Dear friends in Jesus Christ, today we celebrate the solemnity of Mary Mother of God and we conclude the Christmas octave today. Last week on this day we celebrated Christmas, the birth of Jesus, today we celebrate the solemnity of Mary Mother of God connected to the birth of Jesus. In other words, both the feasts are based on the same event but stress different personalities. This feast is a celebration of Mary’s Motherhood of Jesus, Jesus who was fully human and fully divine, he was fully man and fully God. Therefore, it is proper to call Mary as the mother of God. The council of Ephesus in 431 ADS affirmed that Mary was fully and truly the mother of God. Thus, we are called to reflect on the motherhood of Mary, mother is not just a source of one’s flesh, she is not just the mother of the body of her children, she is the mother of that person, mother of the whole being of that person. Being a mother is not just something biological, it is something sacred and holy and she is part of the Divine order of God’s creation. No person has come to the world without mother, mother is a symbol of love, mother is a symbol of sacrifice, mother journeys and accompanies her children. She never abandons her children, no matter what happens. Mother Mary accompanied Jesus from Nazareth where she conceived Jesus to Bethlehem where she gave birth to Jesus and she accompanied until Calvary where Jesus died. The Church has given this feast on the first day of the Roman civil year to remind us that Mother Mary will accompany us as mother in our journey of life.
In the first reading taken from the book of Numbers we heard that the lord said to Moses that He will bless the Israelites, the lord will let his face shine upon them and be gracious to them, the Lord will look upon kindly and give them peace. The Lord of Yahweh assures His blessings. Through this reading today we are assured of his continuous blessings in our life. In the coming of the whole year, we are called to be aware of these blessings and manifest these blessings to others. This must lead us to become blessings for others. Mother Mary in her life recognized, accepted and experienced the blessing of the Lord as well as she became a blessing for others. We need to be persons of blessings in our family, in the working place, in the society, in the church and in the world. We need to be persons of blessings to our friends, relatives, strangers and to the people who hate us. For all of us 2025 was not the one that we were expecting, it has affected all of us one way or another, and gave us pain and loss, may be in various levels but the very fact that we are able to enter into the new year 2026 is itself a big great blessing, our attitude and mind sets with which we enter into the new year determines the year ahead of us. Yes, what we take into the new year determines what the year has for us.
As we begin the new year 2026 let us ask the following three questions to ourselves, considering our physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, moral and affective life. What are the habits we are going to keep in this new year, what are the habits we are going to stop in this new year, what are the habits we are going to start in this new year for the well being of our whole self, this is the question to reflect? As we celebrate World Peace Day today, let us also not forget that we need to be persons of blessing to make the world more peaceful and beautiful and continuously pray for peace in the world, may Mother Mary always intercede for us and journey with us. Happy feast and grace filled New Year.