| Devotion to Our Lady |
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THOUGHTS & PRAYERS ON
THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Feast day: September 8th
THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Feast day: September 8th
LINKS TO OTHER SPECIAL FEASTS (not all links have been activated at this time)
| Nativity of Mary (Sep 8) | Seven Sorrows of Mary (Sep 15) | Our Lady of Ransom (Sep 24) | Our Lady of the Rosary (Oct 7) | Divine Maternity (Oct 11) |
| Presentation of Mary in Temple (Nov 21) | Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Nov 27) | Immaculate Conception (Dec 8) |
| Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12) | Purification of Mary (Feb 2) | Annunciation (Mar 25) | Help of Christians (May 24) |
For the other meditations click on any link below (not all links have been activated at this time)
| 12-MONTH OVERVIEW OF FEAST DAYS | SPECIAL FEASTS OF MARY | JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH |
| APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER |
| Nativity of Mary (Sep 8) | Seven Sorrows of Mary (Sep 15) | Our Lady of Ransom (Sep 24) | Our Lady of the Rosary (Oct 7) | Divine Maternity (Oct 11) |
| Presentation of Mary in Temple (Nov 21) | Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Nov 27) | Immaculate Conception (Dec 8) |
| Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12) | Purification of Mary (Feb 2) | Annunciation (Mar 25) | Help of Christians (May 24) |
For the other meditations click on any link below (not all links have been activated at this time)
| 12-MONTH OVERVIEW OF FEAST DAYS | SPECIAL FEASTS OF MARY | JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH |
| APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER |
AN ACCOUNT OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
(taken from revelations made to the mystics)
(taken from revelations made to the mystics)
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After God had created Mary's immaculate soul, He showed it to the choirs of angels in Heaven, and they felt intense joy upon seeing its unique beauty. Then, as Mary's soul was infused into her body, her holy mother St. Anne was filled with the Holy Ghost and experienced an extraordinary devotion and happiness.
One night she felt for the first time a slight tremor from the presence of her daughter in her womb. With profound joy she arose, dressed, and told St. Joachim the happy news, and then both gave thanks to God together. Throughout the rest of her life and especially during the next nine months, she constantly received new graces and enlightenment concerning the great mystery of the Incarnation, and she frequently praised the Lord in canticles of love. However, in order to increase her merit, God allowed St. Anne to undergo grievous trials during her pregnancy. Although Satan did not know that her daughter was to be the Mother of the Savior, he perceived that a strong spiritual influence proceeded from Anne, and therefore he did his best to tempt and disturb and harm hen. But she resisted all his attacks with humble fortitude, patience and prayer. Then the enraged Devil tried to make St. Joachim's house to be destroyed, hut Mary's protecting angels prevented such an accident from happening. Next, Satan incited some of St. Anne's women friends to treat her with open scorn and mockery because of her late pregnancy. St. Anne did not permit herself to be upset by this injustice, but in all meekness and humility she bore the insults and acted with still greater kindness toward these women. In the end, as a result of her prayers, they amended their ways. |
Early in September, St. Anne was informed interiorly by the Lord that the time of her daughter's birth was near. Filled with holy joy, she humbly prayed for a happy deliverance and sent for three of her closest women relatives. When she told St. Joachim, he rejoiced and went among his flocks in order to choose the finest lambs, goats and bulls, which he sent to the Temple in care of his servants as an offering of gratitude to the Lord. One evening the three woman arrived and embraced St. Anne, congratulating her warmly. Standing with them, she poured forth her deep joy and thankfulness in a beautiful spontaneous canticle, which surprised and thrilled her friends. Then, still standing, they took a light meal of bread, fruit and water, after which they went to lie down and rest.
This was the day destined for the parturition of St. Anne and for the birth of her, who was consecrated and sanctified to be the Mother of God, had arrived: a day most fortunate for the world. This birth happened on the eighth day of September, fully nine months having elapsed since the Conception of the soul of our most holy Queen and Lady. St. Anne was prepared by an interior voice of the Lord, informing her, that the hour of her parturition had come.
St. Anne prayed until nearly midnight, when she woke her relatives and went with them into her oratory and lit the lamps. Full of the joy of the Holy Spirit at this information, she prostrated herself before the Lord and besought the assistance of his grace and His protection for a happy deliverance. From a closet she took a small box containing some relics of the Patriarchs of Israel. Then she knelt before her little altar. While she was praying thus, a supernatural light began to fill the room. Noticing it, the three friends threw themselves onto the floor and hid their faces in awe. Soon the dazzling light entirely surrounded St. Anne, making her invisible.
Presently, she felt a movement in her womb, similar to that which is proper to creatures being born to the light. The most blessed child Mary was, at the same time, by divine providence and power, ravished into a most high ecstasy. Hence Mary was born into the world without perceiving it by her senses, for their operations and faculties were held in suspense. As she had the use of her reason, she would have perceived it by her senses, if they would have been left to operate in their natural manner at that time. However, the Almighty disposed otherwise, in order that the Princess of Heaven might be spared the sensible experience otherwise connected with birth.
