(Source from “The Word Among Us”)

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God. (Luke 2:20)

Today we celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of God, the one who brought the Son of God into the world. And as much as we honor Mary today, we also honor Jesus, her divine Son.

At first glance, it may seem odd that today’s Gospel focuses on the shepherds who came to see the newborn Jesus and left praising God. But surely Mary would want us to join them in their songs of praise! In everything she did, Mary led people to glorify her Son for the salvation he would win for them.

In every age, Mary has sought to bring all people to Jesus and to urge them to praise and worship him. In fact, it’s probably her greatest desire for us as we begin a new year. She knows that we have so many reasons to praise her Son. We can praise him for becoming a man and teaching us to pray. We can adore him for offering himself on the cross to save us. We can glorify him for giving us his Spirit and making us children of God. We can never run out of reasons to praise Jesus!

So make this your goal: to praise Jesus more in 2023. It’s not always easy to include praise in your daily prayer, especially if you’re not accustomed to it. You might not know what to say. But you can begin by thanking Jesus for your blessings. You can also praise him for forgiving your sins. And you can rejoice in his faithfulness and unending love.

As you add praise to your prayer, you can always ask Mary, Mother of God and your Mother, for help. You can use the Magnificat, her own song of praise, as a model as you set out to magnify the Lord (Luke 1:46-55). And you can take comfort in knowing that Mary is praising Jesus right along with you—all year long!

“My soul proclaims your greatness, Lord! My spirit rejoices in you, my Savior!”