The Octave of Christmas concludes today, eight days after celebrating the birth of Christ. On this day we focus on Mary, Mother of God, our Blessed Mother.  

From my childhood, Mary was another mother to me—I clung to her like I clung to my mother. Images of Mary, with her blue mantle, were an invitation into the folds of that beautiful cloth, a place where I would be held tenderly, loved deeply, and protected mightily. Never believing that she took the place of God, I intuited that without Mary, we would not have Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  

As an adult I have come to appreciate Mary’s “yes” that brought us here. What responsibility she agreed to when the angel came upon her! What a shock it must have been, but her “yes” followed anyway.  

Celebrating Mary on this first day of the calendar year seems fitting. From the start, we acknowledge not only her “yes,” but her commitment to her son. It reminds us that we also must say “yes” to many difficult requests, and then we must stick with them, as a mother with her child.  

We are told that Mary heard many things and held them in her heart, always faithful. Christmas aside, this reminds me of the cross. Our Mother held so much in her heart, things we will never know, and said “yes” from beginning to end. T he creche and the cross are never far from one another, and our Blessed Mother reminds us of this today and every day. Let us celebrate her with joy.