Two themes pervade the readings and prayers of this feast of
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: joy and light.
The Entrance Antiphon gives us the tone of the whole
celebration: “Let us celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, for from her arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.” We rejoice today
because Mary’s birth in history announced that the coming of Christ was near.
Her nativity was like the first light on the horizon before sunrise. The world was
still waiting for the Savior, but already the darkness was beginning to break.
Justice, and our desire for God to set things right, to heal
what was wounded by sin, to save us from the mortal wound of sin, to restore
what was lost by sin, was about to be fulfilled. And there is joy in that—like a
flood of light washing over a world drowning in darkness.
The Prayer after Communion today will repeat those themes of
joy and light. We’ll pray, “May your Church exult, O Lord…as she rejoices in
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was the hope and the daybreak of
salvation for all the world.”
And yet, today, we celebrate not just an event that happened
millennia ago, but also for our individual souls.
Where Mary is honored, faith in Christ is strengthened. Imitating
her virtues, opens our souls more fully to the grace of her Son. She, who bore
Christ in her womb, teaches us how to become a dwelling place for God: through
humility, purity, obedience, and prayer.
We celebrate joyfully, but also this feast calls to mind our
need to turn to our lady’s assistance in overcoming the darkness and
selfishness that still afflict us.
Mary will always help those who turn to her assistance to
overcome vice, and to know the peace and joy of living more fully for God, as
she did. Are you having a hard time seeing the light of God amidst the darkness
in your life? Turn to Mary. Are you experiencing the darkness of lonliness or
shame? Turn to Mary. Are you confused about what path God wants for you for
your future? Turn to Mary.
Turn to Mary that the light of Christ may rise ever more
fully in your lives, families, relationships, and in our world, for the glory
of God and the salvation of souls.
That Pope Leo and all members of the Church, like the Virgin Mary, may magnify
the goodness of God through word and deed.
That all Christians may find in Mary the paramount example of
faithfulness in living out our vocations. May devotion to Mary sanctify
families, protect young people from the evils of error and sin, and bring peace
to our troubled world.
For an end to
indifference to God and human dignity in our communities, institutions,
businesses, and personal attitudes. Let us pray to the Lord.
During this month of
September, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we pray for all those who grieve,
and that we may grieve sufficiently for our sins. Let us pray to the Lord.
For those who struggle
because of addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or
ongoing trials of any kind. May Christ, the Divine Physician, bring healing to
all of the suffering. Let us pray to the Lord.
For
the deceased members of our family and friends, for all of the poor souls in
purgatory…
We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited
to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your
faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
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