Jan. 1 -- Pope's Homily at Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God – Translated extracts (Jan. 02, 2013, Zenit.org).

... The biblical texts, especially the one just read from the Gospel of Luke, ask us to contemplate the interior peace of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  During the days in which "she gave birth to her first-born son" (Lk2:7), many unexpected things occurred: not only the birth of the Son but, even before, the tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, not finding room at the inn, the search for a chance place to stay for the night; then the song of the angels and the unexpected visit of the shepherds.  In all this, however, Mary remains even-tempered, she does not get agitated, she is not overcome by events greater than herself; in silence she considers what happens, keeping it in her mind and heart, and pondering it calmly and serenely.  This is the interior peace which we ought to have amid the sometimes tumultuous and confusing events of history, events whose meaning we often do not grasp and which disconcert us.

To read the entire article visit: Pope's Homily at Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

Jan. 1 -- On the New Year:  "Our Lady Believed the Message Revealed to Her by the Angel's Word" – Translated extracts of the Angelus address (Jan. 02, 2013, Zenit.org).

... God has made His face shine on us: at the beginning in a very humble, hidden way--in Bethlehem, only Mary and Joseph and some shepherds were witnesses to this revelation--but little by little, like the sun that rises from dawn until noon, the light of Christ has grown and spread everywhere....  For this, eight days after Christmas, when the Church, like the Virgin Mother Mary, shows the world the infant Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we celebrate the World Day of Peace....  In this first Angelus of the New Year, we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to bless us, like a mother blesses her children who depart on a journey.... 

[After the Angelus, in English]

I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present today for this prayer.  Today, New Year's Day, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. With affectionate trust, Our Lady believed the message revealed to her by the angel's word and bore Jesus Christ, true God and true man.  May her powerful intercession bring you a happy and prosperous New Year!

Jan. 2 -- On the Identity of Jesus:  "The Incarnation is the Beginning of the New Creation" – Translated extracts of the General Audience (Jan. 02, 2013, Zenit.org).

... From the stable in Bethlehem, where the shepherds found "Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." (Lk 2:16)  Before this Holy Family, another and deeper question arises: how can the small and weak child have brought such radical novelty to the world to change the course of history? …

The angel Gabriel announces: "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."(Lk 1:35)  We repeat these words every time we recite the Creed, the profession of faith: "et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria Virgine," "by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary." ...

If we carefully consider the expression "through the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary," we find that it includes four subjects that interact.  The Holy Spirit and Mary are explicitly mentioned, but it is understood "He," that is, the Son, became flesh in the womb of the Virgin....

To read the entire article visit: On the Identity of Jesus

Jan. 2 -- Pope's Message for World Day of the Sick – Translated extracts (January 8, 2013, Zenit.org).

... In the Gospel the Blessed Virgin Mary stands out as one who follows her suffering Son to the supreme sacrifice on Golgotha.  She does not lose hope in God's victory over evil, pain and death, and she knows how to accept in one embrace of faith and love, the Son of God who was born in the stable of Bethlehem and died on the Cross.  Her steadfast trust in the power of God was illuminated by Christ's resurrection, which offers hope to the suffering and renews the certainty of the Lord's closeness and consolation....

I entrust this Twenty-first World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Our Lady of Graces, venerated at Altφtting, that she may always accompany those who suffer in their search for comfort and firm hope.  May she assist all who are involved in the apostolate of mercy, so that they may become good Samaritans to their brothers and sisters afflicted by illness and suffering.

Jan. 6 – The Three Wise Men Were Seekers After God –Translated conclusion of the Mass homily (January 6, 2013, VIS)

... We ask Mary, who showed to the Wise Men the new King of the world (cf. Mt 2:11), as a loving mother, to show Jesus Christ also to you and to help you to be guides along the way which leads to him.

Jan. 6 – On the Epiphany:  "Mary's Faith Becomes the First Fruit and the Model of the Faith of the Church" -- Translated extracts of the Angelus address (January 6, 2013, Zenit.org).

... on the one hand, looking upon Jesus we see the faith of Mary, of Joseph and the shepherds; ...

