Can you name 5 people who lived in Mexico in the early years of the 16th century? Probably not. Neither can I. When I try to make out a list, the project stalls after I write down a single name: St. Juan Diego.
Virtually nothing is known about Juan Diego, apart from the story of his encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe. Yet nearly 500 years later we know his name—long after the world has forgotten the names of the kings and warriors and prelates who were his contemporaries.
After his first meeting with the Virgin Mary, when he told the bishop about the Blessed Mother’s wish for a church to be built at the site of their meeting, Juan Diego came away frustrated, because the bishop did not believe him. Why should such an important person as the bishop pay attention to this insignificant peasant? Juan Diego reportedly suggested that the Virgin should choose another more impressive envoy, because “I am a nobody.” A few centuries later, history has delivered a very different verdict. It is the bishop who has become a “nobody.” (I do not mean that he was a bad man; he may be rejoicing in heaven today. But history has not treated him kindly, and whatever fame he enjoyed in 1531 is long gone. Can you name him? Neither can I.) Juan Diego, on the other hand, is a canonized saint.
When Our Lady first spoke with Juan Diego (according to the account written by Don Antonio Valeriano), she referred to him as “the most humble of my sons.” If she used those exact words, I feel sure that she meant them as more than a term of endearment; she meant them as a compliment. It was his humility that made Juan Diego the ideal man to execute Our Lady’s plan.
*An old spiritual director of mine was fond of saying, “There are no humbled people in hell.” A humble person—someone who sees himself as insignificant—opens himself to be used as an instrument of God’s will. But then paradoxically, if he carries out God’s plan faithfully, he grows in importance—not to himself, but to the world. Remember what we are told in the Gospels, "Those who humble themselves shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:12 and Luke 14:11)
When we look toward Juan Diego we do not see a “nobody;” we see a simple man whose humility ensures that his own personality will not get in the way, and so he is better able to reflect the splendor of “the woman clothed in the sun.” He is great because he was small; he humbled himself and so he is exalted.
Katerina wrote: The incarnation, unlike any other event in human history, has made motherhood a sacred vocation. He, who gives life, humbled himself to be nourished by the breast of his mother. He, who is love, allowed Mary to raise Him with love and care
Michael wrote:Mary was the only human being to whom Christ was obedient. And then he orders us to take her into our homes. We are the "disciple whom He loved" standing at the cross (John 19:26-27), accepting Mary as our Mother.
I wrote: And how do you help our protestant brothers and sisters understand that? Those willing to even talk about Mary tell me Jesus was talking only to John (which I find mystifying in its interpretation but . . . nonetheless. . . )
Michael wrote: You could always point out that
1) Mary is referred to as "woman" in Johannie work and the significance of that.
the Gospel of John begins with the "seven days" of Genesis, setting up the Wedding of Cana on the seventh day during which Mary (called "woman" like Eve) and Jesus cooperate to initiate the beginning of Jesus' ministry (John 2:1-11).
Mary is called "woman" again by Jesus on the Cross (John 19:26-27) and entrusted to the anonymous "beloved disciple," whom the earliest of Christians understood to be every believer.
In the Book of Revelation, another Johannie work, the one who gives birth to the Messiah is called "woman" and the mother of all who bear witness to Jesus.
The Johannine tradition portrays Mary ("woman") as a second Eve--the mother of all who belong to the new creation of believers in Christ Jesus (who is the new Adam).
The reason for calling Mary "woman" in John is to make Jewish readers think of her in terms of Eve's motherhood over all humanity.
2) Then's there's the Gospel of Luke, which describes Mary in terms of the Ark of the Covenant. And we all know what that entails! :-)
Pray for us that we may be made worthy the promises of Christ.
Missionaries who first came to Mexico with the conquistadors had little success in the beginning.
After nearly a generation, only a few hundred Native Mexicans had converted to the Christian faith.
Then in 1531 miracles began to happen. Jesus' own mother appeared to humble Juan Diego. The signs -- of the roses, of the uncle miraculously cured of a deadly illness, and especially of her beautiful image on Juan's tilma -- convinced the people there was something to be considered in Christianity.
Within a short time, six million Native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians
. * The Significance of Juan Diego's Tilma In the Indian cultures of that time, the tilma was the exterior expression of the innermost identity of the person. By being visible on Juan Diego's tilma, Mary became imprinted in the deepest recesses of his heart -- and in the hearts of all who come to her. Our Lady of Guadalupe is not simply an image on the tilma, as miraculous as this is. She has become part her children's innermost identity.
With all of this in mind, ponder two points for a moment.
