My Catholic Journey—Part 4: Mary Poppins’ Bag

I awoke thinking about Mary Poppins—

specifically that moment when she first meets the children and opens her mysterious bag. Out comes a lamp. A mirror. A coat rack. One surprising thing after another. Endless treasures, all tucked inside something that looked so ordinary.

That’s a little how January 1st felt to me this year.

Today, I discovered another treasure in the Catholic Church—that today is a Solemnity. And not just any solemnity, but the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

A solemnity, I learned, is the highest kind of feast day in the Catholic Church. It’s a day set apart to celebrate something central to our faith. It’s not somber in the way the word solemn sometimes sounds. It’s celebratory. Sacred. A holy pause to rejoice.

And just to clarify (because this is a common misconception) the Church is not teaching us to worship Mary. Not today. Not ever.

Today is about celebrating who Jesus is, and Mary’s unique role in God’s salvation story.

She is special—Scripture even calls her “blessed among women”:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:42)

But honoring Mary never replaces worship of God—it always points us to him. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, this devotion is different from adoration (CCC 971).

In other words: we honor Mary, but we worship God alone.

And when the Church calls Mary Mother of God, it is actually proclaiming something beautiful and profound about Jesus:

“Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man.” (CCC 495)

Honoring Mary always leads us to Christ. By proclaiming her Mother of God, the Church proclaims the truth of Jesus—that he is fully God and fully human.

Scripture echoes this when Elizabeth says:

“And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43)

So on the very first day of the year, the Church places our focus right where it belongs—on Jesus, the Lord, who entered the world through Mary’s yes.

I couldn’t help but smile at how fitting that is. Before resolutions. Before goals, plans, or pressure… we begin with worship. With gratitude. With Christ—and like Mary, with our own quiet yes to his will for our lives.

As she said so simply, leaving us this example:

“May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

What a beautiful way to step into a new year—by celebrating Jesus, born of a woman, truly God and truly man.

He comes close—to me, to you, and to all the world…

Close, to meet us in our humanity, to bring us back to God, and to draw us into the Father’s love.

Mary’s yes played a part in this story—and sometimes we forget how important our own yes to God can be.

As the new year begins, where is God leading you?

Pray

Yes, Lord. Lead, and I will follow.

Peace be with you 🤍