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Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Jan 1)

January 01, 2026

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

FIRST READING Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord spoke to Moses: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, 24 “‘The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.’ 27 “So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

SECOND READING Galatians 4:4-7

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL Luke 2:16-21

When the angels had left them the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 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.

HOMILY

The Mother of God has been making the rounds. Beyond the usual appearances on Christmas cards, in Christmas carols, and Nativity scenes, she drew the world's attention when her cathedral was reopened in Paris after the devastating fire five years ago. The presence of so many dignitaries in secular France which shies away from such public displays of religious faith was quite remarkable. After all, the French state has claimed ownership of the place since the early 20th Century "allowing" the Church to use it for religious functions. And who can forget how during the French Revolution Notre Dame was desecrated in favor of the "Goddess of Reason" blasphemously enthroned on its former altar? So in this sea of "laicité" — as they call the separation of Church and State in France — the glories of Our Lady's shrine shone forth once again on the vigil of her Immaculate Conception. Speaking inside the building, rather in the forecourt as planned due to inclement weather, French president Macron even remarked how the French people are “heirs to a past greater than ourselves” and how Notre Dame “tells us how much meaning and transcendence help us to live in this world.” Whether the pope's message sent for the occasion that "the rebirth of this admirable church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France" remains to be seen.

Then there's the film Mary appearing on Netflix. I haven't seen it as I'm not a subscriber nor do I care much for the genre as biblical portrayals will usually contain something that makes me cringe. Though its director D. J. Caruso has said, "I’m very familiar with Mary and she represents something to me that’s very vital and important. But most importantly, it’s really the character in this young woman. I thought, if I can grab that and get the audience immersed in her story — because I’ve seen so many Mary movies or movies that have Mary that are sort of far removed that it’s sort of the Christmas card painting that we all think we all know — I wanted to jump into the story and really tell a story of a young woman who had courage, who had hope, who also had apprehensions and had fears. So, in telling that story, it’s really the character of Mary that was speaking to me."

While the actress who portrays Mary, Noa Cohen, has said, "I decided to take on the role of Mary because it offered a unique opportunity to explore a side of her that hadn’t been fully portrayed before. This film allows audiences to see Mary not just as a vessel for something greater but as a young woman navigating the complexities of life, balancing her divine role with her humanity. Playing her was an incredible experience that felt both humbling, and a tremendous responsibility. Embodying her vulnerability and resilience as she faced both divine and very human challenges was deeply fulfilling. It was a special opportunity to bring her story to life in a way that will hopefully allow the audience to connect with her on a deeply human level." (Y!entertainment; December 9, 2024; Aleteia; December 9, 2024)

Now both events — at the cathedral and the film — show a tendency in approaching the figure of the Blessed Virgin sometimes framed as Marian "minimalism" and Marian "maximalism." The latter highlights the exalted "Mary of faith" and her unique privileges of Immaculate Conception, Divine Motherhood, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption and powerful Intercessor. The former would not have us forget the "Mary of history" firmly placed within her historical, cultural and religious setting that circumscribed her life. (In the interests of full disclosure, I am personally a maximalist, while not omitting the perspective I am glad to read the film Mary emphasizes).

But today's solemnity, the most ancient of her feast days, coming on this Octave Day of Christmas, celebrates her as the Mother of God or, as the Eastern Churches call her, the Theotokos.

And this places her in an entirely unique role of privilege and exaltation. The hymns, theological treatises, and devotional practices in her honor begin here, as does the new civil year, though the doctrine and title were fought over mightily, coming to a climax during the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431.

The main opponents were Cyril of Alexandria, who supported the title, and Nestorius, who opposed it. In adopting Cyril's views, whereby the assembled bishops endorsed his teaching as its own, the Council affirmed the unity in one divine Person — that of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity — of Christ's divine and human natures. In other words, Christ is not a composite or a hybrid of the two. Moreover, because of this unity what is said of him as a human being may also be said of him as God. "God was born." "God lived among us." "God died." And yes, God has a Mother. Or in Cyril's own words:

…because the holy virgin bore in the flesh God who was united hypostatically [i.e. personally] with the flesh, for that reason we call her mother of God, not as though the nature of the Word had the beginning of its existence from the flesh (for the Word…is coeternal with the Father…) but because, as we have said, he united to himself hypostatically the human and underwent a birth according to the flesh from her womb. (cf. Third Letter to Nestorius).

