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Nine months ago, Mary was immaculately conceived in the womb of her
mother, St. Anne, by her father St. Joachim. The Feast of that
Immaculate Conception, 8 December, is a much greater Feast than
today's
(it's a Holy Day of Obligation, in fact); but we recall Mary's
birthday, too -- the birth of the woman destined by God from the
beginning of time to be born of the House of David and the Tribe of
Judah, the women whose enmity toward Satan was spoken of as far back as
Genesis, the woman whom St. John saw crowned with stars and with the
moon at her feet, the woman whom God chose to bear His Son and bring
life to the world. With today's Feast, the line between the Old and New
Testaments has been crossed; the New Covenant is imminent!
Today's Feast is one of the only three birthdays honored in the
liturgical year (the others being that of St. John the Baptist and that
of Jesus Christ Himself, all three born without original sin, though
only Mary and Jesus were free from sin at the moments of their
conceptions). We know little about Mary's birth and youth, most of our
information coming from the apocryphal Gospel
of the Nativity of Mary (translated from the Hebrew by St. Jerome,
A.D. 340-420), the Protevangelium of
St. James (dated to ca. A.D. 125), and the visions of various
mystics through the years.
There are no specific traditions today, aside from those offered on all
Marian Feasts, such as a recitation of the Little
Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Litany
of Loreto, but having a birthday cake for Mary is a lovely idea.
As to prayer, this one to Maria Bambina (the Baby Mary) is most apt:
Hail, Infant
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou forever,
and blessed are thy holy parents Joachim and Anne, of whom thou wast
miraculously born. Mother of God, intercede for us.
We fly to thy patronage, holy and amiable Child Mary, despise not our
prayers in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, glorious
and blessed Virgin.
V. Pray for us, holy Child Mary.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray: O almighty and merciful God, Who through the cooperation
of the Holy Ghost, didst prepare the body and soul of the Immaculate
Infant Mary that she might be the worthy Mother of Thy Son, and didst
preserve her from all stain, grant that we who venerate with all our
hearts her most holy childhood, may be freed, through her merits and
intercession, from all uncleanness of mind and body, and be able to
imitate her perfect humility, obedience and charity. Through Christ Our
Lord. Amen.
There is also
this marvelous prayer in honour of Our Lady's Nativity, written by St.
Anselm:
Vouchsafe that I
may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine
enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me
strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in
prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred
nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the
hope and solace of its life.
When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light.
Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou
alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive
thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth,
and after His birth to remain a virgin.
Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that
just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from
the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce
joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me
from every sin.
Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most
helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins.
O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for
me, a wretched sinner. Amen.
Reading
Sermon I on
the Dormition of Mary
By St. John Damascene (John of Damascus), (A.D. 676 - 754/787)
The birth of
her, whose Child was marvellous, was above nature and understanding,
and it was salvation to the world; her death was glorious, and truly a
sacred feast. The Father predestined her, the prophets foretold her
through the Holy Ghost. His sanctifying power overshadowed her,
cleansed and made her holy, and, as it were, predestined her. Then
Thou, Word of the Father, not dwelling in place, didst invite the
lowliness of our nature to be united to the immeasurable greatness of
Thy inscrutable Godhead. Thou, who didst take flesh of the Blessed
Virgin, vivified by a reasoning soul, having first abided in her
undefiled and immaculate womb, creating Thyself, and causing her to
exist in Thee, didst become perfect man,, not ceasing to be perfect
God, equal to Thy Father, but taking upon Thyself our weakness through
ineffable goodness. Through it Thou art one Christ, one Lord, one Son
of God, and man at the same time, perfect God and perfect man, wholly
God and wholly man, one Substance from two perfect natures, the Godhead
and the manhood. And in two perfect natures, the divine and the human,
God is not pure God, nor the man only man, but the Son of God and the
Incarnate God are one and the same God and man without confusion or
division, uniting in Himself substantially the attributes of both
natures. Thus, He is at once uncreated and created, mortal and
immortal, visible and invisible, in place and not in place. He has a
divine will and a human will, a divine action and a human also, two
powers of choosing divine and human. He shows forth divine wonders and
human affections--natural, I mean, and pure. Thou hast taken upon
Thyself, Lord, of Thy great mercy, the state of Adam as he was before
the fall, body, soul, and mind, and all that they involve physically,
so as to give me a perfect salvation. It is true indeed that what was
not assumed was not healed. Having thus become the mediator between God
and man, Thou didst destroy enmity, and lead back to Thy Father those
who had deserted Him, wanderers to their home, and those in darkness to
the light. Thou didst bring pardon to the contrite, and didst change
mortality into immortality. Thou didst deliver the world from the
aberration of many gods, and didst make men the children of God,
partakers of Thy divine glory. Thou didst raise the human race, which
was condemned to bell, above all power and majesty, and in Thy person
it is seated on the King's eternal throne. Who was the instrument of
these infinite benefits exceeding all mind and comprehension, if not
the Mother ever Virgin who bore Thee?
Realise, Beloved in the Lord, the grace of today, and its wondrous
solemnity. Its mysteries are not terrible, nor do they inspire awe.
Blessed are they who have eyes to see. Blessed are they who see with
spiritual eyes. This night shines as the day. What countless angels
acclaim the death of the life-giving Mother! How the eloquence of
apostles blesses the departure of this body which was the receptacle of
God. How the Word of God, who deigned in His mercy to become her Son,
ministering with His divine hands to this immaculate and divine being,
as His mother, receives her holy soul. O wondrous Law-giver, fulfilling
the law which He bad Himself laid down, not being bound by it, for it
was He who enjoined children to show reverence to their parents.
"Honour thy father and thy mother," He says. The truth of this is
apparent to every one, calling to mind even dimly the words of holy
Scripture. If according to it the souls of the just are in the hands of
God, how much more is her soul in the hands of her Son and her God.
This is indisputable. Let us consider who she is and whence she came,
how she, the greatest and dearest of all God's gifts, was given to this
world. Let us examine what her life was, and the mysteries in which she
took part. Heathens in the use of funeral orations most carefully
brought forward anything which could be turned to praise of the
deceased, and at the same time encourage the living to virtue, drawing
generally upon fable and fiction, not having fact to go upon. How then,
shall we not deserve scorn if we bury in silence that which is most
true and sacred, and in very deed the source of praise and salvation to
all ? Shall we not receive the same punishment as the man who hid his
master's talent ? Let us adapt our subject to the needs of those who
listen, as food is suited to the body.
Joachim and Anne were the parents of Mary. Joachim kept as strict a
watch over his thoughts as a shepherd over his flock, having them
entirely under his control. For the Lord God led him as a sheep, and he
wanted for none of the best things. When I say best, let no one think I
mean what is commonly acceptable to the multitude, that upon which
greedy minds are fixed, the pleasures of life that can neither endure
nor make their possessors better, nor confer real strength. They follow
the downward course of human life and cease all in a moment, even if
they abounded before. Far be it from us to cherish these things, nor is
this the portion of those who fear God. But the good things which are a
matter of desire to those who possess true knowledge, delighting God,
and fruitful to their possessors, namely, virtues, bearing fruit in due
season, that is, in eternity, will reward with eternal life those who
have laboured worthily and have persevered in their acquisition as far
as possible. The labour goes before, eternal happiness follows. Joachim
ever shepherded his thoughts. In the place of pastures, dwelling by
contemplation on the words of sacred Scripture, made glad on the
restful waters of divine grace, withdrawn from foolishness, he walked
in the path of justice. And Anne, whose name means grace, was no less a
companion in her life than a wife, blessed with all good gifts, though
afflicted for a mystical reason with sterility. Grace in very truth
remained sterile, not being able to produce fruit in the souls of men.
Therefore, men declined from good and degenerated; there was not one of
understanding nor one who sought after God. Then His divine goodness,
taking pity on the work of His hands, and wishing to save it, put an
end to that mystical barrenness, that of holy Anne, I mean, and she
gave birth to a child, whose equal had never been created and never can
be. The end of barrenness proved clearly that the world's sterility
would cease and that the withered trunk would be crowned with vigorous
and mystical life.
Hence the Mother of our Lord is announced. An angel foretells her
birth. It was fitting that in this, too, she, who was to be the human
Mother of the one true and living God, should be marked out above every
one else. Then she was offered in God's holy temple, and remained
there, showing to all a great example of zeal and holiness, withdrawn
from frivolous society. When, however, she reached full age and the law
required that she should leave the temple, she was entrusted by the
priests to Joseph, her bridegroom, as the guardian of her virginity, a
steadfast observer of the law from his youth. Mary, the holy and
undefiled, went to Joseph, contenting herself with her household
matters, and knowing nothing beyond her four walls.
In the fulness of time, as the divine apostle says, the angel Gabriel
was sent to this true child of God, and saluted her in the words,
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Beautiful is the angel's
salutation to her who is greater than an angel. He is the bearer of joy
to the whole world. She was troubled at his words, not being used to
speak with men, for she had resolved to keep her virginity unsullied.
