Today is a special feast day in our Church, as we celebrate the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary's birth to her parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, is not recorded in the Bible, but we know about this event from Sacred Tradition, passed down us by the apostles and the early Church Fathers and Mothers. As Catholics, we do not have to be reminded that the Virgin Mary is a very important part of our faith. Because Mary is the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, and the Mother of our Church, she has a very unique role in the history of salvation. The importance of Mary's role in our faith shows up in many different ways. In a few months, on December 12, we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, commemorating Our Lady apparition to an indigenous man named Juan Diego in Mexico in the year 1531. In my rectory, I have a drawing of Our Lady of Guadalupe was made by one of the men we visit in our prison ministry out at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility here in Pearl as part of our Catholic prison ministry. He was a member of our RCIA program out at the prison and was confirmed into the Catholic Church on Easter Saturday back in 2011.
In the Gospel today, we hear about how the birth of Jesus was announced by an angel into the lives of Mary and Joseph. The important thing we Catholics always need to remember is this: that we do not honor Mary for her own sake, even though there are many feasts and memorials dedicated to her throughout the liturgical year. Mary never wants to bring attention to herself, but she always points us to Jesus and she always helps us grow in our faith. By the love she shows to us and the example she gives us, Mary was truly the first disciple, the first one who believe in Jesus and his forthcoming ministry here on earth. As we celebrate the nativity of the Virgin Mary today, may we recognize her not only as the mother of Jesus, but as the Mother of our Church as well, as a Mother to all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment