Birth of the Virgin Mary - Sept. 8th

 

 Today, there are parents in heaven who are celebrating the Birth of their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary were righteous. Her father was from the royal house of David, her mother, St. Anne came from the priestly class of Aaron. However, the holy couple’s one great sorrow was that they had no children.

Blessed Virgin Mary Herself was foretold by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and He shall be called Emmanuel, meaning God with us.” And also by the prophet Micah, who states, “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when She who is to give birth has borne.”

The source of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel written about A.D. 150. According to this account, Anne and Joachim are infertile but prayed for a child. The tradition is that the couple was childless until an angel appeared to Anne and told her that she would conceive. They receive the promise of a child that will advance God's plan of salvation for the world.

Its also believed an angel appeared to Joachim. The angel may have said, “Joachim, rejoice! God has heard your prayer and your wife Anne, shall conceive and give birth to a daughter, whose nativity will become joy for the entire world.”

When the Jews were not be able to have a child, it was considered a sign of God’s rejection; a public disgrace. However, in the Old Testament there are many cases God intervened to show His favor. Isaac was born from the childless Sarah. Samuel from the childless Hannah. John the Baptist from the barren Elizabeth. And so God, blessed Joachim and Anne in their old age with a providential daughter destined to become the Mother of God. Only in the womb of St. Anne, did God create a human being without original sin.

St. Anthony of Padua in one of his sermons speaks eloquently of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He said, “There is a legend that a certain holy man, while devoutly praying, heard the angels in heaven singing a sweet melody. When a year had passed, he heard the angels [once again], on the same day. He asked the Lord to show him the meaning of this; and received the reply, that on that day, blessed Mary was born, and for Her Nativity the angels in heaven gave praise to God. That is why the birthday of the glorious Virgin is celebrated on this day. The purity of her birth is expressed by ‘the glory of the stars’.

Liturgically Mary’s birth is celebrated 9 months after we celebrate Her Immaculate Conception.

Today, let us celebrate the feast of birthday of Mary. May we sing and rejoice with the angels and be glad because God, who is almighty, has done great things for Her and through Her-- for us!