A moment later she was holding in her hands a beautiful, spotless, radiant baby, which she tenderly wrapped in her cloak and pressed to her heart. She was born pure and stainless, beautiful and full of grace, thereby demonstrating, that she was free from the law and the tribute of sin. Although she was born substantially like other daughters of Adam, yet her birth was accompanied by such circumstances and conditions of grace, that it was the most wonderful and miraculous birth in all creation, and will eternally redound to the praise of her Maker.
In this marvelous yet natural childbirth, St. Anne had been free from the usual labor and pains experienced by mothers. Now she herself bathed and wrapped the babe in red and gray swaddling clothes. As the bright mystic light vanished, the three relatives got up and to their keen surprise and joy perceived the lovely child in her mother's arms. Then they sang a hymn of praise and thanks to the Lord while many invisible guardian angels also greeted the tiny Mary with heavenly music.
St. Anne received in her arms her, who was her Daughter, but at the same time the most exquisite Treasure of all the universe, inferior only to God and superior to all other creatures. With fervent tears of joy she offered this Treasure to his Majesty, saying interiorly: “Lord of infinite wisdom and power, Creator of all that exists, this Fruit of my womb, which I have received of thy bounty, I offer to Thee with eternal thanks, for without any merit of mine Thou hast granted it to me. Dispose Thou of the mother and Child according to Thy most holy will and look down kindly upon our lowliness from thy exalted throne. Be Thou eternally blessed, because Thou hast enriched the world with a Creature so pleasing to thy bounty and because in Her Thou hast prepared a dwelling-place and a tabernacle for the eternal Word. I tender my congratulations to my holy forefathers and to the holy Prophets, and in them to the whole human race, for this sure pledge of Redemption, which Thou hast given them. But how shall I be able worthily to treat Her, whom Thou hast given me as a Daughter? I, that am not worthy to be her servant? How shall I handle the true ark of the Testament? Give me, O my Lord and King, the necessary enlightenment to know thy will and to execute it according to thy pleasure in the service of my Daughter.”
God gave her to understand that she was to bring up her daughter with all motherly love and care but without any outward show of reverence, while retaining inwardly her profound veneration for the future Mother of the Messias. All this the happy mother complied with; making use of this permission and her mother’s rights without losing her reverence, she delighted herself with her most holy Daughter, embracing and caressing her in the same way as other mothers do with their daughters. But it was always done with a proper reverence and consciousness of the hidden and divine sacrament, known only to the mother and Daughter. The guardian angels of the sweet Child with others in great multitudes showed their veneration and worship to Mary, as she rested in the arms of her mother: they joined in heavenly music, some of which was audible also to St. Anne. The thousand angels appointed as guardians of the great Queen offered themselves and dedicated themselves to her service.
She was clothed, handled and dressed like other infants, though her soul dwelt in the Divinity; and she was treated as an infant, though she excelled all mortals and even all the angels in wisdom. Her mother did not allow her to be touched by other hands than her own, but she herself wrapped her in swaddling clothes: and, in this, St. Anne was not hindered by her present state of childbirth; for she was free from the toils and labors, which other mothers usually endure in such circumstances.
Later St. Anne retired to her room and lay down on her bed with her baby in a little cradle next to her, and St. Joachim was called in. The holy old man knelt beside the bed, deeply moved at the sight of this lovely daughter for which he and his dear wife had waited and suffered for twenty long years. While warm tears flowed freely down his cheeks, he carefully took the baby in his arms and sang a fervent hymn of praise to God. Then, as he tenderly embraced his daughter and put her back in the cradle, he murmured with touching humility and piety: "Now I am ready to die!"
At the moment of Mary's birth, Almighty God gave to her pure soul a mystical vision of the Blessed Trinity in Heaven, and by a miraculous privilege He endowed her from birth with the full use of her reason and all her senses. Thus, like many of the saints, though to a far greater degree, even as an infant she knew and loved God with all her heart. And as soon as she opened her eyes on earth, she perceived with keen affection her good parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, and then she saw the many angels which God had assigned to guard and protect her throughout her life.
At the moment of the birth of our Princess Mary, the Most High sent the Archangel Gabriel as an envoy to bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo. Immediately the heavenly ambassador descended, illumining that deep cavern and rejoicing the just, who were detained therein. He told them that already the dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the reparation of man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by the holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had been begun, since she, who was to be the Mother of the Messias, had now been born; soon would they now see the salvation and the glory of the Most High. The holy prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of the most holy Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in her, in order that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery, which was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the holy Patriarchs and Prophets and the rest of the just in limbo rejoiced in spirit and in new canticles praised the Lord for this benefit.
In all Nature there was at this time an extraordinary movement of joy, and many good people felt an unusual spiritual exaltation without knowing its cause. On the other hand, many evil men and possessed persons felt sorely disturbed. Near the Temple in Jerusalem, old Simeon was awakened by the shouts of a possessed man, who cried: "I must flee—all of us must flee! A Virgin has been born!" Simeon prayed fervently, and the devil left the man. Anna the Prophetess and another holy woman were shown in visions that a child of election had been given to Israel.
