6th Friday of Easter "Miraculous Birth of Jesus"

 

 In the Gospel today, Jesus speaks of mothers who give birth to their children. Every mother carries her unborn baby for up to nine months. When the time comes for the baby to be born, a mother will go to the hospital and she gives birth to the baby. For mothers it is very painful to give birth to a baby. Jesus says giving birth to a baby, is a time of anguish and pain. But once the baby is born, the mother quickly forgets her pain, as she gazes upon her baby’s face. Her heart is filled with joy at God’s gift to her, and her family.

“This allegory foreshadows what Jesus’ disciples will soon experience: pain when they see Him crucified and great joy when they see risen from the dead.”

Yet, Catholics believe the Blessed Virgin Mary never experienced labor pain when She gave birth to Jesus. In the Catechism of the Council of Trent, it states, “To Eve it was said: In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children. Mary was exempt from this law, for preserving her virginal integrity inviolate she brought forth Jesus the Son of God without experiencing, as we have already said, any sense of pain.”

Our Lord’s birth was also miraculous. We believe this because in Genesis, Eve and her descendants would have to bear labor pains because of original sin. And since the Blessed Virgin Mary was never touched by original sin, then She would not have suffered pain while giving birth to Jesus. In fact, the birth of Jesus was believed to have occurred not through the ordinary way, through the birth canal, but in some other miraculous way, which kept Her virginity intact.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent also states, “…just as the rays of the sun penetrate without breaking or injuring in the least the solid substance of glass, so after a like but more exalted manner did Jesus Christ come forth from His mother's womb without injury to her maternal virginity.” And St. Thomas Aquinas states, “The pains of childbirth are caused by the infant opening the passage from the womb. Now it has been said that Christ came forth from the closed womb of His Mother, and, consequently, without opening the passage. Consequently there was no pain in that birth, as neither was there any corruption; on the contrary, there was much joy therein for that God-Man "was born into the world," according to Isaiah 35:1,2: "Like the lily, it shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise."

Yet, some have wondered about the scripture passage from Chapter 12 of the book of Revelation refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It states, “And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs, in anguish for delivery.”

If this passage refers to Mary, then how do we explain this in light of Catholic Tradition, which states Mary never experienced birth pains, when Jesus was born?

The answer is that just as Jesus used an allegory in today’s Gospel, with regard to His death and resurrection, so the Virgin Mary, who is depicted as the woman clothed with sun, endured pain and suffering of giving birth refers to Mary’s pain and suffering at the foot of the Cross. We can see this in one of the Preface’s used in the Roman Missal of the Blessed Virgin at the Foot of the Cross, which states,: “She who had given Him birth without the pains of childbirth was to endure the greatest of pains in bringing forth to new life the family of the Church.” The Virgin Mary therefor allegorically endured the labor pains of giving birth to the Church, which is why She is called the Mother of the Church.

During this month of Mary dedicated to Mary, let us prove our love for Her. The Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of all of us. At the foot of the Cross, She suffered great pain as She spiritually gave birth to us, her little spiritual children. She wants to help us to grow close to Jesus, Her Son. She wants to help us to go to heaven. She wants to help us to avoid sin, and to be holy and good.

Let us close with this prayer to our Mother in heaven:

“O lovely Mother dressed in blue,

Pray for me, who loves you!

Watch over me, your little child,

Give me a sweet spiritual kiss, O Mother mild!

O beautiful Lady, sweet and fair!

Keep me, under your care!

I crown you, O Heavenly Mother,

With prayers from my rosary, like no other!

I pray my rosary asking you to give me grace

So someday I may dwell, in the heavenly place!

With my fingers, Your beads, I pray,

Knowing you will grasp my hand, and be with me, to stay.

O lovely Mother of Jesus, pray for me.

And I will show you, I love you, during this Month of May.