Holy Days of Obligation

Mary, Mother of God - Holy Days of Obligation

On New Year's Day, the eighth day of Christmas, Mary, Mother of God is one of six Holy Days of Obligation celebrated each year in the Catholic Church. It originated in the seventh century when the Roman Church decided to honor the Blessed Mother of God similarly to the Churches of the East. It was known as the "Anniversary of St. Mary" and called "the first Marian feast of the Roman liturgy." For a better understanding of the history behind Mary, Mother of God, we should first learn what the Holy Days of Obligation mean to the Catholic Church.

Saint John Chrysostom, in the 4th century, commented that "many people celebrate the holy days and know their names: but of their history, meaning and origin they know nothing." A Holy Day of Obligation, also called a Feast of Precept, is a day to remember important feasts of God, and to celebrate and renew our faith. While the number of Holy Days of Obligation has changed throughout history, in 1983, the Code of Canon Law designated 10 of these days. We can travel back to the origins of our country to trace the history of the Holy Days in America. Our faith is rooted by Catholic immigrants from all around the world, and so, the Holy Days we observe are a mix of the liturgical calendars of the English, French, and Spanish. Holy Days of Obligation are commemorated much like we spend our Sundays, by attending Mass and abstaining from work and business as much as possible. Other countries celebrate their own selected Days of Obligation out of the ten, here in the United States, as of 1991, we observe the following six of the ten holy days:

CHRISTMAS DAY: December 25, the Incarnation. Remembering the birth of Christ and his early years in Bethlehem.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD: January 1. To reflect on the role of the Blessed Virgin in our salvation.

THE ASCENSION: To remind us that 40 days after Easter, Jesus ascended into Heaven, and while seated at the right hand of our Lord, he is still part of our world.

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY: August 15. After completing her life on Earth, Mary's body and soul was taken to Heaven, to promise that we shall also follow Jesus and rise from the dead.

ALL SAINTS DAY: November 1. To honor the saints, who showed us the reality of God and the possibility of holiness.

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: December 8. To examine how God worked through Mary to preserve her from original sin so that she could one day be the mother of Jesus Christ.

The remaining four Holy Days of Obligation are: EPIPHANY, January 6; FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH, March 19; FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI, June 3; and FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, June 29. These movable feasts change depending on when Easter falls and are usually celebrated on the Sundays closest to their true dates. It should also be noted that whenever Mary, Mother of God, The Assumption, or All Saints Day fall on a Saturday or Monday, parishioners are not obligated to attend Mass.

The official feast day for Mary Mother of God began in Portugal, in 1751, under Pope Benedict XIV. The Pope designated the celebration of Mary's divine motherhood to be on the first Sunday in May. By 1914, the feast was being celebrated in other countries and the date had changed to October 11. Mary, Mother of God became universally recognized by the Church in 1931. In 1974, the feast's date was again changed by Pope Paul, VI. He believed a day honoring the Blessed Virgin should be closely connected with the day she gave birth to our Savior. January 1 was the day he chose, explaining that the octave of Christmas coincided with a day of hope, New Year's Day, and so he added to it the observance of the World Day of Peace. The Feast of Mary, Mother of God, actually celebrates three Marian feasts all in one: Mary, Mother of God; Mary, Mother of Divine Grace; and Mary, Queen of Peace.

The Church asks us to celebrate these Holy Days with the same reverence as we do the Lord's Day and not to think of their observance as a burden, but an opportunity to allow Christ to remain central in our lives.