Saint of the Day for 1 January
Saint of the Day 1 January: Celebrating the Lives of the Church’s Saints
Every day, the Catholic Church honors a saint or blessed who stood out for their faith, dedication, and love for God. The Saint of the Day is an opportunity for the faithful to learn more about the history of the Church and be inspired by the witness of these men and women who lived according to Christ’s teachings.
The Meaning of the Saint of the Day
The celebration of the Saint of the Day is a Church tradition that helps us remember those who were examples of faith and holiness. Saints may have been martyrs who gave their lives defending their faith, missionaries who spread the Gospel, or ordinary people who lived in deep communion with God through simplicity.
Learning about each saint’s story inspires us to live with more love, patience, and hope. It also reminds us that we are all called to holiness.
Why Do We Celebrate the Saints?
Saints serve as models of Christian life. Their stories show us that, despite challenges, it is possible to live according to God’s will. Moreover, the faithful often seek the intercession of saints, believing that they are close to God and can pray for our needs.
Following the Saint of the Day is a way to strengthen our spiritual journey and learn from those who dedicated their lives to serving God. May we follow their examples and strive each day to live with greater love, faith, and hope!
🙏 May today’s Saint of the Day intercede for us and inspire us to live according to God’s will!
The Council of Ephesus in 431 confirmed a truth very dear to the Christian people: Mary is the true Mother of God, insofar as she is mother of Jesus, true God and true man: two natures in one Divine person, without confusion, without change, without division.
A native of Civitavecchia (1745-1824), he became a Passionist priest, over the objection of his father. A great preacher, he became bishop of Macerata. He cared for seminarians’s formation and helped the poor. After refusing to swear loyalty to Napoleon, the Pope called him as his advisor in Rome.
Liturgical Calendar
1 January: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God The Octave Day of Christmas
Solemnity
Today's Readings and Gospel
Reading I:
Numbers 6:22-27
Reading II:
Galatians 4:4-7
Alleluia:
Hebrews 1:1-2
Gospel:
Luke 2:16-21
Liturgical vestments: White
“The entire community of the city of Ephesus waited anxiously for the resolution [of Mary's motherhood synod] ... When it became known that the author of the blasphemies [Nestorious] had been deposed, with one voice we began to glorify God.” (Saint Cyril of Alexandria)
“Jesus is the Son of God and at the same time he is the son of a woman, Mary. He comes from her. He is of God and of Mary. For this reason one can and must call the Mother of Jesus the Mother of God, “Theotókos” (Council of Ephesus, 431 A.D.” (Benedict XVI)
“The Council of Ephesus proclaimed in 431 that Mary truly became the Mother of God by the human conception of the Son of God in her womb: Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that was born from her.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 466)
Today the Gospel reveals to us that Mary’s greatness does not consist in performing an extraordinary deed; rather, while the shepherds, having received the announcement from the angels, hurry towards Bethlehem (cf.Lk 2:15-16), she remains silent. The Mother’s silence is a beautiful feature. It is not the simple absence of words, but a silence filled with wonder and adoration for the wonders that God is working. “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart”, Saint Luke notes (2:19). In this way she makes room within herself for the One who was born; in silence and adoration, she places Jesus at the centre and bears witness to him as Saviour. Mary, the Mother of silence; Mary, the Mother of adoration.
Thus, she is Mother not only because she carried Jesus in her womb and gave birth to him, but because she brings him into the light, without occupying his place. She will remain silent even beneath the cross, in the darkest hour, and will continue to make room for him and generate him for us. A 20th-century religious and poet wrote: “Virgin, cathedral of silence / [...] you bring our flesh into paradise / and God into the flesh” (D.M. Turoldo, Laudario alla Vergine. “Via pulchritudinis”, Bologna 1980, 35). Cathedral of silence : it is a beautiful image. With her silence and humility, Mary is God’s first “cathedral”, the place where he and humanity can meet.
But our mothers too, with their hidden care, with their thoughtfulness, are often magnificent cathedrals of silence. They bring us into the world and then continue to attend to us, often unnoticed, so that we can grow. Let us remember this: love never stifles; love makes room for the other. Love lets us grow.
Brothers and sisters, at the beginning of the new year, let us look to Mary and, with a grateful heart, let us also think of and look to mothers, to learn that love that is cultivated above all in silence, that knows how to make room for the other, respecting their dignity, leaving the freedom to express themselves, rejecting every form of possession, oppression and violence. There is so much need for this today, so much! There is so much need for silence to listen to each other. (Angelus, 1 January 2024)