They are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.

The Catholic Church marks the New Year by celebrating Mary as our Mother. It is
indeed fitting that we consider how we start the year under the protection of Our
Lady. The New Year is a blessing upon all of us as we are given an opportunity by
God to start upon activities that will seek to glorify His name, amidst all the
past failures and lost opportunities we may have encountered in the previous year.

The readings of today are one of great rejoicing and blessing because that is what
the New Year should be. The Church has chosen this day for us to remember the
importance of Mary in salvation history. Mary’s agreement to do the will of God
enabled Man to be saved from sin. Mothers often suffer patiently and put in a
tremendous amount of sacrifice for their children without the latter’s knowledge.
Perhaps it will be good if there is an opportunity for us to recall what God has
asked us to do.

We can follow the example of Our Lady, who surrendered her will and let the will of
God flow through her entire being. As we go about today recovering from the
enjoyment of New Year’s Eve, let us remember to dedicate the first day of 2019 to
Our Lady and ask her to take us under her mantle and protect us from all harm and
evil.