The Birth of Our Mother

On November 21, 1964 Pope St Paul VI officially declared the Blessed Virgin Mary “Mother of the Church”.  This title is really an ancient one for Our Lady. St. Ambrose of Milan spoke of Mary using this title in the fourth century. Pope Benedict XIV invoked her unde this name in 1748. Pope Leo XIII dd likewise in 1885. Pope St. John Paul II inserted it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis established the Monday after Pentecost Sunday as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. It sounds like it is important. Right?  Well, it is and it connects with a feast that we are celebrating this week.

Every year on the 8th of September the Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – the day of her birth.  The Entrance Antiphon of the feast is a beautiful invitation, “Let us celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; for from her arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.” We should celebrate this day with joy because God chose that from her came to us God the Son who is Our Lord and Savior, the Redeemer of us all!

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an ancient feast originating in the 6th century in the Eastern Church.  It is like the first streaks of dawn coming across the night sky that announce to us that the rising of the sun is near. This sun is the Son of God who is the Light of the world. He comes to destroy the darkness of sin and to illumine the hearts of people who embrace Him in faith.

Our Lady’s Nativity is all about relationship. The Gospel passage at Mass of this feast speaks eloquently of relationship.  It is the genealogy of Our Lord Jesus Christ taken from St. Matthew’s Gospel. Tracing all of the generations of the ancestors of Jesus starting from Abraham to Mary, His Mother, and St. Joseph, His Foster Father, emphasizes that Jesus is real and someone with whom we are called to have a relationship with. He did not simply materialize on earth, but rather, He was born of a woman in the fullness of time. The genealogy also emphasizes the divine origin of Our Lord recording the words of the angel of God to St. Joseph.  “Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. “ (Mt 1:2021)   These words from the Gospel reinforce to us that we are not celebrating a idea or a myth in this feast of Our Lady’s Nativity. We are celebrating her birth as she comes into the world so that by her Fiat she will bring salvation into the world in the Person of Jesus. It is a celebration of relationship with Our Lord and His Holy Mother.

So, what does this relationship look like? Let’s go back about her title as ‘Mother of the Church”. We can say that she is the Mother of the Church because we know and believe that the Church is her Son’s Body on earth. We then can clearly see that she is our Mother because we are members of the Body of Christ the Church.  In St. John’s Gospel we read that Jesus gave us to her as her children and her to us as our Mother.  “…standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ and from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” (Jn 19: 25-27)  We see that the gift of her spiritual motherhood was not just for John, but for all of us baptized into her Son’s Body the Church.

We can say that this feast if about two amazing relationships. First, the real, flesh and blood relationship, between Mother and Son in the persons of Mary and Jesus. St. Peter Damian wrote, “It is the beginning of salvation, the origin of every feast, for, behold, the Mother of the Bridegroom is born.” (Sermo XLV, in Nativit. BVM)  All should rejoice because when the Mother is born, the Son is not far away!

Second, the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady proclaims to us that we are called to have a real relationship with her and her Divine Son.  The words of Jesus“Behold, your Son! Behold your mother!” say to us that our relationship with her comes from our relationship with Him.  He is the one who said it!  Mothers and sons are like that. They are usually a package deal. When we enter into this maternal-filial relationship unlike any other, we are forever changed by the outpouring of grace that flows from it.

On this feast of Our Mother’s birth, let us take seriously the Church’s invitation, “Let us celebrate with joy the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary…” Let us give Our Mother a gift. Perhaps praying the Rosary, perhaps going to Mass and receiving her Son in Holy Communion, perhaps doing an act of charity for someone who needs some TLC, perhaps by giving Our Heavenly Mother our heart!

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxilairy Bishop of Pittsburgh