The next day many friends and neighbors of St. Anne and St. Joachim came to see the baby and congratulate the happy parents. Everyone was deeply touched upon seeing little Mary lying in her cradle, wrapped in her red and gray swaddling clothes, and there was general rejoicing.
Now in Heaven the Blessed Trinity announced to the choirs of angels: "Our Chosen One shall he called Mary, and this name is to be powerful in grace."
This was the day destined for the parturition of St. Anne and for the birth of her, who was consecrated and sanctified to be the Mother of God, had arrived: a day most fortunate for the world. This birth happened on the eighth day of September, fully nine months having elapsed since the Conception of the soul of our most holy Queen and Lady. St. Anne was prepared by an interior voice of the Lord, informing her, that the hour of her parturition had come.
St. Anne prayed until nearly midnight, when she woke her relatives and went with them into her oratory and lit the lamps. Full of the joy of the Holy Spirit at this information, she prostrated herself before the Lord and besought the assistance of his grace and His protection for a happy deliverance. From a closet she took a small box containing some relics of the Patriarchs of Israel. Then she knelt before her little altar. While she was praying thus, a supernatural light began to fill the room. Noticing it, the three friends threw themselves onto the floor and hid their faces in awe. Soon the dazzling light entirely surrounded St. Anne, making her invisible.
Presently, she felt a movement in her womb, similar to that which is proper to creatures being born to the light. The most blessed child Mary was, at the same time, by divine providence and power, ravished into a most high ecstasy. Hence Mary was born into the world without perceiving it by her senses, for their operations and faculties were held in suspense. As she had the use of her reason, she would have perceived it by her senses, if they would have been left to operate in their natural manner at that time. However, the Almighty disposed otherwise, in order that the Princess of Heaven might be spared the sensible experience otherwise connected with birth.
A moment later she was holding in her hands a beautiful, spotless, radiant baby, which she tenderly wrapped in her cloak and pressed to her heart. She was born pure and stainless, beautiful and full of grace, thereby demonstrating, that she was free from the law and the tribute of sin. Although she was born substantially like other daughters of Adam, yet her birth was accompanied by such circumstances and conditions of grace, that it was the most wonderful and miraculous birth in all creation, and will eternally redound to the praise of her Maker.
In this marvelous yet natural childbirth, St. Anne had been free from the usual labor and pains experienced by mothers. Now she herself bathed and wrapped the babe in red and gray swaddling clothes. As the bright mystic light vanished, the three relatives got up and to their keen surprise and joy perceived the lovely child in her mother's arms. Then they sang a hymn of praise and thanks to the Lord while many invisible guardian angels also greeted the tiny Mary with heavenly music.
St. Anne received in her arms her, who was her Daughter, but at the same time the most exquisite Treasure of all the universe, inferior only to God and superior to all other creatures. With fervent tears of joy she offered this Treasure to his Majesty, saying interiorly: “Lord of infinite wisdom and power, Creator of all that exists, this Fruit of my womb, which I have received of thy bounty, I offer to Thee with eternal thanks, for without any merit of mine Thou hast granted it to me. Dispose Thou of the mother and Child according to Thy most holy will and look down kindly upon our lowliness from thy exalted throne. Be Thou eternally blessed, because Thou hast enriched the world with a Creature so pleasing to thy bounty and because in Her Thou hast prepared a dwelling-place and a tabernacle for the eternal Word. I tender my congratulations to my holy forefathers and to the holy Prophets, and in them to the whole human race, for this sure pledge of Redemption, which Thou hast given them. But how shall I be able worthily to treat Her, whom Thou hast given me as a Daughter? I, that am not worthy to be her servant? How shall I handle the true ark of the Testament? Give me, O my Lord and King, the necessary enlightenment to know thy will and to execute it according to thy pleasure in the service of my Daughter.”
God gave her to understand that she was to bring up her daughter with all motherly love and care but without any outward show of reverence, while retaining inwardly her profound veneration for the future Mother of the Messias. All this the happy mother complied with; making use of this permission and her mother’s rights without losing her reverence, she delighted herself with her most holy Daughter, embracing and caressing her in the same way as other mothers do with their daughters. But it was always done with a proper reverence and consciousness of the hidden and divine sacrament, known only to the mother and Daughter. The guardian angels of the sweet Child with others in great multitudes showed their veneration and worship to Mary, as she rested in the arms of her mother: they joined in heavenly music, some of which was audible also to St. Anne. The thousand angels appointed as guardians of the great Queen offered themselves and dedicated themselves to her service.
She was clothed, handled and dressed like other infants, though her soul dwelt in the Divinity; and she was treated as an infant, though she excelled all mortals and even all the angels in wisdom. Her mother did not allow her to be touched by other hands than her own, but she herself wrapped her in swaddling clothes: and, in this, St. Anne was not hindered by her present state of childbirth; for she was free from the toils and labors, which other mothers usually endure in such circumstances.
