More than just marking the very first day of the very first month, celebrating the Solemnity of the Virgin Mary as the Holy Mother of God is what makes New Year’s Day a truly blessed start of the year. Today’s feast commemorates Mary’s divine and virginal motherhood of Jesus, as the Catholic Church honors her with the highest title, “Mother of God.” As early as the third century, Christians had referred to the Blessed Virgin as Theotokos, which means “God-bearer.”
Having this feast on January 1 was a great choice of the Church, not only as a way of keeping with ancient tradition, but more so because it is the Octave Day of Christmas, or the eighth day of Christmas celebration. This makes it both a Mariological and Christological feast- giving us an opportunity to venerate Our Blessed Mother for her role in the mystery of our salvation, and to adore once more our Savior Jesus Christ, born of Mary in a manger in Bethlehem, to redeem all of mankind.
How truly deserving of Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord chosen among all women, to be honored with the holy title of Mother of God! And we do so, for example, each time we proclaim during prayer of the Holy Rosary or the Angelus, “Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”
That Mary is the Mother of God is actually the very first of the four Marian dogmas. This declaration was made in the Council of Ephesus in the year 431, at a time when a man named Nestorius, then patriarch of Constantinople, strongly objected to the said title. He argued that Mary was indeed mother of Jesus, but only in His human nature. Nestorius had an incorrect view of Jesus, seeing Him as having two natures, one human and one divine. But as our early Church Fathers had asserted in the Council, Jesus is God made Man; He is fully God as He is fully human, and these two natures are inseparably united into one holy persona of Christ. Thus, as Mary is the Mother of Jesus, she is truly the Mother of God.
As we welcome another year in Our Lord, let us also welcome in our hearts His Holy Mother. She is the Mother who Jesus gave to us, as He was crucified on the Cross. May we all be reminded that the Blessed Virgin is also our very own, the Mother who leads us closer to Jesus. She is Mama Mary, as I lovingly call her, like the rest of the faithful Catholic Filipinos. The Holy Saints had taught us that we must have faithful confidence in the love and aid of Our Lady for all of us who call on her with much devotion and reverence. She is the refuge of sinners, and our intercessor before God for all graces. Her maternal affection guides the different aspects of our lives; including our close friendships and pure relationships, keeping us connected.
Let us run to the Holy Mother of God, Our Blessed Mother, and live each day in prayer to ask for her love, protection and compassion.
Please pray here with me, the “Hail Mary,” which is literally my most favorite prayer of all.
“Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.”
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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