The first point is that God has chosen Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter what critics may say of the devotion of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants) to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe their Christianity to her influence. If it were not for her, they would not know her son, and so they are eternally grateful.
The second point we take from Mary herself. Mary appeared to Juan Diego not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess speaking to him in his own Aztec language. If we want to help someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we must appreciate the culture and the mentality in which they live their lives. By understanding them, we can help them to understand and know Christ. Our Lady of Guadalupe is patroness of the Americas and patroness of the unborn.
The apparition took place in 1859 in what is now the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin. For the last two years a diocesan commission has been evaluating its authenticity, and on Wednesday (Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception), Bishop David Ricken announced its approval.
Apparently, he was surprised to learn that this was the first such approval of an apparition in the United States. He also reportedly was surprised to learn that it hadn’t already been approved since his predecessor bishops had supported it (albeit without giving it formal approval—note well that this is something that can happen; just because a bishop says something nice about an apparition does not mean it has been formally approved).
As this is the first American approval of an apparition, it is instructive to see the kind of language that Bishop Ricken used (most other such approvals were done pre-Internet and/or in other languages and thus have not been seen by most).
After the bishop briefly reviews the history of the apparition and the investigation of it, he arrives at the money part:
It remains to me now, the Twelfth Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay and the lowliest of the servants of Mary, to declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church:
that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October, 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful.
These Marian apparitions are now commemorated under the title “Our Lady of Good Help,” and there is a corresponding shrine in Champion, Wisconsin.
So what happened in 1859?
A young woman named Adele Brise—28-year old Belgian immigrant to what was then the American frontier—was taking wheat to a local mill when she saw a lady in white standing between two trees (and, yes, she did report the lady as having golden hair in the vision, which would most likely be based on Adele’s ethnic background). The lady then vanished. She saw the same thing the next day.
At first Adele thought the lady might be a soul in purgatory who needed prayers, and she was frightened. She communicated this to several people, one of whom, a local priest, told her that if it were a heavenly messenger, she would see it again, and it would not harm her, but to ask in God’s name who it was and what it desired of her.
Note that these are a paraphrase of the two classic, basic questions, “Who are you?” and “What do you want?”
I once recommended the same questions to a child who called in to Catholic Answers Live reporting that he heard a voice from an unknown source—if the voice came back. Unfortunately, I never heard whether it did or what the voice answered. But I’m glad to see the advice I gave in modern times echoed in this case. They seem to me the best questions to ask of an unknown, possibly supernatural agency.
Meanwhile, back in 1859, what happened next?
After that, Adele had more courage. She started home with her two companions, and a man who was clearing land for the Holy Cross Fathers at Bay Settlement accompanied them.
As they approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long, golden, wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Such a heavenly light shone around her that Adele could hardly look back at her sweet face. Overcome by this heavenly light and the beauty of her amiable visitor, Adele fell on her knees.
"In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?" asked Adele, as she had been directed.
"I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them."
"Adele, who is it?’’ said one of the women. "O why can’t we see her as you do?" said another weeping.
"Kneel," said Adele, "the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven."
Our Blessed Lady turned, looked kindly at them, and said, "Blessed are they that believe without seeing. What are you doing here in idleness . . . . while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?"
"What more can I do, dear Lady?" said Adele, weeping.
“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation."
“But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?" replied Adele.
“Teach them,’ replied her radiant visitor, ‘their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.”
The manifestation of Our Lady then lifted her hands, as though beseeching a blessing for those at her feet, and slowly vanished, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrate on the ground. [SOURCE]
And that was all, in terms of the apparitions. They were short and straightforward.
Following this, Adele devoted herself wholeheartedly and despite obstacles to her mission of educating children. She became a Third Order Franciscan Sister.
Many people began to hold pilgrimages to the site, where a shrine was built. Healings were reported, and twelve years later the site of the shrine was spared from a tremendous wildfire that scorched large swaths of forest around it.
And so, given the convergence of
(1) the (obvious) compatibility of the message with the Christian faith
(2) the revolution in the life of St. Adele, and
(3) the apparent fruit—including apparent answered prayer—that followed the apparition in the lives of others, Bishop Ricken approved the apparition, concluding with “moral certainty” (not absolute certainty) that it was of divine origin and could be recommended to the faithful as such, though this recommendation does not carry an obligation of belief. One is free to discount the idea that the apparition is of supernatural origin, and in doing so one does not sin.
While apparitions differ from one to another, it may be noted that this case corresponds fairly closely to the core paradigm for approved Marian apparitions, which may be phrased along these lines:
On a limited number of occasions . . .