The Virgin Mary, together with her husband, represent the "stump" of Israel, the "remnant" foretold by the prophets, from which the Messiah was to come forth....

There was at first a nucleus, personified above all by Mary, the "daughter of Zion": a nucleus of Israel, the people who knows and has faith in that God who is revealed to the Patriarchs and along the path of history.  This faith reaches its fulfillment in Mary, in the fullness of time; in her, "blessed because she believed," the Word became flesh, God "appeared" in the world.  Mary's faith becomes the first fruit and the model of the faith of the Church, the People of the New Covenant....

To read the entire article visit: On the Epiphany

Jan. 7 – Pope Pays Homage to the Martyr Church of Cambodia – Translated conclusion of the Pope's letter to the national Congress on the Church in Cambodia (January 7, 2013, VIS).

... Beloved brothers and sisters, pastors and faithful of Cambodia, may the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Mekong, in her humility and fidelity to the will of the Lord, enlighten you throughout this Year of Faith.

Jan. 9 -- On the Incarnation:  "God Gives us the Greatest Gift Possible, the Gift of Himself" – Translated extract of the General Audience (January 09, 2013, Zenit.org).

... Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin. (Const. Gaudium et Spes, 22)

Jan. 13 -- On the Baptism of the Lord: "May Every Christian, in This Year of Faith, Rediscover the Beauty of Being Reborn from Above" – Translated extracts of the Angelus address (January 13, 2013, Zenit.org).

... that Child, son of the Virgin, whom we contemplated in the mystery of His birth, we see today as an adult immersing Himself in the waters of the Jordan River, ...

Jan. 13 – Pope Benedict's Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord:  "Upon Your Children Too, the Heavens Have Opened." – Translated conclusion (January 13, 2013, Zenit.org). 

... As we invoke the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon these little ones, we entrust them to the protection of the Holy Virgin.  May she guard them always with her maternal presence and accompany them in every moment of their life.

Jan. 15 -- Pope's Address to Vatican Inspectorate of Public Security: "May your presence [...] be an ever more effective guarantee of that good order and tranquility" – Translated conclusion (January 15, 2013, Zenit.org).

... I wish to extend my best wishes for the new year also to your families, whom I entrust to the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin, so that she may intercede with her divine Son to obtain for you prosperity, peace, harmony and to guard you from every danger.

Jan. 20 -- On a Fault Disfiguring the Countenance of the Church: "The Injury to Her Visible Unity" – Translated extract of the Angelus address (January 20, 2013, Zenit.org)

... It happened that the wine had run out, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, pointed this out to her Son.  He told her that his hour had not yet come; but then followed Mary's intervention and, six large stone jars being filled with water, He transformed the water into wine, an excellent wine, better than the wine that had been served earlier....

... For both of these intentions let us invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy, the mediatrix of grace.

Jan. 24 -- Pope's Message for Communications Day: Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelization – Translated excerpt (January 24, 2013, Zenit.org).

... we know that Christian tradition has always been rich in signs and symbols: I think, for example, of the Cross, icons, images of the Virgin Mary, Christmas cribs, stained-glass windows and pictures in our churches.

Jan. 26 -- Papal Address to Roman Rota: "The Current Crisis of Faith ... Brings with It a Crisis of the Conjugal Relationship" – Translated conclusion (January 28, 2013, Zenit.org).

... I entrust you to the protection of Mary Most Holy, Mother of Christ, ...

Jan. 26 -- Pope's Homily at Conclusion of Week of Prayer: "Unity Is, in Itself, a Privileged Instrument" – Translated conclusion (January 28, 2013, Zenit.org).

... let us invoke the Virgin Mary with confidence, the incomparable model of evangelization, ...

Jan. 27 – On the Christian Sense of Carpe Diem: "Every Day Can Become the Today of Salvation" – Translated conclusion of the Angelus address (January 28, 2013, Zenit.org).

... May the Virgin Mary always be our model and our guide in knowing how to recognize and welcome, each day of our life, God's presence, our Savior and that Savior of all humanity.

Jan. 31 – Pope's Telegram of Condolence to Victims of Venezuelan Prison Riot – Translated extract (January 31, 2013, Zenit.org).

... the Pope invokes the loving protection of Mary ...