Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Homily for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The birth of Mary sheds light on God’s action in history and how Christ is God-with-us. Today’s feast and the readings for today’s liturgy are a beautiful reminder that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human. God’s chose to become one like us. This choice is an expression of God’s love for us and a reminder that we are cherished beyond our imagining.

Even though the feast today is about the birth of Mary, the readings are rightly about Jesus Christ. The focus of all human history is framed around the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is especially true of his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. No matter under which title we invoke her name or venerate her, she is always pointing us in the direction of her Son. Her entire life was devoted to her Son. Even today, her mission can be summarized in the words: “Do whatever he tells you.” In each person’s life the One who is Peace, the man who is God-with-us, gives meaning to each birth and death.

Jesus Christ was born into a particular lineage, into the Davidic line. He is the Messiah. This is important for us to hear, because it is a fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures and a sign of God’s providence. Equally important, however, is that he was born of a woman. His mother, Mary – chosen by God before her own conception to be the first tabernacle of Christ – was fully human. Not divine, not another type of creature, but human: formed in the image and likeness of God. Conceived without sin and full of grace so as to be sinless in all things, she was the perfection of humanity who gave birth to the Savior of humanity and the world.

So today we celebrate the birth of Mary. It is an historic event that shed light on God’s action in history and how Christ is God-with-us.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator