January 1, 2026

January 1 – Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

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

Daily Thought from the Saints

"As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary."

— Saint Thomas Aquinas

Daily Scripture Verse

"But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

Matthew 6:33-34

Daily Meditation

"Mary is honored in the Church with special reverence. Indeed, from most ancient times the Blessed Virgin Mary has been venerated under the title of 'God-bearer.' In all perils and needs, the faithful have fled prayerfully to her protection. ... it bears in itself and expresses the profound link which exists between the Mother of Christ and the Church. As Virgin and Mother, Mary remains for the Church a "permanent model."... Mary, present in the mystery of Christ, remains constantly present also in the mystery of the Church. ... Like Mary, who first believed by accepting the word of God revealed to her at the Annunciation and by remaining faithful to that word in all her trials even unto the Cross, so too the Church becomes a mother when, accepting with fidelity the word of God, "by her preaching and by baptism she brings forth to a new and immortal life children who are conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God."

— Pope St. John Paul II

Day by Day with Mary, the Mother of God

The One whom [Mary] conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly “Mother of God” [Theotokos].

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 495.

A Prayer from Notre Dame University

Rev. John Sebastian Gutierrez, C.S.C.

Good and loving God, you give us the gift of Mary as a model of faith, hope, and love. In her motherly protection, we offer to you the needs and prayers of our hearts. Help us to grow in our faith when we doubt, our hope when we despair, and our love when we face difficulty. May we be humble of heart and witness to joy in our world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.