January 1 on the Church calendar

This icon by Aidan Hart is titled, The Mother of God and Savior. Notice that although Jesus is imaged as as a child, his muscularity and strength are beyond his years. At the same time, Mary is rendered as great, indeed large enough to be the Mother of God. A similar shift in proportion is at work in the familiar Pieta where the figure of Mary is much larger than the Christ she holds in her lap. (Click on the image for a larger version.)

January 1 on the liturgical calendar is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. On the civil calendar it is New Year's Day. It is also the World Day of Peace and Pope Benedict XVI's very "green" message for that day - If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation - can be found here.

The scriptures for this day are, I believe, the shortest set of readings of the whole liturgical year. You can find them here, to read and ponder them in preparation for Mass on this holy day.