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The solemnity of the Mother of God,
which now coincides with the octave-day of Christmas and the
beginning of the new year, was probably assigned this day
because of the influence of the Byzantine Church, which
celebrates the synapsis of the most holy Theotokos on
December 26. This is in accordance with the Eastern practice
of honoring secondary persons on the day after the feast of
the principal personage (in this case, the birth of Christ).
The Coptic Church celebrates this feast on January 16, but
in the West, as early as the fifth century, the feast was
celebrated on the Sunday before Christmas, although in
France it was celebrated on January 18 and in Spain on
December 18. Even before Pope Sergius introduced four Marian
feasts in the seventh century (the Birth of Mary, the
Annunciation, the Purification and the Assumption), the
octave day of Christmas was celebrated in Rome in honor of
the Maternity of Mary. Later, in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries, the feast of the Circumcision was
added, although it had been introduced into Spain and France
at the end of the sixth century and was later included in
the Missal of Pope St. Pius V. The recent liturgical reform
has restored the original Roman practice, which replaced the
pagan feast of the New Year, dedicated to the god Janus,
with this feast honoring the Mother of God.
A popular movement began in Portugal in the eighteenth
century for a feast honoring Mary's maternity, and in 1914
the date of the feast was fixed at October 11. It was
extended to the entire Latin Church in 1931, the fifteenth
centenary of the Council of Ephesus. The restoration of the
feast to January 1, which falls in the Christmas season and
has an ecumenical significance, coincides with other
anniversaries; for example, the octave day of Christmas, the
circumcision of the Infant Jesus (assigned to the first
Sunday of January); the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
(which dates back to 1721); and the day for peace,
introduced by Pope Paul VI.
In the encyclical Marialis Cultus (1974) Pope Paul VI
states: "This celebration, assigned to January 1 in
conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is
meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery
of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity
which this mystery brings to the 'holy Mother . . . through
whom we were found worthy . . . to receive the Author of
life.' It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewed
adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once
more to the glad tidings of the angels, and for imploring
from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of
peace. For this reason . . . we have instituted the World
Day of Peace, an observance that is gaining increasing
support and is already bringing forth fruits of peace in the
hearts of many" (no. 5).
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Pope Benedict XVI - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 2007
On 1 January 2007, the Octave of Christmas and the Solemnity
of Mary, Mother of God, as well as the 40th World Day of
Peace whose theme was: "The human person, the heart of
peace", the Holy Father presided at Holy Mass in St Peter's
Basilica, commemorating the towering figure of Mary, and
recommended that the faithful begin the New Year "by looking
at Mary".
Pope Benedict XVI - Homily: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of
God, and the 41st World Day of Peace
On 1 January 2008, Octave of Christmas and Solemnity of
Mary, Mother of God, as well as the 41st World Day of Peace,
the Holy Father presided at Holy Mass in St Peter's
Basilica. In his homily, the Pope observed that Mary's
divine motherhood was based on both her bringing forth of
God in the flesh and her total obedience to God in her
heart.
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