Later St. Anne retired to her room and lay down on her bed with her baby in a little cradle next to her, and St. Joachim was called in. The holy old man knelt beside the bed, deeply moved at the sight of this lovely daughter for which he and his dear wife had waited and suffered for twenty long years. While warm tears flowed freely down his cheeks, he carefully took the baby in his arms and sang a fervent hymn of praise to God. Then, as he tenderly embraced his daughter and put her back in the cradle, he murmured with touching humility and piety: "Now I am ready to die!"
At the moment of Mary's birth, Almighty God gave to her pure soul a mystical vision of the Blessed Trinity in Heaven, and by a miraculous privilege He endowed her from birth with the full use of her reason and all her senses. Thus, like many of the saints, though to a far greater degree, even as an infant she knew and loved God with all her heart. And as soon as she opened her eyes on earth, she perceived with keen affection her good parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, and then she saw the many angels which God had assigned to guard and protect her throughout her life.
At the moment of the birth of our Princess Mary, the Most High sent the Archangel Gabriel as an envoy to bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo. Immediately the heavenly ambassador descended, illumining that deep cavern and rejoicing the just, who were detained therein. He told them that already the dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the reparation of man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by the holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had been begun, since she, who was to be the Mother of the Messias, had now been born; soon would they now see the salvation and the glory of the Most High. The holy prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of the most holy Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in her, in order that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery, which was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the holy Patriarchs and Prophets and the rest of the just in limbo rejoiced in spirit and in new canticles praised the Lord for this benefit.
In all Nature there was at this time an extraordinary movement of joy, and many good people felt an unusual spiritual exaltation without knowing its cause. On the other hand, many evil men and possessed persons felt sorely disturbed. Near the Temple in Jerusalem, old Simeon was awakened by the shouts of a possessed man, who cried: "I must flee—all of us must flee! A Virgin has been born!" Simeon prayed fervently, and the devil left the man. Anna the Prophetess and another holy woman were shown in visions that a child of election had been given to Israel.
The next day many friends and neighbors of St. Anne and St. Joachim came to see the baby and congratulate the happy parents. Everyone was deeply touched upon seeing little Mary lying in her cradle, wrapped in her red and gray swaddling clothes, and there was general rejoicing.
Now in Heaven the Blessed Trinity announced to the choirs of angels: "Our Chosen One shall he called Mary, and this name is to be powerful in grace."
BACKGROUND TO THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
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According to an ancient tradition, the parents of the Blessed Virgin were Joachim and Anne. Nothing historically trustworthy is known about Joachim and Anne, but they must have been persons of superior sanctity, for they have been virtually canonized by the Church. We may rest assured that God would have chosen parents worthy to educate a child of such high destiny and singular holiness. For a long time they were without children. God rewarded their prayers and granted them a daughter. There cannot be the least doubt that Mary was of Davidic lineage, at least through Joachim, and perhaps through Anne as well. The bodily origin of the Messias from David had been predicted by Isaias (11:1). Joachim and Anne named their daughter Miriam, after the valiant sister of Moses.
Since the Annunciation took place in Nazareth and because most of Mary's relatives resided there, she was most probably born in that village, situated in the hill country of southern Galilee. According to tradition, the house, where Mary was born, was located on the site where the Basilica of the Annunciation now stands. This is built over some caves, one of which is venerated as the scene of the Annunciation. Even today Nazareth contains homes consisting of two parts: a small wooden fiat-topped house, fronting the street, and an adjoining cave, hollowed out by human hands, or by nature. A home of this type may well have been the place of Mary's birth. |
Mary was chosen, from all eternity, to give us the Savior; hence she was eternally in God's plan of Redemption. In time she was immaculately conceived and her birth brought salvation to mankind. Next to Christmas, there is no other birthday so joyous and so important as the birthday of Mary the Mother of God. Today there is born unto us a child, who is unlike other infants; for the world sees, for the first time since Paradise was lost, a human being who is free of every stain of sin from the beginning of her existence.
The birthday of Our Lady brings to our minds the sanctity of the Mother, a sanctity that God has prepared for Himself. Recent Popes have said much in praise of that sanctity. Pius IX will serve as a good example: "He [God], therefore, filled her, far more than all the angelic spirits and all the saints, with an abundance of all heavenly gifts from the treasury of His divinity, in such a wonderful manner, that she would always be free from absolutely every stain of sin, and that, all beautiful and perfect, she might display such fullness of innocence and holiness, that, under God, none greater is known, and which, God excepted, no one can attain even in thought."
Mary's nativity carried with it a fourfold joy: (1) joy to the Blessed Trinity, for she was to cooperate in the Incarnation; (2) joy to the Angels, for she was to be their Queen; (3) joy to the saints in Limbo, for she was to be the Mother of their Deliverer; (4) joy to all Mankind, for Redemption was at hand. Thus Holy Mother Church sets the keynote of joy for this feast, exulting in the first steps of the long-awaited fulfillment of God's promise; for the Virgin's birth was the coming forth of the rod out of the root of Jesse, as Isaias had foretold. Over and over again the Church rejoices in her Liturgy: "Thy Nativity, O Mother of God, was the cause of universal joy. . . . Let us keep with rejoicing the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
To this very ancient feast, already solemnized in the seventh century, Pope Innocent IV gave an Octave, at the first Council of Lyons in 1245. This date, September 8th, served to fix that of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. Mary is inseparable from Jesus in the Divine Plan; wherefore, the Epistle (Wisdom 7:22-25) applies to her what Holy Scripture says of the Eternal Wisdom.
