The mother of Jesus Christ, honored on January 1 as the Mother of God. She is the Church’s model of faith, saying a full “yes” to God’s will.
Life
Mary was a young woman of Nazareth. When the angel Gabriel told her she would conceive the Son of God, she answered, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
With Joseph she gave birth to Jesus and raised him. At the wedding at Cana she asked Jesus for his first sign, and she stood at the foot of the cross. After the Resurrection she prayed with the disciples as they awaited the Holy Spirit.
In 431 the Council of Ephesus confessed Mary as Mother of God, a mystery the Church celebrates every January 1.
Spirituality
Mary’s spirituality is the “yes” of faith. Without understanding everything, she accepted God’s will and treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19).
Reflection
On the first day of the year, can I say “yes” to God as Mary did, without knowing all that lies ahead? Name one worry you will entrust to God this year.