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!