January 1
Mary, Mother of God
Feast shown for the year 2027; movable feasts can vary from year to year.
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is one of the oldest and most important feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church’s liturgical calendar. Celebrated on January 1st, it confesses the foundational belief that Mary’s motherhood is not simply symbolic, but is united to the very person of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. This doctrine, affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431, clarified that Jesus is one divine person with two natures and that Mary is properly called Theotokos, or "God-bearer." The Church gives thanks for Mary’s courageous ‘yes’ to God, through which the Word became flesh.
By celebrating Mary as Mother of God, the faithful are invited to reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation and God’s immense love in choosing to enter the world so intimately. This day falls within the Octave of Christmas, linking Jesus’ birth directly with his mother’s vital, God-given mission. Mary's example points the way for all Christians: to trust radically in God’s will, to meditate upon the wonders God works, and to intercede for the world. On this same date, the Church also observes the World Day of Peace, entrusting to Mary, Queen of Peace, the hope for reconciliation and justice.
Thus, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is both a celebration of profound theological truth and a heartfelt day of prayer, asking for Mary’s maternal protection at the dawn of the new year.
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Questions about Mary, Mother of God (Novus Ordo Missae)
Liturgical texts of January 1, 2027
The liturgical day
Mass readings
First readingNb 6, 22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said:
"Speak to Aaron and his sons. You shall say to them:
This is how you will bless the sons of Israel:
‘May the Lord bless you and keep you!
May the Lord make his face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you!
May the Lord turn his face toward you,
and give you peace!’
In this way they will invoke my name upon the sons of Israel,
and I will bless them."
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 66 (67), 2-3, 5, 6.8
May God be gracious and bless us,
may his face shine upon us;
so your way may be known upon earth,
your salvation among all nations.
Let the nations sing for joy,
for you govern the world with justice;
you rule the peoples with fairness,
you guide the nations on the earth.
Let the peoples, O God, give you thanks;
let all the peoples give thanks together!
May God bless us,
and may the whole earth adore him!
Second readingGa 4, 4-7
Brothers and sisters,
when the fullness of time had come,
God sent his Son,
born of a woman
and born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the Law
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
And here is the proof that you are sons:
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
and this Spirit cries out
“Abba!”, that is, Father!
So you are no longer a slave, but a son,
and if you are a son, then you are also an heir:
that is the work of God.
– The word of the Lord.
GospelLc 2, 16-21
At that time,
the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem,
and they found Mary and Joseph,
with the newborn
lying in the manger.
After seeing this,
they told what had been announced to them
about this child.
And all who heard were amazed
at what the shepherds told them.
Mary, meanwhile, treasured all these things
and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds went back;
they glorified and praised God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When the eighth day came,
the day for circumcision,
the child was named Jesus,
the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org