Pope Leo: The new year is a journey to be discovered

Over 5,500 people attended the Mass

Source: VaticanMedia

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first public Mass of 2026 on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, telling believers that Mary has revealed the 'unarmed and disarming' face of God.

Pope Leo opened the homily at his first Mass of 2026 by reflecting on this blessing from the Book of Numbers, taken from the day's first reading: "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace".

The blessing, he said, was addressed to the people of Israel, who had just been liberated from slavery in Egypt, and had been offered a "rebirth", an "open road toward the future".

In this way, the Pope noted, the day's liturgy reminds us that "every day can be the beginning of a new life, thanks to God's generous love, his mercy and the response of our freedom."

We should thus view the coming year, the Pope urged the roughly 5,500 faithful in attendance, as "an open journey to be discovered".

The day's liturgy marked both the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the World Day of Peace.

In his homily, the Pope explored the strong relationship between the two celebrations. With Mary's co-operation, he said, God arrived amongst us "naked and defenceless", a "newborn in a cradle."

"He does this", the Pope explained, to teach us that the world is not saved by violence but by "tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear."

"In Mary's divine motherhood", the Pope emphasised, two 'unarmed realities' come together: "that of God, who renounces every privilege of his divinity to be born in the flesh, and that of a human person who, trustingly and fully, embraces God's will."

The Pope brought his homily to a close by reflecting on the 2025 Jubilee Year, which will come to an end on the 6th January.

He did so by citing the words of his predecessor Pope St John Paul II, at the closure of the 2000 Jubilee: 'How many extraordinary occasions the Great Jubilee has offered to believers! In the experience of forgiveness received and given, in the commemoration of the martyrs, in listening to the cry of the world's poor… we too have glimpsed the saving presence of God in history. We have, as it were, physically felt his love which renews the face of the earth."

Read the full homily text: www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/homilies/2026/documents/20260101-madre-di-dio.html

Watch the Mass on Vatican Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctWgwpoyEaA