Every woman at a certain stage in her life longs for the experience that comes along with that of being a mother. Being a mother brings enough joy in itself. It is difficult to put into words how wonderful and special it is to be with a child and have him or her with you. A painful process but a jovial atmosphere, the cry of the child but faces filled with smiles, and at last,` I am a mother,’ a feeling that never dies. The miracle of giving birth after the nine months is full of mixed emotions to the mother – father and to the whole family. Same miracle of birth was experienced by the beloved parents of our Blessed Virgin Mary at her birth. The birth of Blessed Virgin Mary plays a crucial role in the history of salvation.
The “Protoevangelium of James,” describes Mary’s father Joachim as a wealthy member of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife Anne, by their childlessness. Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God’s displeasure with them. As it turned out, however, the couple were to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an Angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesised that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth, and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”
The Protoevangelium of James goes on to describe how Mary’s parents, along with the temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated Virgin for the rest of her life, and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.Saint Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance, and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.
Mary was born without the stain of Original Sin by the action of God in His foreknowledge that she would agree to be the mother of Christ; Mary was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, Queen of heaven and earth and the holiest of God’s creatures. This is one of the three birthdays in the Church Calendar — the Birth of Jesus (December 25), the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24) and the Birthday of Mary(September 8). All three were born without original sin, although Mary and Jesus were conceived without sin, and St. John was cleansed of original sin while in the womb at the Visitation of Mary.
On 8th September, on the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary we also remember our mothers. Our mothers are Angels sent by God to love us, to protect us and to show us the way back to God, our father. As Blessed Virgin Mary is called the precious lily so too our mothers. We venerate Blessed Virgin Mary and offer flowers to her as a symbol of love and gratitude, so also let us show our love and gratitude to our earthly mothers by offering a flower or card or any way we could and let’s not forget to pray for them. May God through the intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary bless all our mothers on earth and grant eternal rest to those who have returned to the Lord.
Happy feast of the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary and Happy Mothers’ Day to all the lovely mothers.
-Fr. Leslie Gomes