Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Scriptures nowhere mention the birth of Mary. Only the Evangelist Matthew, ending the genealogy of Christ with the words: "... Mary, from whom Jesus was born" (cf. Mt 1:16), mentions her for the first time and immediately presents her as the Mother of the Savior. Divine Motherhood is the only reason for her birth and, at the same time, the basis of all her privileges. She was born "in order to bring to the world the eternal light of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1st Preface on the Blessed Virgin Mary). That is why the Church calls Mary "the Rising Dawn" and "the Morning Star". These comparisons are all the more accurate as the dawn precedes sunrise and is its reflection; and the star that emits a ray without losing its shine, is a beautiful figure of Mary's divine motherhood, which did not harm her immaculate virginity.
However, tradition tells that her parents were St. Anna and St. Joachim. They were pious Jews. Despite their old age, they did not have a child. In those days, it was considered a punishment for the sins of ancestors. Therefore, Anna and Joachim earnestly asked God for a child. God listened to their prayers and, as a reward for the immense trust placed in him, Anna gave birth to a daughter, Mary. We do not know where Mary was born, nor the date of her coming to earth. According to all information available to us, Mary was born between the 20 and 16 years before the birth of Jesus.
Although the Gospels do not say much about the birth and first years of life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this absence is complemented by the apocrypha, the popular early Christian writings by unknown authors. Among the apocryphal writings about Mary, the following should be mentioned: The Proto-Gospel of James, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, the Arabic Infancy Gospel, The History of Joseph the Carpenter and. The Proto-Gospel of James had the greatest influence on the Church's tradition. It dates from around 150, so it is very close to the Gospel according to St. John. It is from there that we learn that Mary's parents were St. Joachim and St. Anna.
It tells about the first years of Mary life and that she was send by her parents to the temple for further education, where she also lived
The first mentions of the liturgical celebration of Mary's birth come from the 6th century. The feast was probably created in Syria, when after the Council of Ephesus, Marian devotion in the Church grew stronger. The introduction of this holiday is attributed to Pope St. Sergius I in 688. In the East, this feast must have existed earlier, because sermons about Mary’s Birth were delivered by St Germanus, (+ 732) and St. John of Damascus (+ 749). In Rome, people gathered on this feast day in the church of St. Adrian, then in a solemn procession all went with lit candles to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
In the 6th century, the Church of the Blessed Virgin was built at her birthplace, where her parents' home was. The day of the dedication of the Church on September 8 was adopted as the date of Mary's birth. Presently is the church of St. Anna. The statue of Mary as a little child is venerated there until today.
The date of September 8 was first adopted by the Church from the East. Also, on this day, the celebration was mentioned in the Gelasian and Gregorian sacramentaries. The feast spread in the Church quite slowly - it resulted, among others, from the fact that all information about the circumstances of the birth of God's Mother came from the apocrypha.
Mary, is the One whom the church gives so many and so great titles. She is the holy Mother of God, the Mother of God's grace, the admirable Mother, the Seat of wisdom, the Tabernacle of the Holy Spirit, the Ark of the Covenant and the Gate of Heaven. Queen of Angels and Queen of All Saints. Mary is the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church. Therefore, the Church, which celebrates the birth of saints to heaven, that is, the day of their death, makes an exception for Mary. Her coming into the world became hope and the dawn of salvation for the whole world. From her the Son of God will take human nature, from her the sun of righteousness, Christ our God, will rise. The birth of Mary brought the salvation of the world closer. The life of the Church revolves around the mystery of Christ, for the Church Christ is everything, and that is why the Church is not satisfied with the celebration of the birth of the Sun, she watches over the rising of Dawn.
On the occasion of this Marian Feast it is worth to consider WHO SHE IS. So first: Mary and the divine motherhood of Mary. “The age-old tradition of the Church has always considered the birth of Jesus and the divine motherhood of Mary as two aspects of the Incarnation of the Word. "In fact", the Catechism of the Catholic Church says of Mary, citing the Council of Ephesus, "the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Hence, the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God' (Theotokos)" (n. 495). All the other aspects of Our Lady's mission derive from the fact that she is "Mother of God". (Saint John Paul II, General Audience, January 07, 2004)
This means that she is the Mother of all who are called to become disciples of Christ. Rene Laurentin in his theological analyzes clearly distinguishes between the Marian titles: Mother of God and Mother of people. Mary is the Mother of God because she gave birth to the Son of God according to humanity, because she "shaped his humanity as every mother shapes it in her child". Motherhood understood in this way cannot be extended to Christians. Laurentin writes: “Each of us has his own mother who gave birth to each one of us. Thus, Mary's motherhood has the character of an adoption. She is the spiritual mother of people in Jesus Christ, to stimulate them to God's life and lead them to the deification to which God calls them”. In other words, Mary's motherhood for us is spiritual, moral and existential motherhood, but in God's order.
Mary as a symbol of the path of a true disciple of Christ ... Following the example of Mary, we should enter a world that has been made beyond our measure and enter the kingdom of God's love, which cannot be fathomed. Cardinal Leon - Joseph Suenens wrote that Mary is undoubtedly a creature: she is nothing by herself, just like us; and there is no "need to insist otherwise, for it is obvious; with the difference that God's love penetrated her with such force like the stream falls into the abyss. " As a result, we see her as the model and summit of the Church on earth in her union with the risen Savior. Therefore, Mary is the first Christian woman, and her life has become a model and an ideal that every follower of Christ should strive for, even if he never achieves this ideal. Thus, Mary is also a symbol of the Church.
Marian Devotions "today" ...
The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary allows us to become aware of the role of the Christian family heritage. It is of great importance and can be a blessing for both children and parents. In the atmosphere of the family home - like the home of Joachim, Anna and Mary - parents cannot give their child anything more important than preparing the gift of their life through the grace of personal faith, their own prayer and entrusting themselves to God in everything. The awareness that God, who gave us life in his image (Genesis 1:28), embraces every man in his salvific plans, at a specific time, place and community of persons. Only then will we look with deepened faith, hope and love at the Icon of Mary, whom God has chosen in a special way to be the Confidant and the Messenger of Good News for us.
Your birth, Mother of God,
heralded joy to the whole world:
for the sun of justice has risen from you,
Christ our God.
He has smashed the curse,
he gave us a blessing,
he overcame death,
eternal life he has given us.
(Byzantine Liturgy)
Until Tomorrow
fr. george