The Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God (New Year's Day)

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 Today we stand at a threshold—the Octave Day of Christmas and the first day of a new year. 

It is a moment when many of us make resolutions, hoping this year will be different, better, more faithful. 

Some resolutions we keep, many we don’t. 

But the Church, in her wisdom, places Mary before us today—not as someone who made grand promises, but as someone who was quietly faithful.

In the Gospel, the shepherds hurry off, excited by what they have seen and heard. 

Mary does something very different. She keeps all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. 

She treasures the blessings God has given her, ponders them, prays with them, and allows them to shape her life. 

Mary shows us that faith grows not through constant activity, but through attentive gratitude and prayerful reflection.

The first reading reminds us of God’s deepest desire for us: that His face shine upon us and give us peace. 

That blessing finds its fulfillment in Mary’s Son, Jesus—whose very name means “God saves.” 

Through Him, as St. Paul tells us, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters, able to call God Abba, Father.

As we begin this new year, perhaps the most important resolution is not to do more, but to notice more—to recognize God’s blessings, to give thanks for them, and to carry them prayerfully in our hearts. 

Like Mary, may we make gratitude, prayer, and reflection a priority, trusting that God’s blessing already rests upon us as we walk into this new year.

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