The Feast of Mary, Queen of Peace, celebrated on 1 January, is a special time in the Catholic Church, marking both the beginning of the calendar year and the veneration of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This feast is an opportunity to turn to Mary, Queen of Peace, and to pray for peace in the world, in our hearts and in our families. It invites us to reflect on true peace, the kind that transcends human circumstances and finds its source in God.
The history and origin of the feast
The feast of Mary, Queen of Peace, was established by the Church to honour the Mother of God and her unique mission to intercede for peace and unity among peoples. The celebration of 1 January was first marked by the solemnity of the Feast of the Holy Mother of God, a feast that commemorates Mary's role in salvation history.
The solemnity of the Holy Mother of God was established at the Council of Ephesus in 431, when it was affirmed that Mary is the Mother of God, the Theotokos, the one who gave birth to Jesus Christ, true God and true man. This feast, celebrated on 1 January, is one of the most important liturgical moments of the Catholic Church.
The feast of Mary, Queen of Peace, is more recent and is part of a particular context. It was instituted in 1954 by Pope Pius XII, at a time when the world was shaken by the ravages of the Second World War and the tensions of the Cold War. The Pope wanted the Church to place peace in the hands of Mary, as a powerful intercessor, and for every Christian to be able to pray for peace, both internal and universal.
Mary, Queen of Peace: a mediator of reconciliation
Mary, Queen of Peace, is a title that underlines the special role of the Virgin Mary in salvation history. She is not only the Mother of Jesus, but also the one who leads us to Him, the mediatrix of peace between humanity and God. In her fiat, her "yes" at the Annunciation, she opened the way for Christ's peace in the world. Jesus himself, after his resurrection, gave Mary this mission to help spread peace, by being a model of faith and prayer for believers. Mary is also the Mother of believers. In her, the Church sees the perfect example of cooperation with the Holy Spirit, the source of true peace. The title "Queen of Peace" reminds us that peace, truly received and lived, is a gift from God, a grace obtained through Mary's intercession.
January 1: a new beginning under Mary's protection
January 1, the day on which the Church celebrates Mary, Mother of God, is also marked by the World Day of Peace. This day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 as a reminder of the importance of praying for peace in a world constantly faced with conflict. By entrusting this day to Mary, Queen of Peace, believers are invited to look to her to intercede for peace throughout the world. The feast of 1 January is therefore an opportune moment to begin the year under the sign of peace, with the certainty that Mary, Queen of Peace, watches over us and over humanity. It is a day of prayer on which Christians are called to pray not only for world peace, but also for inner peace, the peace that begins in the heart of each person and spreads around them.
Mary, model of peace in our daily lives
The peace that Mary offers us is not a superficial peace or a simple lack of conflict. It is a profound peace, the peace of the heart, which flows from an authentic relationship with God. As Queen of Peace, Mary shows us how to welcome God's peace into our lives, how it is nourished by total trust in God and abandonment to his will.
Mary, Queen of Peace, invites us to be instruments of peace in the world. She exhorts us to practise reconciliation, to seek unity, to forgive and to love. Her role as mediatrix reminds us that true peace can only come from God, and it is through our union with Him that we can truly build peace around us.
Mary is the Mother of Peace, and as we pray to her, we ask that she may pour out upon us the peace she received from Christ. She teaches us that this peace is built not only in the absence of war, but in a pure heart and a life of prayer, charity and reconciliation.
Prayer for peace: a universal prayer
January 1, the feast of Mary, Queen of Peace, is therefore an opportunity to intensify our prayer for peace, asking Mary to pray for us and for the world. Prayer for peace in our hearts, in our families, in our countries, and for God's love to triumph over hatred and violence. According to the Gospel, peace is not only a gift from God, but also a call to action. In praying to Mary, we ask her to help us to be builders of peace, in our daily lives, in our relationships and in our societies.
Conclusion: Mary, Queen of Peace, a model and intercessor
The feast of Mary, Queen of Peace, is an invitation to live under the protection of the Virgin Mary, to seek peace in our lives and to spread it around us. On this first day of the year, we renew our trust in God and in the power of Mary's intercession. As Pope Francis reminds us, she is a model of peace, gentleness, faith and perseverance. Her "yes" to God brought peace to the world, and her intercession continues to offer the world a source of comfort and hope. Let us therefore pray to Mary, Queen of Peace, that she may help us to welcome this divine peace into our hearts and to spread it in our lives and in the world.