Let your desire to honor and love the Blessed Virgin prove itself by the imitation of her virtues. A child learns best at its mother's knee, for nobody understands a child better than its mother, and nobody can help more readily and patiently. It is quite the same in your spiritual life. She is truly your spiritual Mother. Being the Mother of the Head of the Mystical Body, Jesus her Son, she is also the Mother of its members. On the cross Jesus entrusted you to her care, and it is His will that all the graces, that He has merited for you by His Passion and Death, should reach you through her hands. This double title, of Mother of God and Mother of men, is the foundation of the part which Mary holds in your spiritual life. Therefore, unite yourself with Mary, for then you will be united with Jesus.
The more frequently and the more trustingly you turn to Mary in prayer, the more abundantly will you experience her motherly kindness. She is not only the Mother of God and your Mother, but also the Mediatrix of all grace for you. How much help, security, and comfort can be found in the thought that you are able to take refuge in the Heart of a Mother, who is so close to God and so powerful with Him, that He has placed the fullness of His graces in her hands! The most precious fruit of veneration of Our Lady is this: if you are united with Mary, you are also united with Jesus; then His Heart will live in your heart as It does in hers.
Thank God for having created this most beautiful of creatures and for having given her to you as a Mother. Thank Him for all the mercies He has shown to mankind through Mary. Let your birthday gift to your Heavenly Mother be the wholehearted consecration of yourself to her.
PRAYER TO MARY ON HER NATIVITY
O Mary, Mother of God, you are the Virgin who was promised as the Mother of the Savior. After the fall of our First Parents, Earth, which was to be Paradise, was changed into a valley of tears, on which the curse of God fell. People became the poor banished children of Eve. They roamed about .in the darkness of sin and despair. In His infinite mercy, God chose Abraham, who was to be the Father of a Chosen Nation. You were descended from the most renowned men of that nation and counted among your ancestors patriarchs, prophets, leaders of the people of God, and kings of the ancient law. Your birth was represented beforehand by many figures, announced by prophets, desired for many ages by the human race.
Prophets foretold the coming of the Savior and the manner in which the Redemption would take place. They spoke of you as His Virgin Mother and of the part you would play in the Redemption of mankind. Balaam referred to you as a star: "The star which shall arise from Jacob." Isaias called you a Virgin: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be Emmanuel." King Solomon described your beauty: "Thou art all fair, my beloved, beautiful as the moon, brilliant as the sun."
Mary, my Mother, your birth was awaited as the near sign of the deliverance of the human race. The Church regards you as the rising dawn. As the dawn precedes and announces the coming of the sun, makes the darkness of the night disappear, consoles the sick and rejoices all nature; so you went before and announced Jesus, "The Sun of Justice," Who made the darkness of the world disappear by the light of His Gospel; consoled and cured the sick in soul and body; and brought an abundance of graces and blessings to the whole world.
Mary, Mother of God, at the very beginning of your existence, you received grace, exceeding in greatness, that of all the saints together, because you were destined to be the Mother of the Redeemer and the Mediatrix of Grace for the world. From the first instant of your existence, your mind was filled by the supernatural light of faith and your soul with love of God. You used most perfectly every actual grace, given to you by God, by your acts of virtue. What untold merit you must have laid up for eternity, during the nine months that preceded your Nativity. Who can describe the merits and graces that adorned your soul, at the glorious instant of your Nativity, at a period when all other children have no merit!
How delightful a sight must your beautiful soul have been to Heaven! The angels saw a soul which had never been touched by Original Sin. They had seen Adam created in grace, and John the Baptist, spotless from his birth, because he had been cleansed from Original Sin in the womb of his mother before birth. In his soul they saw no more than they see in each little soul, as it leaves the baptismal font, grace having taken the place of Original Sin. But in you they saw a soul whose sanctity surpassed that of angels and of men, a soul which would glorify God more perfectly than any other creature ever had glorified Him, or ever would glorify Him. No wonder the angels were lost in admiration! They beheld the dwelling place prepared for the Son of God!
Mary, my Mother, your little life held a mystery immeasurably deeper than that of any other human life, since no mind could measure the distance that lay between the chosen Maiden, who was not only the servant of the Lord, but also His true Mother, and the rest of mankind, who were His servants and no more. You were one of us, and yet you stood above us! With my whole heart, I thank God for all He has done for you and for all mankind through you!
Mary, Mother of God, your dear parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, rejoiced at your birth. I admire the holiness of their lives and the nobility of their family. Joachim was of the royal house of David, and Anne of the priestly family of Aaron. They observed the Law of God most diligently and spent their days in prayer and in works of mercy.
