Dear Parishioners,

Tomorrow, September 8, is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the course of the Church’s liturgical year there are only three birthdays that are commemorated – the birthday of the Lord Jesus (December 25), the birthday of John the Baptist (June 24), and the birthday of Mary, the Mother of God (September 8). All other saints are typically commemorated on the day of their death (Dies Natils), which was regarded as their birth into eternal life. But because of the unique and privileged role that Mary, John the Baptist and, most significantly, Christ Jesus were given in salvation history, they are honored on both, their birth into this world as well as their birth into the glory of heaven.

The birth of Mary on this date is observed by the Western Church as well as the Eastern Churches in both the Catholic and Orthodox tradition. In fact, in some of the Eastern Churches, the liturgical year officially begins on September 8, the Birth of Mary. While we in the Western Church begin our new liturgical year on the First Sunday of Advent, these Eastern communities find it fitting to use the birthday of Mary to launch their annual cycle of feasts that unfold the mystery of salvation. This different and meaningful approach recognizes Mary as the model disciple of her Son. They unite themselves to her as fellow disciples, making their way on this earthly pilgrimage with their hearts fixed on that ultimate goal of eternal communion with God.

While there is no account of Mary’s birth in the Bible, it was celebrated as a historical event by Christians since at least the sixth century. The date of September 8th was instrumental in determining the feast of her Immaculate Conception nine months earlier on December 8th. What the Bible lacks in historical details of Mary’s birth, the Protoevangelium of James fills in. This document is not one of the official, canonical gospels of the Church, but its antiquity merits consideration. According to this text, Mary’s parents were named Ann and Joachim. As with several women in both the Old and New Testaments, Ann is also barren. In these biblical accounts, bareness is much more than a bodily affliction. It symbolized no future for a family since there could be no biological heir. Barren people therefore were bereft of hope. That God miraculously brought forth life from the bodies of these barren women symbolized salvation and demonstrated that nothing is impossible for God. Ann and Joachim received the promise of a child who would become the chosen vessel through which God’s plan to save the world would be fulfilled.

Mary’s Nativity is more than a celebration of her singular election by God. It is a promise for all Christians who feel trapped in hopelessness and despair. It is a reminder that God is not bound by our human limitations, but is rather the God of wondrous surprises who exceeds our mortal expectations. One of the liturgical antiphons sung in the Byzantine (Eastern) Liturgy on this day reads:

Today the barren Anna claps her hands for joy,
The earth radiates with light, Kings sing their happiness,
Priests enjoy every blessing,
The entire universe rejoices,
For she who is the queen and the Father’s immaculate bride
Buds forth from the stem of Jesse.
Let us also unite our joyful voices with that of creation as we celebrate the birthday of Blessed Mother Mary.

Blessings,

Fr. Gabriel O.S.B.

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