In today’s world, our love of comfort eliminates sacrifice from our lives. The problem is, there is no love without sacrifice, so our obsession with comfort is eliminating love. But in a world that can be cold and harsh, violent and at times brutal, the saints prove that our humanity has a better side. Our better side is kind and caring, compassionate and gentle. The saints fostered this better side with spiritual disciplines and acts of loving sacrifice.

What saint exemplified our “better side” more completely than Mary herself, the Mother of God? Most often when we talk about Mary, we talk about surrender—her “Yes” to God. But there’s another equally powerful virtue that defines her life: loving sacrifice.

From the stable in Bethlehem to the exile in Egypt, all the way to the foot of the Cross on Golgotha, Mary continually sacrificed any notion of a comfortable life with her beloved son. She was willing to sacrifice everything so that God’s will may be done.

That even meant watching Jesus, her own son, be crucified.

It’s hard to imagine anything more painful than a parent watching their child die. But Mary’s whole life was a sacrifice to God. The virtue of sacrifice enhances the meaning of our existence. There is no love without sacrifice. The ability to set aside our desires and personal preferences, expecting nothing in return, is the working of love in a human person. Love is indispensable for a Christian, and therefore, so is sacrifice.

When we look to Mary the Mother of God, we almost always emphasize her beautiful surrender. But let today be a reminder that taking on that extraordinary role of love required incredible sacrifice.

Patron Saint of: Mothers and Nuns

Symbols: Roses, Lily, Fleur-de-lis, Star, the Rosary, Miraculous Medal, Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Immaculate Heart of Mary

Feast Day: January 1

Feast Day Shared by: St. Vincent Marie Strambi

Also Known as: Blessed Mother, Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady, Holy Virgin