8 September 2017
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Of course we really don’t know the exact day when Mary was born, but if we hold that Jesus was born of Mary and Mary was human then she had a birthday. Although much in Catholic tradition about Mary may appear as decorative ornament, these stories usually point to the firm foundation of the truths about Mary and her place in salvation history. From the writings in the gospel describing Mary, through the Council of Ephesus which identified her as the Mother of God. Including the documents of the Second Vatican Council and into recent encyclicals on Mary, such as St. John Paul II in Redemptoris Mater, we find church teaching reiterating this fundamental concept. This concept holds that Mary, through the redemptive work of Christ,responded freely to the work of that divine grace and because of her yes, cooperated in a unique way in God’s plan for salvation. So much can be said about Mary and John Paul ‘s encyclical certainly would merit a careful reading in order to help us understand the magnitude of her place in helping us move towards the Lord. Perhaps the best birthday present we can give is our simple and sometimes awkward attempts at imitating her yes to God.