So despite the ease and frequency with which we pray the words "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners" all too familiar — we should nevertheless be in awe each and every time we say them, no less than those shepherds whose message left all who heard it amazed by what had been told them while Mary herself kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart (G). As the Church continues to do, as must we, who have been found worthy to receive the Author of life through her (cf. Collect). Our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.

INTERCESSIONS (from Pope Francis' Urbi et orbi blessing on Christmas Day)

May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.

May the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East. [For the Christian communities in Palestine and in Israel, particularly in Gaza] where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war. May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region devastated by conflict [including the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this most delicate time] and for the Libyan people to seek solutions that enable national reconciliation.

May the birth of the Saviour bring a new season of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from an outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the people of the East of that country, and of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique. [For an end to the] humanitarian crisis that affects them caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism, aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, resulting in the loss of life and the displacement of millions of people. [For the] nations of the Horn of Africa, for the gifts of peace, concord and fraternity. May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire.

May the proclamation of Christmas bring comfort to the people of Myanmar, who, due to the ongoing clash of arms, suffer greatly and are forced to flee their homes.

May the Infant Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent to find as soon as possible effective solutions, in justice and truth, to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua. May they work, particularly during this Jubilee Year, to advance the common good and respect the dignity of each person, surmounting political divisions.

May the Jubilee Year be an opportunity to tear down all walls of separation: the ideological walls that so often mark political life, and also physical walls, such as the division that has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years now and has rent its human and social fabric. May a mutually agreed solution be found, a solution that can put an end to the division in full respect for the rights and dignity of all the Cypriot communities.

For all those children who suffer from war and hunger. For the elderly, so often forced to live in conditions of solitude and abandonment. For those who have lost their homes or are fleeing their homelands in an effort to find a safe haven. For all those who have lost their jobs or are unable to find work. For prisoners who, everything notwithstanding, are still children of God, always children of God. For all those – and there are many of them – who endure persecution for their faith.

In gratitude to those who spend themselves, quietly and faithfully, in doing good and in serving others: parents, educators and teachers, who have the great responsibility of forming future generations; healthcare workers, the forces of order and all those men and women who carry out works of charity, especially missionaries throughout the world: they bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty.

Most high God, you come near to us this Christmas season in the child born of the Virgin Mary. In the depths of darkness, she gave birth to light; in the depths of silence, she brought forth the Word. Grant that we who ponder these things in our hearts may recognise in her child our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

OFFERTORY CHANT

OFFERTORY HYMN

Heaven’s dawn is breaking brightly,

Happy Christmas morn!

Of the blessed Virgin Mary,

Jesus Christ is born.

To him let us sing, praise and honor bring,

O thou precious tender infant,

to thy Name we sing.

Hark! the angel song proclaiming:

“Peace to all the earth!”

Have no fear, I bring you tidings

of the Savior’s birth.

To him let us sing…

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

CLOSING HYMN

Now is the old year passed away;
Let us begin the new this day.
Praising our God, who here on earth
Kept us in quietness and mirth!
Oh, like the glad New Year, may we
Wholly renewed this day be,
Praising our God eternally!

Child of our love, O Jesus dear,
Thou who art still our Savior here:
Thee do we pray with all our heart,
Nevermore leave us nor depart!
Save us from war, from hate, from fear;
Keep us in peace together here.
Grant us a tranquil, joyous year!

Gladly together then will we,
O highest God of heaven, to Thee
Bring through the year our songs of praise,
And evermore through endless days
Here while on earth our time shall be.
And then through all eternity
Singing with joyful hearts to Thee!

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