Today, September 8, we celebrate the feast day of the birth of Mary in our Church’s liturgical calendar. The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its liturgical year in September. The date of September 8 helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.
Sacred Scripture does not record account of Mary’s birth. Yet, there is a non-scriptural work However, there is a tradition that has been passed down that states that Mary’s parents Anne and Joachim were having problems having a child, but persisted in their prayers to God. God have them the promise of a child who will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. This tradition emphasizes the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning.
Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work, as the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. St Augustine writes: “Mary 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 today speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation, and asks for an increase of peace: “Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”
In honor of the Nativity of Mary, I thought of the traditional prayer of the Angelus, which has been prayed by the faithful since the 11th century. In recent years, Pope Paul VI and Pope John XXIII, encouraged the faithful to pray the Angelus as a meaningful Catholic devotion. I love the prayer of the Angelus and am hoping to incorporate it more in my devotional life of faith:
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. (Luke 1: 28)
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Luke 1: 42).
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