O Holy Mother of God

Happy Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God!
Also, Happy New Year!

 

Why does Mary have a feast day on New Year’s Day?

In Jewish tradition, the eighth day after the birth of a son is the day of his circumcision and his naming.  So, today is the day where Jesus received his name.

Related to that, the day of the circumcision is the day where the child is considered truly born and the parents are truly parents.  So, today is the day where we celebrate Mary truly being the Mother of God.

In Bethlehem, there is a shrine nearby the Church of the Nativity called the Milk Grotto (where Mary nursed Jesus).  After the birth, the Holy Family moved out of the barn and into another place nearby.

It is in this “house” that the family lived until they fled to Egypt.

 

The Milk Grotto has had a number of miracles associated with it.  People often come here to pray for women who are not able to conceive.  The Franciscan in charge of the shrine showed us his walls, which were covered in pictures of babies with letters attesting to how they prayed to Mary and, after years of being unable to conceive, these women were able to give birth to beautiful children.

 

Holy Mary, Mother of God – pray for us!