~~> the Virgin Mary appears to a young, uneducated person—usually female—and imparts a message of that proclaims no new doctrine
~~> but instead conveys both warning and consolation focusing on the salvation of souls and suggesting a way to promote this;
~~> the life of the visionary is revolutionized, and
~~> the visionary pursues some form of religious vocation (if not already undertaken);
~~> the visionary seeks the guidance of competent authorities in the evaluation of the manifestations and is obedient to ecclesiastical authority;
~~> some form of further evidence of answered prayer or the miraculous is forthcoming.
So.
America gets its first approved apparition. Kewl beans.
And, its a straightforward and uncomplicated one that should be uncontroversial and thus serve to highlight it as a useful spiritual signpost. Kewler still.
Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help
4047 Chapel Drive
New Franken, WI 54229 Phone: (920) 866-2571 E-mail:chapel000@centurytel.net Web siteThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Who could make such a choice; to accept the essence of God, incarnated in human form? Who could choose to give up any possibility of a normal life to become the mother of the Son of God? Who could be worthy to accept the deposit of perfection that was the person of Jesus, absolute perfection in form and spirit? These are the questions asked by the Apostles and Fathers of the Church as they contemplated St. Mary’s acquiescence to the will of God.
Numerous chains of logic have been applied to demonstrate how St. Mary could only have been the Immaculate Conception; how the Archangel Gabriel had addressed her (pronounced her) “Hail, full of grace!” The only way the Blessed Mother could be “full of grace” would be the absolute absence of sin, which necessarily included original sin.
We do not get the full impact of the Archangel’s statement in its English translation. In Greek the words used were chaire kecharitōmenē. The word charis in St. Luke’s Gospel is associated with chare –joy and wisdom (sophia). St. Luke is saying she is not simply “fullness” but Holy Mary is an instrument of grace. To quote the scripture scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P. “Luke's word puts the emphasis upon the source of goodness rather than upon its effects. In regard to Mary, therefore, he points out that she is the object of God's grace and favor. Because the verb is also a participle, Mary is shown to have been chosen for a long time past; God's full flow of favor has already been concentrating upon her.”[4] The grace that flows in her and through her was therefore established from before her conception and perforce without sin – immaculate.
It is for this reason we celebrate this day in all solemnity. God chose his holy instrument to bring life back into a world that had fallen to sin and death with Adam and Eve’s great failure. A loving Father sends his beloved Son to us free of sin himself to become the sacrifice that makes us whole. The Immaculate Conception in the person of St. Mary is the only way this could happen. She herself, full of grace was conceived without sin so that through her life could enter the world once more. For us we ask her again and perpetually - Pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Today's Gospel:Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Commentary onLk 1:26-38
This passage from St. Luke’s Gospel is the story of Mary being informed by the Archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen for the great privilege of baring the Savior of the World. St. Mary graciously accepts this honor although with very human fear indicating that her free will is at play – making her obedience to God’s will more powerful. It is proposed that with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14 (“Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”)
This announcement is parallel to the Zechariah’s news about John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), which is also delivered by the Angel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus as Son of David and Son of God thus linking it with the messianic predictions from the Old Testament. Also very important in this story is Mary’s incredulous response; “’How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’" establishing her virgin status and is a declaration of the Spirit’s role in the conception.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Immaculate Conception,
“490 To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.”132 The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”.133 In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace. 491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God,134 was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.135
492 The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”.136 The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.137 493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”.138 By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. “
And they stood in the place of the cave: and behold a bright cloud overshadowing the cave. And [Mary's] midwife said: My soul is magnified this day, because mine eyes have seen marvelous things: for salvation is born unto Israel. And immediately the cloud withdrew itself out of the cave, and a great light appeared in the cave so that our eyes could not endure it. And by little and little that light withdrew itself until the young child appeared: and it went and took the breast of its mother Mary.
From St. Ephraem's Hymns on the Nativity:
Mary bore a mute Babe
though in Him were hidden all our tongues.
Joseph carried Him,
yet hidden in Him was a silent nature older than everything.
The Lofty One became like a little child,
yet hidden in Him was a treasure of Wisdom that suffices for all.
He was lofty
but He sucked Mary's milk,
and from His blessings all creation sucks.
He is the Living Breast of living breath;
by His life the dead were suckled, and they revived.
Without the breath of air no one can live;
without the power of the Son no one can rise.
Upon the living breath of the One Who vivifies all
depend the living beings above and below.
As indeed He sucked Mary's milk,
He has given suck -- life to the universe.
As again He dwelt in His mother's womb,
in His womb dwells all creation.
Mute He was as a babe,
yet He gave to all creation all His commands.
