THE OCTAVE DAY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD
Mary, Mother of God
The Church begins every new civil year with a profound proclamation: Mary is the Mother of God. Not merely a poetic title, not an honorary gesture, but a truth rooted in Scripture, affirmed by the early Church, and safeguarded by the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431). On this Octave Day of Christmas, the Church invites us to contemplate the mystery of a young woman whose yes changed the course of salvation history.
Pregnancy, birth, choosing a name, and presenting a child for circumcision are milestones that mark the life of any new mother. Only women who have carried life within them can fully grasp the awe, vulnerability, and joy of this sacred journey. The rest of us can only marvel at the beautiful miracle God works in a woman’s body and soul, again and again, generation after generation.
Mary lived these moments not in abstraction, but in the concrete reality of her humanity. She carried Jesus beneath her heart. She felt His first movements. She endured labor. She held Him close in the cold night air of Bethlehem. She heard Him cry, fed Him, soothed Him, and watched Him grow. The Incarnation is not an idea—it is an event that unfolded in the body and heart of a mother.
In a special way, this mystery of love and obedience echoes the reflection on the Holy Family as a model of love and obedience . Just as Joseph and Mary lived their vocation in quiet fidelity, Mary’s motherhood becomes a school of trust for every disciple.
“Born of a woman, born under the law”
Saint Paul captures this mystery with striking simplicity:
“But 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.”
— Galatians 4:4–5, NABRE
Jesus is fully God, yet fully human—shaped, as every child is, by the love, tenderness, and example of His mother. The Catechism affirms:
“Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man.”
— CCC 509
Just as a woman whose son becomes a doctor is rightly called “the mother of a doctor,” Mary is rightly called Theotokos—God-bearer—because the One she bore is God.
This title does not elevate Mary above God; rather, it protects the truth about Christ. If Jesus is truly God, and Mary gave birth to Him, then she is truly the Mother of God. The Church defends this title to safeguard the mystery of the Incarnation and to keep our focus firmly on the truth that the Child of Bethlehem is both true God and true man.
Mary’s faith: A life of continual surrender
Mary did not understand every detail of her vocation from the beginning. Scripture is honest about this:
“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
— Luke 1:45, NABRE
Her greatness lies not in perfect comprehension, but in perfect trust. Her entire life can be summarized in her response to the angel:
“May it be done to me according to your word.”
— Luke 1:38, NABRE
This is the posture of every true disciple—trusting God even when the path is unclear, surrendering even when the cost is great, believing even when understanding is partial. Mary’s faith was not passive. It was active, courageous, and persevering. She pondered. She listened. She followed. She stood at the foot of the Cross. She received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. She became the mother of all disciples (cf. John 19:26–27).
Her quiet, steady obedience harmonizes beautifully with the witness of the Holy Family as a model of love and obedience , where the hidden life of Nazareth reveals a powerful school of faith, sacrifice, and trust.
The blessing spoken over God’s people
On this solemnity, the Church proclaims the ancient priestly blessing from the Book of Numbers— a blessing fulfilled in Christ and entrusted to Mary’s maternal care:
“The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!”
— Numbers 6:24–26, NABRE
Mary carried within her the very Face that shines upon us. She held Peace Himself in her arms. She became the first to receive the fullness of this blessing—and the first to share it with the world.
Psalm 67 echoes this same longing:
“May God be gracious to us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.”
— Psalm 67:2, NABRE
In Mary, this prayer becomes flesh. In Jesus, this blessing becomes salvation. The maternal presence of Mary, which we see reflected in the life of the Holy Family , reminds us that God’s blessing is not abstract; it is embodied, personal, and near.
The name given under heaven
The Gospel for this day recounts the moment Jesus received His holy name:
“When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”
— Luke 2:21, NABRE
The name Jesus means “God saves.” Mary did not choose this name; she received it. She did not design her mission; she accepted it. She did not grasp for greatness; she embraced humility.
Through her, the Savior enters the world. Through her, the covenant is fulfilled. Through her, the promise becomes a Person. Her maternal obedience harmonizes with Joseph’s silent fidelity and the hidden life of Nazareth, where the Holy Family teaches us how to live under the holy name of Jesus with reverence and trust.
Heirs by God’s design
Saint Paul continues:
“So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”
— Galatians 4:7, NABRE
Mary’s motherhood opens the door to our adoption. Her yes allows our yes. Her Son becomes our Brother. Her God becomes our Father.
This is why the Church honors Mary—not as a distant figure, but as a mother who accompanies us, intercedes for us, and leads us to her Son. Just as the Holy Family’s model of love and obedience shines light on our daily relationships, Mary’s motherhood in the order of grace illumines our identity as sons and daughters, heirs by God’s design.
A mother for every disciple
The Catechism beautifully summarizes Mary’s role:
“By her complete adherence to the Father’s will … Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity.”
— CCC 967
“She is our mother in the order of grace.”
— CCC 968
Mary is not simply the Mother of Jesus—she is the Mother of all who belong to Him. On this Solemnity, we entrust the new year to her maternal care. We ask her to teach us how to listen, how to trust, how to surrender, and how to love. We ask her to form Christ within us, just as she formed Him within her womb.
As we reflect on Mary, Mother of God, and on the quiet strength of the Holy Family , we are invited to let our homes become small Nazareths—places where Jesus is honored, where God’s will is welcomed, and where love, obedience, and trust are lived in the ordinary rhythm of daily life.
A prayer for the new year
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of each one of us—
pray for us.
May the Lord bless us and keep us.
May His face shine upon us.
May His peace rest upon our homes, our families, and our hearts.
May this year be a year of grace, guided by your maternal hand and anchored in the name of Jesus,
the One who saves.
Amen.
For more reflections and devotions, you can explore additional posts at Enlighten Hearts Ministries .
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