Phil 2:9–11). The meaning of
the Hebrew name Jesus is “the Lord saves” (Saviour). In Mt 1:21, it is said
that Jesus will save his people from their sins. Yes, this is the Saviour who
came into the world, the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29), who takes away our sins and who
has authority to forgive sins on earth (Mt 9:6; Mk 2:10). This is the Word who
was God (Jn 1:1), and this is also the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us
(Jn 1:14). Therefore, it is fitting that Mary is rightly called not only the
“Mother of Christ,” who brought Christ into the world, but also Theotokos, a Greek term meaning
“God-bearer.” The name of Jesus is on the lips of every disciple of Christ. May
we place our hope in the name of Jesus.
Points
for Personal Reflections
Mary lived her faith in the simplicity of the
thousand daily occupations and concerns of every mother, such as providing
food, clothing, and caring for the household, while always striving to remain
faithful to her first “yes” to God’s will. We venerate Mother Mary today as our
own mother, like St. Elizabeth, who recognised her cousin Mary as the Mother of
God, saying, “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes
to me?” (Lk 1:43).
Dear brothers and
sisters, as we begin the New Year in the holy company of Mary Most Holy, let us
pray through her intercession in this Holy Eucharist that God may bless all of
us with spiritual blessings and good health, so that we too may have the grace,
like her, to respond to God’s invitation to new life and remain ever faithful
to God in our lives. God chose an earthly mother to reach us and redeem us. By
choosing a mother for himself, God encourages us to value the role of
motherhood and to follow her example. On this first day of the year, we need to
allow ourselves to be enlightened by the faith of Mary, our mother and guide.
In moments of
difficulty, trial, and darkness, do we look to Mother Mary as a model of trust
in God, who always kept everything in her heart?
Wishing
each and every one of you a Happy New Year 2026!
