Mary was born to be the Mother of the Savior. Her birth is an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus and marks a unique point in salvation history.
She was chosen to be the mother of Jesus long before her birth. Early in the Bible, right after Adam and Eve’s sin, God promises that that the offspring of the woman will fight against the offspring of the serpent. This woman is Mary.
The details of Mary’s birth, including the names of her parents Joachim and Anne, are based on the tradition and writing from the very first centuries of the Church.
Besides the birth of Jesus, the Catholic Church celebrates only two other births: John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary. This is because their births play in integral part in the life of Jesus and in our salvation.
The Nativity of Mary has been celebrated by the Church for even longer than the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which was fixed on the calendar exactly nine months prior to her birth.
The Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8, unless that date falls on a Sunday.
Without Mary, there is no Jesus:
A birth of joy for the entire Christian world:
We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the First-Born among many brethren. And those whom He predestined He also called; and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified.
Romans 8: 28-30
Mary was born so that Jesus could be born:
A joyful prelude to introduce the great gift of salvation:
In fact, the liturgy of this celebration invites us to see not so much the fact of the birth of the Virgin, but the meaning and importance that this fact has in the divine plan of our salvation: “Your birth,” says the antiphon of the Magnificat, “O Virgin Parent of God, was an announcement of joy for the whole world.” Mary is the announcement, Mary is the prelude, Mary is the dawn, Mary is the eve, Mary is the immediate preparation, which crowns and puts an end to the centuries-old development of the divine plan of redemption; it is the goal of prophecy, it is the key to understanding the mysterious messianic messages, it is the point of arrival of God’s thought, “fixed term of eternal counsel”, as Dante expresses it. Mary’s appearance in the history of the world is like the turning on of a light in a dark environment; a morning light, still pale and indirect, but very gentle, but beautiful: the light of the world, Christ, is about to arrive; the happy destiny of humanity, its possible salvation, is now certain; Maria takes him with her.
Pope Paul VI, General Audience, 8 September 1968
Celebrating God’s plan of salvation:
Mary is instrumental in God’s plan for salvation:
Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve; despite her disobedience, she receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the evil one, as well as the promise that she will be the mother of all the living. By virtue of this promise, Sarah conceives a son in spite of her old age. Against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and weak to show forth his faithfulness to his promises: Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Deborah; Ruth; Judith and Esther; and many other women. Mary “stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the new plan of salvation is established.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 489
The birth of the one who is Full of Grace:
Celebrating the birth of Mary where she was born:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
The joy of teaching the faith to children:
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