Just before Christmas, we learned of more violence in the world. In Berlin, Germany, a truck drove into a crowd of holiday shoppers at a Christmas market, killing at least 12 people and injuring as many as 50.
This attack came just hours after the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The gunman was identified as a Turkish police officer who yelled, “Don’t forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria,” after he shot Andrei G. Karlov in the back.
Most of us think of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as occasions to enjoy some food and drink with our family and friends. We might even wear party hats!
But according to the Church calendar, New Year’s Day is much more than a day to party. First of all, it is a holy day of obligation— the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. That means that faithful Catholics are obliged to attend Mass that day.
In addition, the Catholic Church has designated January 1 as the World Day of Peace. This was introduced in 1967 by Blessed Paul VI, who was inspired to do so by the encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) written by his predecessor, St. John XXIII.