For without the First-Born no one is able to approach Being,
for He alone is capable of it.
It is amazing how female breasts can be surgically enlarged, reduced, lifted, and pierced, stuffed into "Wonder Bras," packaged, marketed and sold (or used to market and sell other things), but are rarely conceptualized in the Western world as being what they truly are: the means to feed babies.
While discretion, modesty, and politeness are always key virtues (for anyone, not just women), the way we think of the female breast is partially culturally conditioned, and I'm convinced that the modern Western view is unhealthy. Many years ago, I saw Joan Rivers on a TV show introduce a year's worth of "Playboy Playmates." Miss Rivers gushed over them, lauding them for their beauty, brains, talent, and "wisdom" in using their bodies to make a living. Then she introduced actress Connie Selleca who'd recently given birth to a child. "Oh, I hope you're not one of those women who breastfeeds in public!" she said. If I could've slapped Miss Rivers, I might have. What harm such attitudes cause women and their children! Breastfeeding is among the very best things a woman can do for her children, and I applaud women who give their children that, whether in private or, given our piggish, dirty-minded culture, discreetly in public.
To inspire women on, below are links to some of the most famous artistic depictions of Mary as nursing mother -- "Maria Lactans." They will open in new browser windows.
From "Les Très Belles Heures du Duc de Berry," ca. A.D. 1409, illustrated by the brothers Jean, Paul, and Hermann Limbourg. The brothers also later illustrated the better known "Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry" (some illustrations for this work were later added by Jean Colombe).
"The Miraculous Lactation of St. Bernard." This painting depicts the spiritual nourishing of St. Bernard by the milk of Our Lady, based on this legendary mystical experience: Bernard prayed before a statue of the Madonna, asking her, "Show yourself a mother" ("Monstra te esse Matrem"). The statue came to life and and squirted milk from the breast onto the Saint's lips. Artist: Unknown Master, Netherlandish, 1480-85
Nuestra Señora de Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of Milk and Good Birth). This statue, ca. A.D. 1600-1620, is kept in the shrine devoted to Nuestra Señora de Leche y Buen Parto in St. Augustine, Florida -- the first Marian shrine in the United States.
"The Miraculous Lactation of St. Bernard." This painting depicts the spiritual nourishing of St. Bernard by the milk of Our Lady, based on this legendary mystical experience: Bernard prayed before a statue of the Madonna, asking her, "Show yourself a mother" ("Monstra te esse Matrem"). The statue came to life and and squirted milk from the breast onto the Saint's lips. Artist: Alonso Cano, A.D. 1650
A noteable quote(edited by Soutenus): from Sal, a reader of Why I'm Catholic:
Everything about Mary stems from Jesus. Without Him, she would have no reason to be honored in any fashion. Also, most can't argue with His words from the cross: "Woman, behold thy son..." and will accept the tradition that He was giving her to all of us, in the symbolic person of St. John.
I sometimes put it this way: Do you tell the Lord "Dear Jesus, please come into my heart. But I'm going to need you to ask your Mother and friends to stay outside."?
Mary is hard to resist once people get over their "worship" fears. Understanding that we do NOT worship Mary erases that misconception.
Today the Church commemorates Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows. Over the centuries, many Christians have meditated upon the Seven Sorrows of Mary described in the gospels.
Her 1st Sorrow was when she and Joseph brought the 8-day old Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem for his circumcision (Lk 2:34). Circumcision for the Jews is a sign of their covenant with God, and the spilling of baby Jesus' blood in this Temple foreshadowed the eventual death sentence he would receive there, thus sealing the New Covenant in his blood.
At the Temple, Mary was confronted by the prophet Simeon. He told her that Jesus would be the promised light to both the Israelites and the Gentiles, but that Christ would also be rejected and that Mary herself would be pierced by a sword of sorrow. This is why in Christian art, Mary's heart is shown wounded by a sword or swords.
Her 2nd Sorrow came when an angel warmed Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and baby Jesus (Mt 2:13). The evil King Herod wished to destroy the child, and was willing to slaughter thousands of children in order to do so. For a man who was supposed to protect the people to show such hatred for innocent human life must have broken Mary's heart. This sorrow reminds us that it is the duty of families and leaders to protect innocent human life. It also reminds us to show compassion to families who are forced to come to our land seeking safety.
Mary's 3rd Sorrow came when she and Joseph lost the 12 year old Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:43). Twenty-one years later, Mary would again lose Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover, where the religious leaders would once again question him, this time condemning him to die. We must use our voices to speak for anyone who is wrongly condemned to die. We must offer comfort to mothers who lose their children due to illness, crime, poverty, or war.
