Thursday, January 1, 2026 - Jan. 1: The Octave Day of Christmas: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God - ABC
[Num 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21]
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [Galatians] And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. [Luke]
Can there be a more fundamental prayer in the Catholic Church than the Hail Mary? But only the first half of the prayer was used for nearly 1500 years. The second half of that prayer, Holy Mary, Mother of God.... was only officially added in the 16th century by Pope Pius V (a Dominican). Since the title, "Mother of God," had been declared part of Catholic faith at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D., the prayer we take for granted took a while to reach the form we use today! A very rich and official document [Mater populi fidelis - "Mother of a Faithful People"], on the subject of the appropriate titles to be used for Catholic belief in Mary's role in salvation, has recently appeared from the Vatican Congregation for the Defense of the Faith [CDF]. Anyone interested in going deeper into the faith we express about Mary in the Hail Mary can find the text of this online at https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20251104_mater-populi-fidelis_en.html.
Today's feast, which occurs with the secular "New Year" can serve as a reminder of God's care for us in giving us a woman whose faith stands the model of discipleship for us as her "children in faith." A good New Year's resolution might be to look more intently at that which we take for granted in our constant traditional prayer. Our own participation and cooperation in preaching the gospel can be enriched and deepened! AMEN
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