(Mary, the Mother of God 2026: This homily was given on January 1, 2026 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67:2-8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21.)
We begin this year—we begin EVERY year—with Mary, our
Blessed Mother.
I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think the Holy Spirit, working through the
Church, has us honor our Lady every January 1 for a reason. I think the Holy Spirit has us honor our Lady
every New Year’s Day because Mary reminds us of certain truths—certain
ideas—that should guide us throughout the year.
For example, Mary reminds us that our intention each and
every day of each and every year should be to do the perfect and holy will of
God. “Be it done unto me according to
your word” was not only Mary’s response to the Lord at the Annunciation; it was
her response to the Lord at every single moment of her earthly life! That’s why we honor her above all the other
saints.
If we’re going to do God’s will faithfully in our lives,
then we, like Mary, need to be seeking holiness more than anything else. That’s something else our Lady reminds us
of. Of course, since none of us is
perfect in this regard, we need to make a habit of going to confession on a
regular basis. We can’t grow in holiness
if we’re not seeking forgiveness for our sins regularly—at least every couple
of months or so.
Mary also reminds us of the importance of prayer—and of
reflecting on our lives when we pray. In
today’s gospel, St. Luke tells us that our Blessed Mother “kept all these
things and reflected on them in her heart.”
These “things” were the events surrounding our Lord’s birth. Mary prayed about these events, asking the
Father to help her understand his salvific plan and how she fit into it.
Mary also reminds us that suffering is a part of life—even
if you’re the greatest of saints; even if you’re the holiest human person who
ever lived on planet earth. Mary, as we
all know, was perfect—she was without sin—and yet, a “sword” of suffering
pierced her soul during the passion and death of her Son, just as Simeon had
predicted it would. Her moral perfection
did not mean she was exempt from trial.
So obviously we should not expect to have a pain-free life
in 2026 or in any other year! Mary
certainly didn’t expect that for herself.
But we SHOULD expect God’s grace to help us deal with our pain and
suffering, as his grace helped Mary deal with hers. No doubt Mary sought that grace as she
prayerfully reflected on the events of her life—especially the events
surrounding our Lord’s birth and death.
In her popular song, “Breath of Heaven,” Amy Grant puts some
beautiful words on the lips of our Blessed Mother that make this point. The words are the words of a prayer for
strength and help: a prayer from Mary to the Holy Spirit:
Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
light in my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
These are just a few of the reasons why it is good—and why
it is fitting—for us to begin every year with Mary. She teaches us, by her words and example, how
to approach the next 365 days. She
teaches us to make every effort to do the will of God. She teaches us to seek holiness and to go to
confession regularly. She teaches us to
pray daily, to reflect on the events of our lives, and to seek the Lord’s help
confidently in the midst of our sufferings and trials. Of course, ultimately the Church has us begin
each year with Mary so that someday we will END with Mary—so that someday we
will end our lives with her, in that Kingdom that Jesus Christ her Son died and
rose from the dead to give to her and to give to all of us.