Sunday:       Birth of Mary.
Date:         September 8, 2004
Year:         C
The readings: [(Rom. 8:28-30 OR Mic. 5:2-5); Mt. 1:16, 18-23]
The message:  The sanctity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  868

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Today, September 8 th, we are celebrating the Feast of the Birth of Mary. This Feast provides us with an occasion for praise and thanksgiving in honour of the personal sanctity and vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord Jesus.

The Feast of Mary has its origin from the Eastern Church. Church documents support that this Feast was commemorated in the West as early as the 5 th century.

One may wonder, where was the Virgin Mary born? Since the Holy Bible does not provide us with the answer to that question, we have to turn to the early Church traditions to determine what the Christians believed in those days. Catholic Church documents tell us that three different traditions have survived since ancient times.

Based on the first tradition that goes back to the writing of "De nativ. S. Mariae" around A.D. 580, the Blessed Virgin Mary was born in Bethlehem. The belief that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, educated and greeted by the angel in the Holy House of Loreto has been supported in the Bulls of a number of popes over the centuries. (Paul II, 1471; Julius II, 1507; Leo X, 1519; Paul III, 1535; Pius IV, 1565; Sixtus V, 1586; and Innocent XII, 1698.) These Papal Bulls were not affirming any validity to the historical question as to where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born. They simply consisted of expressing the common belief of their days.

Based on the second tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary was born in Sephoris, about 3 miles North of Bethlehem. This belief is based on the fact that under Constantine, a Church was built in Sephoris to commemorate the residence of the parents of Mary. This does not necessarily support that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born there, but rather, that she may have lived in Sephoris for some time with her parents, Joachim and Anna.

The third tradition which is the most believable is that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born in Jerusalem. While the Feast of Our Lady was not celebrated in Rome until 799 A. D. when it was prescribed by the 10 th canon of the Synod of Salzburn, there is evidence to support that it existed prior to that date. Such is found in two sermons that were written by St. Andrew of Crete who died in 680 A.D. (P.G., XCVII, 806)

The vocation of Mary as the Mother of God incarnated through Jesus is based on a number of Bible passages.

The prophecy that is found in the Old Testament Book of Micah is seen as being fulfilled in the Gospel of Matthew. "But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old." [Mic. 5:2; Mt. 2:6]

Also, the prophecy that is found in the Book of Isaiah is seen as being fulfilled in Matthew 1:23. "'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel' which means, 'God is with us.'" [Is. 7:14; Mt. 1:23]

Matthew 1:25 tells us that Mary brought forth a Son and He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel who appeared to Joseph. [Mt. 1:21]

And according to the Gospel of St. John, verse 1:14, "The Word became flesh and lived among us."

Finally, based on the Gospel of Luke, verses 1:41, 3, filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth said to Mary, "And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?"

Mary's title as the "Mother of God" has been recognized in the writings of the early Church Fathers as seen in the writings of St. Ignatius, St. Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Also, the Council of Ephesus proclaimed Mary to be Theotokos in the true sense of the word.

Today's reading from the Gospel of Matthew affirms that, in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies, Jesus was of the seed of David. [Mt. 1:6; Lk. 1:26-7, 1:32, 1:69, 2:4] The Letter of Paul to the Romans tells us that Jesus descended from David according to the flesh (made flesh) and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the Spirit. [Rom. 1:3]

This summarizes the Feast of the Birth of Mary as predestined by the Lord God who called her to be the Mother of Jesus, God incarnated. As affirmed by the Holy Bible, the Blessed Virgin Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to the Lord Jesus. And as affirmed by the teachings of the Church since its early days, Mary has remained a virgin until she was taken up to Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

Her virginity speaks for itself. Created as a new creation, the Second Eve, Mary was immaculate in nature from the moment of her conception. Mary was created holy, gave birth to the Son of God in holiness, lived a holy life in the Presence of the Lord God and was taken to Heaven in the fullness of her holiness. Truly, she shall be blessed every generation. [Lk. 1:48]

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified." [Rom. 8:28-30]

OR..

"The Lord says this: You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

Therefore the Lord shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth: and he shall be the one of peace" [Mic. 5:2-5]

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Gospel Reading...

"An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father Hezron, Hezron the father Aram, Aram the father of Aminadab, Aminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph, Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." [Mt. 1:1-16, 18-23]

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