Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
– Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Gospel text (Mt 1:18-23): This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, «Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him “Jesus” for He will save his people from their sins». All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: «The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and He will be called Emmanuel» which means: “God-with-us”.

Today, Jesus' genealogy, the Saviour that had to come and be born of Mary, shows us how the work of God is interwoven into human history, and how God acts in the secret and silence of every single day. At the same time, we can see his reliability to accomplish his promises.

Micah prophesied that times would change when a certain mother would give birth. Isaiah prophesied to Ahaz that times would change when a "virgin shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and shall name Him Immanuel" (Is 7:14). Paul taught: "When the designated time had come, God sent forth His Son born of a woman" (Gal 4:4).

A mother giving birth is the Biblical sign of changing times. Mary, through giving birth to Jesus, the Messiah and God, is a sign that we are in the best of times, even despite the appearance of the worst of times. Mother Mary is a sign that "despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it" (Rm 5:20). Mother Mary is a sign that "God makes all things work together for the good of those who love" Him (Rm 8:28).

At Vatican II, the Church called Mary "a sign of certain hope" (The Church, 68). She is a sign that no matter how things look or how we feel, the Lord has plans for our welfare, not for woe; plans to give us "a future full of hope" (Jer 29:11). Mother Mary was present at the foot of the cross. Even at Calvary , the Sorrowful Mother was a sign that times were changing from death to resurrection. Jeremiah prophesied: "The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward...There is hope for your future, says the Lord" (Jer 31:16, 17).

Do you wish that times would change for the better — for the Lord? Look to Mary, mother and prophetess of Hope. She will lead you to her son!

"We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour his Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to honour him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son."
-Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

Ave Maria!!

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