January 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

God our Father,

may we always profit by the prayers
of the Virgin Mother Mary,
for You bring us life and salvation
through Jesus Christ her Son
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Today, New Year’s Day—the Octave of Christmas-- we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In this, the first and most important of the Marian feast days, we recognize as a Catholic people, the divine and virginal motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a singular salvific event—the event which has the power and intent to redeem and save us! For Our Blessed Mother, the Incarnation and delivery of Christ was the foretaste and cause of her extraordinary glory. For us, as believers, it is, was, and will be a source of grace and salvation because "through her we have received the Author of life.”

Today, we recognize Mary as the Theotokos—the Mother of God. Our celebration of the Blessed Virgin—our mother as well—is based upon the source of her privileges: her blessed maternity. As the Mother of God, Mary helped bring the message of Christ to the world. As Christ was the Lord’s first thought in regards to the salvation of mankind, Mary must be the second thought, as the vessel of the Incarnation, the first tabernacle, the flesh of His flesh, and the blood of His blood. In delivering Christ, Our Blessed Mother delivered all her children from sin, bringing the Light of the World into our midst.

As recorded in the Lumen Gentium, Mary is: "truly the Mother of God and of the Redeemer...not merely passively engaged by God, but freely cooperating in the work of our salvation through faith and obedience." As Pope John Paul II wrote in the Redemptoris Mater, Mary manifests: "a new kind of motherhood according to the spirit and not just according to the flesh, that is to say Mary's solicitude for human beings, her coming to them in the wide variety of their wants and needs. At Cana in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need, apparently a small one and of little importance ("They have no wine"). But it has a symbolic value, this coming to the aid of human beings means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of Christ's messianic mission and salvific power."

As we celebrate and honor Our Blessed Mother today, we also honor Our Lord—who is inseparable from His mother, both fully divine and fully human. We reflect on the wisdom of the Lord in selecting the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of God, and we look to her—who constantly intercedes for us in heaven and mediates the grace of God—for assistance and intercession. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

Salve Regína, Mater Misericórdiae: Vita, dulcédo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamámus, éxsules, fílii Hevae. Ad te suspirámus, geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle. Eia ergo, Advocáta nostra, illos tuos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. Et Jesum, benedíctum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsílium osténde. O clemens; O pia; O dulcis Virgo María.

Father,
Source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore Your Son
who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace.
May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love,
be Your people's joy through all ages.
May her response, born of a humble heart,
draw our Spirit to rest on Your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen




Year 2: Day 1 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Lives of grace and sacrifice
Requested Intentions: For family intentions (I); Reconciliation of a marriage (S); For blessings upon a family (R); Permanent employment (N); Successful employment (M); Successful completion of nursing exam (M); For a daughter in an abusive relationships (J); For the consecration of a granddaughter to Our Blessed Mother (A); For a successful marriage (S); Restoration of a teaching job (L); Health and spirituality of family members (R); For a return to health for a friend (C); Healing from cancer of a brother-in-law (C); Healthy relationship; Joy in everyday life (J); Successful employment and financial assistance for education (M); For the return home of father and husband suffering from mental illness (C); Successful passing of examination; Employment for Son (J); Healing of a family and son (S); Successful marriage (G); End to husband’s addictions; Son’s employment (M); Freedom from financial burdens (M); Healing after a miscarriage (E); For healing of friend; successful resolution of legal matter (A); Complete healing of a friend with pancreatic cancer (J); Healing of a father following stroke (S).