Life is a precious gift from God. Motherhood, too, is a sacred gift, one that reveals the fullness of a woman’s vocation as daughter, wife, and giver of life. As we step into a New Year on January 1, the Church invites us to contemplate this profound mystery through the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a feast that celebrates life, trust in God, and courageous love.
While we rightly honor the women who brought new life into the world in 2024, we must also acknowledge with deep sorrow the countless lives lost through abortion. In many countries, abortion is legally permitted up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, often justified by health concerns, socio-economic pressures, or personal circumstances. At the same time, a growing number of couples choose voluntary childlessness, sometimes redirecting their affection toward pets rather than welcoming children. This denial of life and parenthood is further intensified by changing social structures, including same-sex unions and the increasing number of young people choosing to live unmarried.
Against this backdrop, accepting motherhood demands courage, faith, and an unconditional openness to life. A luminous example of such courage is Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (1922–1962) of Magenta, near Milan. Raised in a deeply Christian family, Gianna embraced from an early age the conviction that life is a marvelous gift from God. Her strong faith in Divine Providence and her trust in the power of prayer shaped every aspect of her life.
Gianna qualified as a medical doctor in 1952, specializing in pediatrics at the University of Milan. She opened a clinic where she served mothers, children, the elderly, and the poor with compassion and professional dedication. After her marriage to Pietro Molla, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to building a truly Christian family, beautifully balancing her roles as wife, mother of three children, physician, and woman deeply in love with life.
In September 1961, during the second month of her fourth pregnancy, Gianna was diagnosed with a fibroma in her uterus. Faced with a life-threatening situation, she pleaded with her surgeon to prioritize the life of her unborn child. Sustained by prayer and unwavering faith, she underwent surgery and continued her pregnancy with remarkable strength and serenity, grateful to God for preserving the child’s life. Even amid suffering, her concern remained firmly focused on the baby growing within her womb.
As the time of birth approached, Gianna entrusted herself completely to God and made her choice unmistakably clear: “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate, choose the child. I insist on it.” On April 21, 1962, her daughter Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite every effort to save both mother and child, Gianna died seven days later, on April 28, at the age of 39, repeating the words, “Jesus, I love you.” She was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the International Year of the Family.
On this New Year’s Day, as we honor Mary, the Mother of God, we are reminded of our responsibility to protect the defenseless. Every child conceived has an inherent right to life. Mary, whom Chiara Lubich described as “the sum of all the affection, goodness, and mercy of all the mothers in the world,” embraced life from her own girlhood. At the Annunciation, she surrendered herself completely to God’s will, welcoming an unexpected call to motherhood. She magnified the Lord, supported her cousin Elizabeth in her own miraculous pregnancy, and accompanied Jesus faithfully from conception to His Ascension.
Mary and Joseph, as a young couple, faced uncertainty and danger with mutual trust and openness to life. Together, they protected the Child Jesus during pregnancy, birth, and exile, even when His life was threatened by Herod. Their quiet fidelity, marked by sacrifice, tenderness, and silence, Mary “pondering all these things in her heart”, reveals the essence of a truly pro-life family. Jesus Himself came to give life, and life in abundance, revealing through His words and deeds what it truly means to choose life.
Each human life is priceless, precious, and unique. Husbands and wives are called first to recognize their vocation as parents and to offer their irreplaceable contribution in solidarity with one another, fostering families rooted in faith and love. Christmas continues in our lives when we make pro-life choices. The feasts that follow the Nativity, the Holy Family, the Holy Innocents, and Mary, the Holy Mother of God, invite us to reflect anew on how our personal and family lives can be inspired by the Holy Family to cherish life, our own and that of others.
As Mary, the Mother of God, walks with us into the New Year, may she accompany us with her protection and intercession, helping us to safeguard life always and everywhere.