Though they had both vowed to consecrate their first-born child to the service of the Lord, they remained childless, a condition considered a disgrace among the Jews and a mark of heavenly disfavor. Only after many years of fervent prayers did God reward them. You were born into the world in the humble city of Nazareth. Your birth was a miracle of the power of God, because both of your parents were far advanced in years. Who could tell the great joy, which filled their hearts, when they held you in their arms? But all Heaven rejoiced at your birth, because you were destined one day to bring the Savior into the world; you were to become God's Mother and the Queen of Heaven and earth.
Mary, my Mother, I rejoice with the Blessed Trinity on your birthday, because you were to take part in the Incarnation and Redemption of the world. I rejoice with all mankind, because you became the Mother of our Redeemer. I rejoice with the whole Church, because you are our life: you bore Jesus, Who is the Way and the Truth and the Life, and Who was to restore, to mankind, that supernatural life which had been lost. I have every reason to rejoice, for, as the Mother of Jesus and my Mother, you are my hope of salvation. Through your prayers, and the prayers of your holy parents, may I learn to know you, to love you, to follow you and to serve you more and more, and ever remain your faithful child. This is my sure way of reaching Heaven and my God.
Daughter of the mighty Father,
Maiden, Heaven's brightest ray,
Angel forms around thee gather,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Mother of the Son and Savior
Of the Truth, the Life, the Way,
Guide our footsteps, calm our passions,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Spouse of the Eternal Spirit,
Blossom which will ne'er decay,
Let us but thy love inherit,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Daughter, Mother, Spouse of Heaven,
Hearken as we earnestly pray,
Sweetest gift to man e'er given,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Bestow on Your servants, we beg of Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that we, for whom the Blessed Virgin's motherhood was the beginning of salvation, may be blessed with peace on the sacred feast day of her Nativity. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The birthday of Our Lady brings to our minds the sanctity of the Mother, a sanctity that God has prepared for Himself. Recent Popes have said much in praise of that sanctity. Pius IX will serve as a good example: "He [God], therefore, filled her, far more than all the angelic spirits and all the saints, with an abundance of all heavenly gifts from the treasury of His divinity, in such a wonderful manner, that she would always be free from absolutely every stain of sin, and that, all beautiful and perfect, she might display such fullness of innocence and holiness, that, under God, none greater is known, and which, God excepted, no one can attain even in thought."
Mary's nativity carried with it a fourfold joy: (1) joy to the Blessed Trinity, for she was to cooperate in the Incarnation; (2) joy to the Angels, for she was to be their Queen; (3) joy to the saints in Limbo, for she was to be the Mother of their Deliverer; (4) joy to all Mankind, for Redemption was at hand. Thus Holy Mother Church sets the keynote of joy for this feast, exulting in the first steps of the long-awaited fulfillment of God's promise; for the Virgin's birth was the coming forth of the rod out of the root of Jesse, as Isaias had foretold. Over and over again the Church rejoices in her Liturgy: "Thy Nativity, O Mother of God, was the cause of universal joy. . . . Let us keep with rejoicing the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
To this very ancient feast, already solemnized in the seventh century, Pope Innocent IV gave an Octave, at the first Council of Lyons in 1245. This date, September 8th, served to fix that of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. Mary is inseparable from Jesus in the Divine Plan; wherefore, the Epistle (Wisdom 7:22-25) applies to her what Holy Scripture says of the Eternal Wisdom.
Let your desire to honor and love the Blessed Virgin prove itself by the imitation of her virtues. A child learns best at its mother's knee, for nobody understands a child better than its mother, and nobody can help more readily and patiently. It is quite the same in your spiritual life. She is truly your spiritual Mother. Being the Mother of the Head of the Mystical Body, Jesus her Son, she is also the Mother of its members. On the cross Jesus entrusted you to her care, and it is His will that all the graces, that He has merited for you by His Passion and Death, should reach you through her hands. This double title, of Mother of God and Mother of men, is the foundation of the part which Mary holds in your spiritual life. Therefore, unite yourself with Mary, for then you will be united with Jesus.
The more frequently and the more trustingly you turn to Mary in prayer, the more abundantly will you experience her motherly kindness. She is not only the Mother of God and your Mother, but also the Mediatrix of all grace for you. How much help, security, and comfort can be found in the thought that you are able to take refuge in the Heart of a Mother, who is so close to God and so powerful with Him, that He has placed the fullness of His graces in her hands! The most precious fruit of veneration of Our Lady is this: if you are united with Mary, you are also united with Jesus; then His Heart will live in your heart as It does in hers.
Thank God for having created this most beautiful of creatures and for having given her to you as a Mother. Thank Him for all the mercies He has shown to mankind through Mary. Let your birthday gift to your Heavenly Mother be the wholehearted consecration of yourself to her.
PRAYER TO MARY ON HER NATIVITY
O Mary, Mother of God, you are the Virgin who was promised as the Mother of the Savior. After the fall of our First Parents, Earth, which was to be Paradise, was changed into a valley of tears, on which the curse of God fell. People became the poor banished children of Eve. They roamed about .in the darkness of sin and despair. In His infinite mercy, God chose Abraham, who was to be the Father of a Chosen Nation. You were descended from the most renowned men of that nation and counted among your ancestors patriarchs, prophets, leaders of the people of God, and kings of the ancient law. Your birth was represented beforehand by many figures, announced by prophets, desired for many ages by the human race.
