September 8, 2004 - Wednesday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time

FEAST OF MARY'S BIRTH

Readings:
Mic 5:1-4 or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6ab, 6c;
Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or Mt 1:18-23 (Listen to MP3 - Announcement to Joseph)

Introduction

The Bible, including today's readings, sees Mary in function of her Son; nothing more is said about her in the gospel than what illustrates and serves Christ's mission. Her inconspicuous and self-effacing service is very telling about her character and role - and at the same time about our mission: to witness quietly to the pre-eminence of Christ, to serve him, to be open to his salvation, to live for others.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you today for giving us Mary
as the Mother of your Son.
In her you show us how strong your grace is
and how surprisingly near you are to people.
Give us a firm faith
in the great things you do for all of us
and help us to respond to your gifts
with joyful and receptive hearts.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Scripture Readings

First Reading: Mic 5:1-4a

The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.

or

Rom 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 13:6ab, 6c

R (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Gospel Reading: Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or Mt 1:18-23 (Listen to MP3 - Announcement to Joseph)

This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him 'Jesus' for he will save his people from their sins."

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel which means: God-with-us.

Commentary

OF course there is nothing in the gospels about the birth of Mary. But it's interesting that the text used for this feast is an account of the birth of Jesus.
In a sense, when a child is born a mother is born. When a child is born, its mother begins to be a mother. Even if she was already mother to other children this new child makes her a new mother; a new chapter in her mothering begins. In the birth of the Son of God, Mary begins to be the Mother of God.

Icons of the "Theotokos" (Greek for "God-bearer") are common now in the West. Historically the term had great importance because the Nestorians, who effectively said that Christ was two persons-a divine and a human-were opposed to its use, claiming that it neglected the humanity of Christ. The Council of Ephesus (431) asserted against the Nestorians that Mary was truly the "Theotokos," the God-bearer, or Mother of God: this was a clear way of stating the unity of Christ. The Council of Chalcedon (451) continued the use of this term, and it has become orthodox Christian teaching. Note that it is more a statement about Christ than about Mary-or rather, equally so. When a Child is born, a Mother is born.

General Intercessions

- For the world with all its needs, that Mary may watch over it and pray for it, keep people from warring with one another and from making one another suffer, we pray:

- For people in lowly jobs, that they may learn from our humble mother that God values all work done with love and care, we pray:

- For all of us united here, that our faith in Jesus Christ may produce in us, as in Mary, fruits of genuine love for one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, you satisfy the hungry
with the bread of life
and you quench the thirsty
with the abundance of your Son's wine.
May these gifts be the signs
that we too are willing to share the riches
of your salvation and of the good things of life
with those who hunger and thirst
for bread, justice and love.
May all people thus know
that you are attentive to our needs,
through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
however weak and wavering
our faith may be,
we believe and we pray
that you may supply us
with the strength we lack.
Do in us and through us
the great things you wish to accomplish.
Like Mary, may we serve your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever.

Blessing

No wonder that we are so attached to Mary. She gave us Jesus, stood by him all her life, and at his death became our mother too. May we too stand by Jesus' side in all our life and death, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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