140 A New Year under the protection of the Mother of God

As we begin 2024, on January 1st we celebrate the Solemnity of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The Christian Tradition passes on to us a beautiful Marian Antiphon, very proper to this time of the year, called the “Sub Tuum Praesidium”—in English, “We fly to your protection”. Today I reflect about the historical, theological, and spiritual value of this prayer, which is the most ancient Marian prayer of which we have an original written record.