Nativity of Our Lady –
Thursday (Sept
8):
"She will
bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus"
There is a tradition of Christians celebrating the birth of Mary on this day. Her
birth prepared for our redemption in Jesus Christ. Mary was asked to assume in
faith a tremendous responsibility.
It had never been heard of before that a child could be born without a natural
father. Mary was asked to accept this miraculous exception to the laws of
nature. That required faith and trust.
Second, Mary was not yet married. Mary was
only espoused to Joseph. She was asked to assume a great risk. She could have been rejected by Joseph, by her family.
Mary knew that Joseph and her family would not understand without a revelation
from God. She believed and trusted in God's promises. Let us trust and obey the
Lord as did Mary.
Bidding
Prayer:
Father, bring us closer to our Mother Mary
and so bring us ever closer to your divine Son.
We ask this through the same Christ our
Lord. http://www.dailyscripture.net/,
adapted.
*****
There
is a long venerable tradition among many Christians of celebrating the birth of
Mary, the mother of Jesus our Saviour, on this day. Her birth prepared for our
redemption in Jesus Christ. Matthew begins his gospel with the geneology of
Jesus from Abraham's lineage through the line of David, King of Israel. Matthew
concludes his geneology by stating that both Mary, Jesus' mother and Joseph,
his foster father, came from the line of David. Mary was asked to assume in
faith a burden of tremendous responsibility. It had never been heard of before
that a child could be born without a natural father. Mary was asked to accept
this miraculous exception to the laws of nature. That required faith and trust.
Second, Mary was not yet married. Pregnancy outside of wedlock was not
tolerated in those days. Mary was only espoused to Joseph, and such an
engagement had to last for a whole year. She was asked to assume a great risk.
She could have been rejected by Joseph, by her family, by all her own people.
Mary knew that Joseph and her family would not understand without revelation
from God. She nonetheless believed and trusted in God's promises. Joseph, a
just and God-fearing man, believed the message given to him to take Mary as his
wife and to accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah. Like Mary,
Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful witness and servant of
God's unfolding plan of redemption. Are you willing to trust and obey the Lord
as Mary and Joseph did?
