Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Sept 8th

 

Today, September 8th, we are celebrating the Feast of the Birth of Mary. The Church celebrates three birthdays liturgically. The Birth of Jesus on Christmas. The Birth of John the Baptist on June 24th and the Birth of Mary, on Sept. 8th.

The Church celebrates Mary’s birthday liturgically, 9 months after Her Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Dec. 8th.

Today’s Feast provides us with an occasion for praise and thanksgiving in honor of the personal sanctity and vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord Jesus.
One may wonder, where was the Virgin Mary born? Since the Holy Bible does not provide us with the answer to that question, we have to turn to the early Church traditions to determine what the Christians believed in those days.
On tradition goes back to a writing around A.D. 580, that indicates the Blessed Virgin Mary was born in Bethlehem. The belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, educated and greeted by the angel in the Holy House of Loreto has been supported popes over the centuries. (Paul II, 1471; Julius II, 1507; Leo X, 1519; Paul III, 1535; Pius IV, 1565; Sixtus V, 1586; and Innocent XII, 1698.)

The prophecy that is found in the Old Testament Book of Micah is seen as being fulfilled in the Gospel of Matthew. "But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old." [Mic. 5:2; Mt. 2:6]
Also, the prophecy that is found in the Book of Isaiah is seen as being fulfilled in Matthew 1:23. "'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel' which means, 'God is with us.'" [Is. 7:14; Mt. 1:23]
Matthew 1:25 tells us that Mary brought forth a Son, and He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel who appeared to Joseph. [Mt. 1:21]

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.

It’s 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 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.

Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation, and asks for an increase of peace.

We can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love of two human beings has joined with God in his creative work. The loving parents have shown hope in a world filled with travail. The new child has the potential to be a channel of God’s love and peace to the world.

This is all true in a magnificent way in Mary. If Jesus is the perfect expression of God’s love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of salvation, Mary is its dawning.

Birthday celebrations bring happiness to the celebrant as well as to family and friends. Next to the birth of Jesus, Mary’s birth offers the greatest possible happiness to the world. Each time we celebrate her birth, we can confidently hope for an increase of peace in our hearts and in the world at large.

Today, let us celebrate the birth of Blessed Virgin Mary, by praying an extra Rosary for Her intention.