Feast of the Nativity of Mary
SEPTEMBER 8 is a special day for Marian devotees and for Catholics. On this day, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
In the Church’s tradition, one three birthdays are marked in the liturgical year: the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25, the nativity of Mary which we celebrate today, and the birth of Saint John the Baptist on June 24. All these celebrations point to the person and mission of Jesus Christ. Saint John the Baptist serves as the last herald before Jesus’ coming. Mary, according to the teaching of the Church, was prepared by the Father right from her birth to be the mother of Jesus Christ. She privileged to have been chosen to be the receptacle of the Son of God. It is because of this, Christians regard Mary as a “highly favored daughter of the Father.”
Pope Francis in announcing the celebration of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy said of Mary: “Chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, Mary, from the outset, was prepared by the love of God to be the Ark of the Covenant between God and man.” (Misericordiae Vultus, 24) From the beginning of her earthly life, Mary was filled by the love of God and it is that same love that she treasured in her heart and radiated all throughout her life. Pope Francis continues: “She treasured divine mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with her Son Jesus. Her hymn of praise, sung at the threshold of the home of Elizabeth, was dedicated to the mercy of God which extends from ‘generation to generation’ (LK 1:50). We too were included in those prophetic words of the Virgin Mary. This will be a source of comfort and strength to us as we cross the threshold of the Holy Year to experience the fruits of divine mercy.”
Today, as we celebrate Mary’s birthday, we express our immense gratitude to the Father for the gift of Mary, the humble young lady of Nazareth who courageously said “yes” to God’s invitation to be the mother of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. She is God’s “highly favored daughter,” who was immaculately conceived by her mother Anna. Not only was she sinless from the moment of conception but she also remained blameless until her final moment on earth. We thank God for through her, Jesus was born on earth to be our redeemer. We also thank the Father for giving her to us as a model of following his holy will. We thank her for radiating his mercy and compassion for us.
On her birthday, let us praise God for Mary. Let us follow Jesus in the footsteps of Mary so that like her God will look at us with mercy and love.