She pondered in herself what this greeting might be. Then the angel
said to her: "Fear not, Mary. Thou hast found grace before God." In
very deed, she who was worthy of grace had found it. She found grace
who had done the deeds of race, and had reaped its fulness. She found
grace who brought forth the source of grace, and was a rich harvest of
grace. She found an abyss of grace who kept undefiled her double
virginity, her virginal soul no less spotless than her body; hence her
perfect virginity. "Thou shalt bring forth a Son," he said, "and shalt
call His name Jesus" (Jesus is interpreted Saviour). "He shall save His
people from their sins." What did she, who is true wisdom, reply? She
does not imitate our first mother Eve, but rather improves upon her
incautiousness, and calling in nature to support her, thus answers the
angel: "How is this to be, since I know not man? What you say is
impossible, for it goes beyond the natural laws laid down by the
Creator. I will not be called a second Eve and disobey the will of my
God. If you are not speaking godless things, explain the mystery by
saying how it is to be accomplished." Then the messenger of truth
answered her: "The Holy Spirit shall come to thee, and the power of the
Most High shall overshadow thee. Therefore He who is born to thee shall
be called the Son of God." That which is foretold is not subservient to
the laws of nature. For God, the Creator of nature, can alter its laws.
And she, listening in holy reverence to that sacred name, which she had
ever desired, signified her obedience in words full of humility and
joy: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to
thy word."
"O the depth of the riches, of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of
God," I will exclaim in the apostle's words. "How incomprehensible are
His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways." O inexhaustible goodness
of God! O boundless goodness! He who called what was not into being,
and filled heaven and earth, whose throne is heaven, and whose
footstool is the earth, a spacious dwelling-place, made the womb of His
own servant, and in it the mystery of mysteries is accomplished. Being
God He becomes man, and is marvellously brought forth without detriment
to the virginity of His Mother. And He is lifted up as a baby in
earthly arms, who is the brightness of eternal glory, the form of the
Father's substance, by the word of whose mouth all created things
exist. O truly divine wonder! O mystery transcending all nature and
understanding! O marvellous virginity! What, O holy Mother and Virgin,
is this great mystery accomplished in thee? Blessed art thou amongst
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Thou art blessed from
generation to generation, thou who alone art worthy of being blessed.
Behold all generations shall call thee blessed as thou hast said. The
daughters of Jerusalem, I mean, of the Church, saw thee. Queens have
blessed thee, that is, the spirits of the just, and they shall praise
thee for ever. Thou art the royal throne which angels surround, seeing
upon it their very King and Lord. Thou art a spiritual Eden, holier and
diviner than Eden of old. That Eden was the abode of the mortal Adam,
whilst the Lord came from heaven to dwell in thee. The ark foreshadowed
thee who hast kept the seed of the new world. Thou didst bring forth
Christ, the salvation of the world, who destroyed sin and its angry
waves. The burning bush was a figure of thee, and the tablets of the
law, and the ark of the testament. The golden urn and candelabra, the
table and the flowering rod of Aaron were significant types of thee.
From thee arose the splendour of the Godhead, the eternal Word of the
Father, the most sweet and heavenly Manna, the sacred Name above every
name, the Light which was from the beginning. The heavenly Bread of
Life, the Fruit without seed, took flesh of thee. Did not that flame
foreshadow thee with its burning fire an image of the divine fire
within thee? And Abraham's tent most clearly pointed to thee. By the
Word of God dwelling in thee human nature produced the bread made of
ashes, its first fruits, from thy most pure womb, the first fruits
kneaded into bread and cooked by divine fire, becoming His divine
person, and His true substance of a living body quickened by a
reasoning and intelligent soul.* I had nearly forgotten Jacob's ladder.
Is it not evident to every one that it prefigured thee, and is not the
type easily recognised ? just as Jacob saw the ladder bringing together
heaven and earth, and on it angels coming down and going up, and the
truly strong and invulnerable God wrestling mystically with himself, so
art thou placed between us, and art become the ladder of God's
intercourse with us, of Him who took upon Himself our weakness, uniting
us to Himself, and enabling man to see God. Thou hast brought together
what was parted. Hence angels descended to Him, ministering to Him as
their God and Lord, and men, adopting the life of angels, are carried
up to heaven.
How shall I understand the prediction of prophets ? Shall I not refer
them to thee, as we can prove them to be true? What is the fleece of
David which receives the Son of the Almighty God, co-eternal and
co-equal with His Father, as rain falls upon the soil? Does it not
signify thee in thy bright shining? Who is the virgin foretold by
Isaias who should conceive and bear a Son, God ever present with us,
that is, who being born a man should remain God? What is Daniel's
mountain from which arose Christ, the Corner-Stone, not made by the
hand of man ? Is it not thee, conceiving without man and still
remaining a virgin? Let the inspired Ezechiel come forth and show us
the closed gate, sealed by the Lord, and not yielding, according to his
prophecy -- let him point to its fulfilment in thee. The Lord of all
came to thee, and taking flesh did not open the door of thy virginity.
The seal remains intact. The prophets, then, foretell thee. Angels and
apostles minister to thee, O Mother of God, ever Virgin, and John the
virgin apostle. Angels and the spirits of the just, patriarchs and
prophets surround thee to-day in thy departure to thy Son. Apostles
watched over the countless host of the just who were gathered together
from every corner of the earth by the divine commands, as a cloud
around the divine and living Jerusalem, singing hymns of praise to
thee, the author of our Lord's life-giving body.
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