Sept 8: Nativity of Mary

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saturday, Sept 8

Micah 5:1-4 / Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

A ruler will come from Bethlehem September 8 (Mary's Birth) Micah 5:1-4; He will bring peace.

General George Patton, the famous American general of World War II, says in War As I Knew It:

"An arresting sight [in Europe] was the crucifixes at road intersections; these were used by Signal personnel as supplementary telephone posts. While the crosses were in no way injured, I could not help but think of the incongruity of the lethal message passing over the wires."

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At one period in early Christianity, Christians refused to take up arms. They believed this to be irreconcilable with their calling to follow Jesus, the "Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:5)

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How do we strive to promote peace around us? A British naval officer, Lord Hugh Beresford, composed this prayer for his ship:

"O God our loving Father...

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Help us to keep in mind the real causes of war: dishonesty, greed, selfishness, and lack of love. Drive them out of this ship, may be a pattern for the new world." In the liturgy, the Church celebrates the nativities of three persons - Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist. Today, the Church celebrates the Nativity of Mary and the date of the birth of Mary is the 8th of September. 

We may wonder why the 8th of September is Our Lady's birthday. This date is connected to yet another important date—the 8th of December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. In 1854, on the 8th of December, Pope Pius IX declared the Immaculate Conception of Mary to be an article of faith. In essence, it means that by the grace of God, Mary was conceived without sin in her mother's womb. So at the moment of her conception, Mary was freed from sin, and that signalled the first stage of God's plan of salvation for mankind.

God prepared Mary to be sinless as to bear Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb. So God had a detailed plan as to how to go about fulfilling His promise of salvation for mankind. So the birthday of Our Lady is not just a day of another devotion to Our Lady. It has its foundations in the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. And the Immaculate Conception is part of this great plan of salvation of mankind. So God had a carefully thought out plan to save us.
Let us be careful and not to forfeit God's gift of salvation for us, and let us also be grateful for this gift. 
Let us also ask Our Lady to pray for us sinners, and let us join her to pray for the salvation of sinners.                                                                                  ***                                                         

If we have to think of a gospel passage or a bible passage to dedicate to someone on his/her birthday, we would certainly think of a profound passage that might include God's blessings on that person and how wonderfully God has made that person. But in celebrating the birthday of the BVM, the passage that is chosen from the gospel of Matthew talks about Joseph intending to call off the marriage with Mary, and the angel of the Lord had to intervene. Somehow the gospel passage for this liturgy seems a bit inappropriate, maybe even a bit too profane.

Yes, Mary's fears came true when Joseph wanted to call off the marriage, which might leave her facing an uncertain and even dangerous future. Yet, Mary and Joseph's humanity is highlighted to show us that they, too, had to face their fears, worries, and anxieties when it came to doing God's will.

In fact, fear has the ability and the potential to paralyze us from doing God's will and walking in His ways. Yet, let us remember that as in the Annunciation, Mary was told "Do not fear"; in today's gospel, Joseph was also told "Do not fear".

As we gather for the Eucharist, we are also told "Do not fear", because God is with us. Yes, we need not fear, because we also have a heavenly Mother who is always praying for us. Yes, Mary knows the power of fear, but she also knows the power of prayer.

As we celebrate the birthday of our Blessed Mother, let us join her in prayer to pray for ourselves, for the Church and for the world. And what better way to do it than to pray the Rosary with our Lady. And not just today but everyday.