Center for Carmelite Studies

Mary, Mother of God

In Carmelite depictions of Mary there is very rarely a crown?  A well-known quotation from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux explains this: “Mary is more mother than queen.”  For Carmelites, Mary is sister; she is mother; she is family.  The Greek title of today’s feast – January 1st – is “theotokos”, which means “Mother of God or God-bearer.”  It is also the beginning of another year – a New Year. May we, like Mary, make Christ more present in our world.

In this new Year of Grace, we pray: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

This image of the Mother of God and Child is the original image that Carmelites brought with them when they were forced to leave Mount Carmel in the 13th century.