There are many Marian feast days celebrated in the Catholic Church, but the main ones are the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, the Annunciation, the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, and the Nativity of our Lady. Before we are born, our mothers are our entire world, and they continue to care for us after we are born. Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, will always be Jesus’ Mother and our Mother. She will continue to nourish, protect, comfort, and teach us as we grow. It is not surprising that there are so many feast days dedicated to Mother Mary.
The feast of the Nativity of Mary celebrated on the 8th of September is closely connected with the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Mary who is prepared by divine providence to be the Mother of Jesus the son of God, is conceived in the womb of her mother Anna, her father being Joachim, without the stain of sin and her birth is considered by the Church as a Solemn event. Our Lady’s birthday has been described as “the hope of the entire world and the dawn of salvation”. That is why the Liturgy of the day says: “Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Virgin Mary, of who was born the Sun of Justice…. Her birth constitutes the hope and the light of salvation for the whole world…. Her image is light for the whole Christian people”. St. 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. This feast allows us to praise and give thanks in honor of the personal sanctity and calling of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord Jesus. There is nothing in Scripture about the birth of Mary or her lineage, although Joseph’s lineage is mentioned in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. According to tradition, the house in which Mary was born in Nazareth is the same one in which the Annunciation took place.
The Nativity of Mary celebrates the anticipation of the Incarnation and the birth of her Divine Son, Jesus. It honors the Blessed Virgin Mary and provides occasion for praise and thanksgiving for her sanctity and vocation as Jesus’ mother. The feast holds both heavenly and earthly significance, offering us insight into God’s plan and impacting our Christian life and family.
In our Parishes, we celebrate the Feast of Nativity on 8th September, with a Novena starting from 29th August to 8th September. To honor Mother Mary, the best way is by following God’s will as she did in her life. Let’s approach the sacrament of penance with trust in God’s mercy and compassion, and invite the Eucharistic Lord into our lives, just as our heavenly Mother carried Jesus in her womb for nine months.
I wish all of you a very Happy Feast of the Birthday of Our Blessed Mother.
– Robert Joshi ss.cc