Mary's experienced a 4th great sorrow years later, when she followed her Son out of Jerusalem as he carried his cross to the hill of Calvary (Lk 23:26). Here Mary shows the same courage and obedience as Abraham, who was also willing to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac on a wooden altar atop a hill.
Mary's greatest sorrow, the fifth, was seeing her son die (Jn. 19:25). His hands had healed so many, even raising the dead back to life. Now his healing hands were held back by nails. The face that she once washed clean was covered in blood, the hair that she once combed now tangled in a crown of thorns. This image alone should make us feel disgust for violence and revulsion for anything that disrespects innocent life. When we see Mary weeping, this should make us want to wipe away her tears by our efforts to obey her son.
Mary's 6th Sorrow was when her son's lifeless body was taken down and given to her (Mt. 27:57). Along with the other female disciples, it was Mary's duty to clean the body and prepare it for burial. She suffered to bring him into our world, to raise him, and now he dies to pay for our sins. This should drive us to repent, to show deep respect to our mothers and to all women.
Mary's last sorrow came when she buried her son. Just as she brought him into the world in a stable that was once a cave, Jesus is now buried in a cavern carved into a rocky hill. As a baby, he was placed in a borrowed cradle. Now he lies in a borrowed tomb. As an infant, he was wrapped in blankets, and he is now buried in a simple white shroud. This last sorrow calls us to respect the dignity of each and every human life no matter how poor, no matter how that life begins or ends.
Mary's heroic strength through these sorrows prepared her heart for the joy of Christ's resurrection days later. We are called to imitate her, bravely accepting suffering, showing kindness to others who suffer. Like Mary, we can find joy and hope in knowing that Jesus has conquered suffering and death. His victory is our peace
The pieta is any image of the Virgin Mother holding the body of her crucified Son. Like other depictions of Mary, artists through the ages have presented this theme in their own style. I have selected a wide range of Pieta images by different artists each one worthy of appreciation and prayerful contemplation. Enjoy . . .
A reading used in the Roman Catholic Office of Readings for the Feast of the Birthday or nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as the Theotokos, on September 8 -- Saint Andrew of Crete on the nativity of Mary as a turning point in the old covenant becoming the new, the frontier where types and symbols give way to reality.
This reading shows that September 8th was celebrated as the birthday of Mary, the mother of Jesus at least as early as the early 8th century.
Though the new testament tells us nothing about the birth of Mary, the nativity of Mary is recorded in the Protoevangelion of St. 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 St. 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 occurred without the transmission of Original Sin. This doctrine is known as the Immaculate Conception.
The fulfillment of the law is Christ himself, who does not so much lead us away from the letter as lift us up to its spirit. For the law’s consummation was this, that the very lawgiver accomplished his work and changed letter into spirit, summing everything up in himself and, though subject to the law, living by grace. He subordinated the law, yet harmoniously united grace with it, not confusing the distinctive characteristics of the one with the other, but effecting the transition in a way most fitting for God. He changed whatever was burdensome, servile and oppressive into what is light and liberating, so that we should be enslaved no longer under the elemental spirits of the world, as the Apostle says, nor held fast as bondservants under the letter of the law.
This is the highest, all-embracing benefit that Christ has bestowed on us. This is the revelation of the mystery, this is the emptying out of the divine nature, the union of God and man, and the deification of the manhood that was assumed. This radiant and manifest coming of God to men most certainly needed a joyful prelude to introduce the great gift of salvation to us. The present festival, the birth of the Mother of God, is the prelude, while the final act is the fore-ordained union of the Word with flesh. Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed and prepared for her role as Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages.
Justly, then, do we celebrate this mystery since it signifies for us a double grace. We are led toward the truth, and we are led away from our condition of slavery to the letter of the law. How can this be?
Darkness yields before the coming of the light, and grace exchanges legalism for freedom.
But midway between the two stands today’s mystery, at the frontier where types and symbols give way to reality, and the old is replaced by the new. Therefore, let all creation sing and dance and unite to make worthy contribution to the celebration of this day. Let there be one common festival for saints in heaven and men on earth. Let everything, mundane things and those above, join in festive celebration. Today this created world is raised to the dignity of a holy place for him who made all things. The creature is newly prepared to be a divine dwelling place for the Creator.
This reading on the nativity of Mary, Our Lady, is an excerpt from a discourse by St. Andrew of Crete (Oratio 1: PG 97, 806-810) is used in the Roman Catholic Office of Readings for the Feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary on September 8.
Justly, then, do we celebrate this mystery since it signifies for us a double grace. We are led toward the truth, and we are led away from our condition of slavery to the letter of the law. How can this be? 