Prophets foretold the coming of the Savior and the manner in which the Redemption would take place. They spoke of you as His Virgin Mother and of the part you would play in the Redemption of mankind. Balaam referred to you as a star: "The star which shall arise from Jacob." Isaias called you a Virgin: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be Emmanuel." King Solomon described your beauty: "Thou art all fair, my beloved, beautiful as the moon, brilliant as the sun."
Mary, my Mother, your birth was awaited as the near sign of the deliverance of the human race. The Church regards you as the rising dawn. As the dawn precedes and announces the coming of the sun, makes the darkness of the night disappear, consoles the sick and rejoices all nature; so you went before and announced Jesus, "The Sun of Justice," Who made the darkness of the world disappear by the light of His Gospel; consoled and cured the sick in soul and body; and brought an abundance of graces and blessings to the whole world.
Mary, Mother of God, at the very beginning of your existence, you received grace, exceeding in greatness, that of all the saints together, because you were destined to be the Mother of the Redeemer and the Mediatrix of Grace for the world. From the first instant of your existence, your mind was filled by the supernatural light of faith and your soul with love of God. You used most perfectly every actual grace, given to you by God, by your acts of virtue. What untold merit you must have laid up for eternity, during the nine months that preceded your Nativity. Who can describe the merits and graces that adorned your soul, at the glorious instant of your Nativity, at a period when all other children have no merit!
How delightful a sight must your beautiful soul have been to Heaven! The angels saw a soul which had never been touched by Original Sin. They had seen Adam created in grace, and John the Baptist, spotless from his birth, because he had been cleansed from Original Sin in the womb of his mother before birth. In his soul they saw no more than they see in each little soul, as it leaves the baptismal font, grace having taken the place of Original Sin. But in you they saw a soul whose sanctity surpassed that of angels and of men, a soul which would glorify God more perfectly than any other creature ever had glorified Him, or ever would glorify Him. No wonder the angels were lost in admiration! They beheld the dwelling place prepared for the Son of God!
Mary, my Mother, your little life held a mystery immeasurably deeper than that of any other human life, since no mind could measure the distance that lay between the chosen Maiden, who was not only the servant of the Lord, but also His true Mother, and the rest of mankind, who were His servants and no more. You were one of us, and yet you stood above us! With my whole heart, I thank God for all He has done for you and for all mankind through you!
Mary, Mother of God, your dear parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, rejoiced at your birth. I admire the holiness of their lives and the nobility of their family. Joachim was of the royal house of David, and Anne of the priestly family of Aaron. They observed the Law of God most diligently and spent their days in prayer and in works of mercy.
Though they had both vowed to consecrate their first-born child to the service of the Lord, they remained childless, a condition considered a disgrace among the Jews and a mark of heavenly disfavor. Only after many years of fervent prayers did God reward them. You were born into the world in the humble city of Nazareth. Your birth was a miracle of the power of God, because both of your parents were far advanced in years. Who could tell the great joy, which filled their hearts, when they held you in their arms? But all Heaven rejoiced at your birth, because you were destined one day to bring the Savior into the world; you were to become God's Mother and the Queen of Heaven and earth.
Mary, my Mother, I rejoice with the Blessed Trinity on your birthday, because you were to take part in the Incarnation and Redemption of the world. I rejoice with all mankind, because you became the Mother of our Redeemer. I rejoice with the whole Church, because you are our life: you bore Jesus, Who is the Way and the Truth and the Life, and Who was to restore, to mankind, that supernatural life which had been lost. I have every reason to rejoice, for, as the Mother of Jesus and my Mother, you are my hope of salvation. Through your prayers, and the prayers of your holy parents, may I learn to know you, to love you, to follow you and to serve you more and more, and ever remain your faithful child. This is my sure way of reaching Heaven and my God.
Daughter of the mighty Father,
Maiden, Heaven's brightest ray,
Angel forms around thee gather,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Mother of the Son and Savior
Of the Truth, the Life, the Way,
Guide our footsteps, calm our passions,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Spouse of the Eternal Spirit,
Blossom which will ne'er decay,
Let us but thy love inherit,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Daughter, Mother, Spouse of Heaven,
Hearken as we earnestly pray,
Sweetest gift to man e'er given,
Dawn of Earth's Eternal Day!
Bestow on Your servants, we beg of Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that we, for whom the Blessed Virgin's motherhood was the beginning of salvation, may be blessed with peace on the sacred feast day of her Nativity. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
FURTHER THOUGHTS & PRAYERS ON
THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
(Feast day: September 8)
THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
(Feast day: September 8)
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SALUTATIONS TO OUR MOTHER AND QUEEN
ANTIPHON: Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from thee arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing, and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting. V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ. Hail Mary... Heavenly Child, lovable Mary, the Eternal Father delights in thy birth, for He beholds, in thy coming into this world, one of His creatures, who is so perfect that she will become the worthy Mother of His divine Son. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the heavenly Father, the pardon of my sins, and an abiding sorrow for them. |
Hail Mary...
