‘She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’_ – *Mt 1:21*
Birthdays are special days. Some birthdays are celebrated with more excitement either because of the person involved or what they have accomplished. Today, we celebrate the Blessed Mother of our Lord and Saviour both for who she is and for what God has accomplished through her:
• We celebrate the day a person is born because it marks the beginning of a mysterious but promising life, one which may be a blessing to our world. Mary by becoming the Mother of our Saviour holds a distinguished place in all humanity. Her birth precedes the incarnation by which her life and the life of all humanity received the promise of freedom from sin and eternal death.
• We celebrate Mary for her humility. She does not take glory for the singular privilege she enjoys as the Mother of God. She rather rejoices in God who has looked upon the lowliness of her state and raised her higher than any creature ever born or that will ever be born. This is the perfect example for us to return glory and thanks to God who favours us.
• We celebrate Mary because she places herself at the service of God. She is a worthy example of how we are to surrender ourselves to divine providence, rather than plan out our lives and “order God” in the name of prayer to endorse our plans.
• We celebrate Mary’s self-surrender as a sign of her great trust in God. Often we trust no one, ourselves inclusive. Mary entrusted herself to God’s plan and was led from the joyful mystery of Christ’s birth and early life, through his luminous years of ministry and the sorrowful mystery of his passion and death, into his glorious resurrection and ascension which signalled her own eternal glorification forever. We too can arrive at such blessedness if only we trust God with our lives and meditate daily on the mysteries of the Rosary.
• We celebrate Mary because she found her worth in God and not in material possessions. God has created us in his image and likeness. Jesus Christ became incarnate in the womb of Mary. In a similar way, he has taken hold of our hearts in Baptism and makes his home in us through the Word of God and the Eucharist. That is where our greatest worth comes from and not our net worth.
• We celebrate Mary’s life because it is a beauty to behold. It is the greatest love story ever told. It is a beautiful journey with God who is at once her Father, Son and Holy Spouse. God is at once our Father, Brother and our Comforter. Draw closer to God who longs to console and strengthen you as He did with Mary.
*Prayer*
Lord Jesus, as we celebrate the birthday of your loving mother, open our hearts to love and trust you as she gave her life in service to you.
*Today’s Readings*
Micah 5:1-4; Ps 12:6,7; Mt 1: 18-23