The Nativity of Mary

Today the Church celebrates the birth of Mary. September 8th is nine months after the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. It is through Mary, conceived without sin, that Jesus came into the world.

Under my Immaculate Mantle


Though the New Testament tells us nothing about the birth of Mary, the Nativity of Mary is recorded in the Protoevangelion of Saint James, a second century work that is not part of the canon of Sacred Scripture. There we are told that her parents were Saints Joachim and Ann. The traditional place of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is under the crusader Church of Saint Ann in Jerusalem where Joachim and Anna were believed to have lived. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that by a special act of Divine Providence, the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary occured without the transmission of Original Sin. This doctrine is known as the Immaculate Conception. According to writings of Saint James, Anna and Joachim were infertile and prayed for a child. They received the promise of a child who would advance God's plan of salvation for the world. Such a story stresses the special presence of God in Mary's life from the beginning.

Saint Augustine connects Mary's birth with Jesus' saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. "She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed." The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary's Son as the dawn of our salvation and asks for an increase of peace.

We can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love of two human beings joining with God in his creative work. Loving parents are hope in a world filled with troubles. The new child has the potential to be a channel of God's love and peace to the world. This is all true in a magnificent way in Mary. If Jesus is the perfect expression of God's love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of salvation, Mary is its dawning.

Birthday celebrations bring happiness to the celebrant, as well as to family and friends. Next to the birth of Jesus, Mary's birth offers the greatest possible happiness to the world. Today, as we celebrate her birth, let us pray for an increase of peace in our hearts and in the world.

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother Mary! You were created by God in grace. By your YES, your FIAT to God and your cooperation with the Holy Spirit, God became one in you, and you gave Jesus to us. Dear Mary, Mother of Jesus, thank you for trusting God and showing us how to respond to and cooperate with Him in our lives. Happy Birthday, Mary, our Mother!