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Son of God delights in thy birth, for He beholds thee as the one chosen to be His Mother, and, O, such a beloved Mother! May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining, from thy divine Son, the grace to be born again spiritually to a holy life, perfectly conformed to thine, so that I may merit to obtain eternal glory.
Hail Mary...
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, lovable Mary, the Eternal Word takes delight in thy birth, for He sees in thee the source of His Immaculate Blood. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me, from the Word made Flesh, the grace to find in this Divine Blood the eternal happiness of my soul.
Hail Mary...
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Redeemer, promised to mankind from the beginning of the world, takes delight in thy birth, for He sees in thee the one who is destined to become the Co-redemptress of souls, by uniting her tears to the Blood shed on the Cross to save mankind.
Hail Mary...
Resplendent Lily of Paradise, lovable Mary, the Holy Ghost takes delight in thy birth, for He sees in thee a soul never stained by sin, which would forever be His worthy Temple. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me, from the Holy Ghost, His divine love and final perseverance.
Hail Mary...
Most Beautiful Branch of the tree of David, most admirable Mary, whose birth was such a consolation to St. Joachim and St. Anne, who were delighted to be the parents of so holy a child, may thy birth be the consolation of my soul, by obtaining for me from God, victory over the world and detachment from all the things of this earth.
Hail Mary...
Resplendent Morning Star, lovable Mary, thy birth was the cause of great joy to the angels, for they beheld in thee the Mother of the Redeemer of the world, Who, by His Death, would repair the loss sustained by the fall of rebellious angels in Paradise. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from God, victory over the infernal enemy, deliverance from all his snares, and the grace to be associated in glory with the angels in Heaven.
Hail Mary...
Brilliant Aurora of Heaven, lovable Mary, thy birth brought great consolation to the souls of the saints detained in Limbo, for it announced the approach of the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ, Who would enlighten their darkness and then conduct them to Paradise. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, and obtain for me from God, patience in all adversities, a perfect and constant conformity to His most holy will.
Hail Mary...
Mediatrix between God and mankind, admirable Mary, by thy birth thou perfected the joy of all the children of Adam, who, through thee, have received the Author of Grace, for He has made thee the treasurer of all the graces which are imparted to us. May thy birth be a special cause of joy to my soul, by obtaining for me from God, eternal salvation and all the graces necessary to obtain it.
Hail Mary...
ANTIPHON: Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from thee arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, Who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing, and in confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray:
Grant to us your servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that, as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity, may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Son of God delights in thy birth, for He beholds thee as the one chosen to be His Mother, and, O, such a beloved Mother! May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining, from thy divine Son, the grace to be born again spiritually to a holy life, perfectly conformed to thine, so that I may merit to obtain eternal glory.
Hail Mary...
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, lovable Mary, the Eternal Word takes delight in thy birth, for He sees in thee the source of His Immaculate Blood. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me, from the Word made Flesh, the grace to find in this Divine Blood the eternal happiness of my soul.
Hail Mary...
O Chosen One among the daughters of Adam, admirable Mary, the Redeemer, promised to mankind from the beginning of the world, takes delight in thy birth, for He sees in thee the one who is destined to become the Co-redemptress of souls, by uniting her tears to the Blood shed on the Cross to save mankind.
Hail Mary...
Resplendent Lily of Paradise, lovable Mary, the Holy Ghost takes delight in thy birth, for He sees in thee a soul never stained by sin, which would forever be His worthy Temple. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me, from the Holy Ghost, His divine love and final perseverance.
Hail Mary...
Most Beautiful Branch of the tree of David, most admirable Mary, whose birth was such a consolation to St. Joachim and St. Anne, who were delighted to be the parents of so holy a child, may thy birth be the consolation of my soul, by obtaining for me from God, victory over the world and detachment from all the things of this earth.
Hail Mary...
Resplendent Morning Star, lovable Mary, thy birth was the cause of great joy to the angels, for they beheld in thee the Mother of the Redeemer of the world, Who, by His Death, would repair the loss sustained by the fall of rebellious angels in Paradise. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from God, victory over the infernal enemy, deliverance from all his snares, and the grace to be associated in glory with the angels in Heaven.
Hail Mary...
Brilliant Aurora of Heaven, lovable Mary, thy birth brought great consolation to the souls of the saints detained in Limbo, for it announced the approach of the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ, Who would enlighten their darkness and then conduct them to Paradise. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, and obtain for me from God, patience in all adversities, a perfect and constant conformity to His most holy will.
Hail Mary...
Mediatrix between God and mankind, admirable Mary, by thy birth thou perfected the joy of all the children of Adam, who, through thee, have received the Author of Grace, for He has made thee the treasurer of all the graces which are imparted to us. May thy birth be a special cause of joy to my soul, by obtaining for me from God, eternal salvation and all the graces necessary to obtain it.
Hail Mary...
ANTIPHON: Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from thee arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, Who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing, and in confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.
V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray:
Grant to us your servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that, as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity, may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.