On January 1 the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, the oldest Marian feast. Mary of Nazareth, a young woman of Galilee, said yes to God's messenger and became the mother of Jesus. The Council of Ephesus in 431 affirmed her title Theotokos, God-bearer, because the child she carried is truly God and truly man.
Mary shows us what complete trust looks like: she gave her whole life to God without knowing where it would lead, and she stayed faithful through joy and through the deepest sorrow a mother can know. Standing at the cross, she teaches us that love does not leave. She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart, and invites us to do the same.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, hold us close as you held your Son, and pray for us in our joys and in our griefs, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →