On the very first breath of the year, the Church places a mother in our midst. Not resolutions. Not plans. Not noise. But a mother—holding a Child, pondering a mystery.
The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, is not a sentimental pause at the beginning of the year; it is a radical declaration of how God chooses to meet us wherever we are. Not from a distance, but from a womb. Not through power, but through love made flesh, made visible.
In the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we hear one of the most ancient and tender blessings ever spoken: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord let His face shine upon you.”
This blessing is not abstract. Today, it has a face. The face of God shines upon us through the tiny features of a Child cradled in Mary’s arms. What Moses proclaimed in hope, Mary holds in reality. The blessing is no longer just spoken—it is born. It is with us.
In the second reading, St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians tells us why this moment changes everything: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman.”
God could have saved the world in a thousand other ways. But He chose this one—entering time and space through Mary, trusted Himself to her care, allowing her “yes” to become the doorway of our freedom. Through her Son, we are no longer slaves to fear or fate or sin; we are children. We can now say “Abba, Father,” because Mary first said, “Let it be done.”
And in the Gospel from St. Luke, we see what love does in the presence of such a mystery. The shepherds run. They search. They find. But Mary stays. She treasures. She ponders.
While others rush past the miracle, Mary teaches us how to begin a year: not by controlling the future, but by trusting God’s presence within it. She shows us that holiness often looks quiet, hidden, and patient. That the most powerful acts of faith sometimes happen in silence, in reflection, in a heart that listens.
As the Child receives His name Jesus, which means “God saves”, we are reminded that salvation is not an idea. It is a person. And that Person first learned to speak His first words from a mother.
At the threshold of a new year, Mary stands before us, not pointing to herself, but gently presenting her Son. She invites us to receive the true blessing, to live as beloved children, and to begin again—not alone, but held.
May this Mother of God teach us how to carry Christ into the days ahead. May her faith steady us. May her silence teach us. And may the blessing spoken long ago now rest upon us:
The Lord bless you and keep you. Because He already has—through a mother, through a Child, through love made flesh.
ALDRIN CARLO MERCADO PEREZ
Piarist
Hailing from Bulacan, Philippines, Aldrin Carlo Mercado Perez, Sch.P. is a solemn professed Piarist under the Province of Asia Pacific. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Our Lady of the Angels Seminary, pursued theological studies at Loyola School of Theology – Ateneo de Manila University and completed his professional units in education at Lourdes College of Bulacan.
He considered himself as a self-taught artist whose love for the arts and curatorship were nurtured by his early exposition to mural paintings and poster-making competitions. In this regard, he was able to put some of his current paintings in an exhibition at Dry Brush Gallery. He also published his philosophical thesis on Hermenuetics at the Philippine Social Science Center with the title, «Rido in Mindanao: A Gadamerian Reading on Conflict Resolution».
