Reader Question: January 1, Old and New

A reader writes:

What is January 1 on the traditional liturgical calendar? When did January 1 become a commemoration of Mary, the Mother of God? Why was this change made?

Most Catholics today probably do not remember celebrating anything other than the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1. Since the revision of the Roman calendar in 1969 (to coincide with the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae, the Mass of Pope Paul VI), January 1--the octave (eight day) of Christmas--has been reserved for the celebration of the divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Even before the revision of the calendar for the new Mass, however, the feast traditionally celebrated on January 1 had been removed. That was the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which Luke 2:21 tells us occurred on the eighth day after Christ's Birth.

The Feast of the Circumcision was first celebrated in Rome in the 13th or 14th century, but it was extended to the entire Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in 1570, when Pope Pius V revised the liturgical calendar to coincide with the promulgation of the Roman Missal that bears his name (the missal used in the Traditional Latin Mass).

When Pope John XXIII released a revision of the Roman Missal in 1962, he designated January 1 as simply the Octave of Christmas, effectively removing the Feast of the Circumcision. This is the version of the Roman Missal used to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass today, under Pope Benedict's motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum. However, many churches that celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass continue to celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision, in accordance with the earlier calendar.

Why did Pope Paul VI designate January 1 as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God? He explained his purpose in the apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus ("For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary") in 1974:

In the revised ordering of the Christmas period it seems to us that the attention of all should be directed towards the restored Solemnity of Mary the holy Mother of God. This celebration, placed on January 1 in conformity with the ancient indication of the liturgy of the City of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the "holy Mother . . . through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of life."

You may have noticed the Holy Father's mention of the "ancient indication of the liturgy of the City of Rome." That's because, by the seventh century, the Octave of Christmas was celebrated as a Marian feast in Rome. The Feast of the Circumcision displaced this older celebration; the revision of the calendar in 1969 restored it.

Even so, there's a strong continuity between the two feasts that have been celebrated on January 1. The Gospel reading for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, is Luke 2:16-21, an expanded version of the Gospel for the Feast of the Circumcision (Luke 2:21). The additional verses remind us of the central role of Mary in our salvation, and include the line that "Mary treasured all of these things and reflected on them in her heart"--the perfect example for us of the Christian life.

If you have a question that you would like to have featured in our "Reader Questions" series, send me an e-mail at catholicism.guide@about.com. Be sure to put "QUESTION" in the subject line, and please note whether you'd like me to address it privately or on the Catholicism blog.