Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Additional Information about the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Readings for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary [1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1

First Option: Micah 5:1-4a

The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
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Commentary on Mi 5:1-4a

In this oracle from the Prophet Micah we hear this contemporary of Isaiah foresee the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. God is speaking through the prophet promising the rise of the Messiah. In his oracle, Micah sees this advent with the people of Israel allegorically being like a woman in labor (see also Isaiah 7:14). The passage concludes with a description of the attributes of the expected Anointed One.

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Or :

Second Option: Romans 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.
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Commentary on Rom 8:28-30

St. Paul here outlines the call to a life in Christ. He reflects that God so loves his children that he called some individuals to participate in his redemptive plan at a deeper level. These “elect”, because of their unwavering service to God will also be glorified. (Note: This reading used on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary clearly points to her glorious vocation and the honored place she has in heaven and on earth).

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 13:6ab, 6c

R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Let me sing of the LORD, “He has been good to me.”
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 13:6ab, 6c

Psalm 13 begins as an individual lament. However, the final strophe captures the hope in the mercy of God and the faith to accept his call.

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Gospel

Long Form: Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
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Commentary on Mt 1:1-16, 18-23

Beginning with Abraham, this passage from Matthew’s Gospel traces the ancestry of Jesus through thirty eight generations. From a scriptural standpoint this family tree was necessary, especially the final 14 generations (twice 7 the perfect number) from the birth of King David on. The oracles of the prophets that the Lord fulfilled in his birth spoke of the Messiah as coming from the stump of Jesse (King David’s Father) and of being of the house and line of David. The lineage described insures that the Gospel reader will know that Jesus indeed fulfilled what had been promised by God.

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Or

Short Form: Matthew 1: 18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
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Commentary on Mt 1: 18-23

Following the genealogy, St. Matthew presents a shortened (relative to those in Mark and Luke). While more is said of St. Joseph’s encounter with the messenger from God, the story of Mary’s virginal conception through the Holy Spirit is described. In the account of St. Matthew a sense of fulfillment is communicated most clearly as he quotes Isaiah as predicting the conception of Christ in Isaiah 7:14.

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Reflection:

In Biology most of us would have looked through a microscope and been amazed at the life teaming in a drop of pond water. If we looked closer we could see an individual organism; and closer still the life functions taking place inside that organism. Specialists have studied such miracles of nature down to the chemistry that takes place sustaining life at the cellular level and we are amazed at the power of God who placed life in the Universe.

There is, of course, a challenge for those who look closely at minutia. One can become so focused on one part of a structure that the richness of the context in which that structure exists is lost. It is analogous to looking in detail at a dot in a panting my Monet. One who sees just the dot misses the canvas upon which the masterpiece is painted.

We use this example because of the feast we celebrate today. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin is probably seen by many of our protestant brethren as being an irrational focus on the Virgin Mary. A focus they feel dilutes our faith in Jesus her son, the Son of God. Allow a brief apologetic regarding that view.

If we are to see God’s great plan in all its richness, in all its magnificence we must look not just at the product of his salvation, Jesus. We must look at the depth of his love and compassion. One step removed from the greatest sacrifice (who is Jesus, Son of God) is the angelic selection of the vessel that would bring this gift to us. The birth of Mary to Anne and Joachim, a miracle in itself (see the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary by an unknown Church Father) was a gift to the world without which the greater gift could not have taken place – a necessary step in God’s salvific plan. Why then should we not rejoice recalling the faith upon faith of our predecessors?

Today we look at the full canvas of God’s redemptive plan and give thanks. Thanks to God for providing the generations of our salvation; thanks especially that Anne and Joachim would accept God’s gift, keeping it safe so the plan God was pleased to decree in Christ could be realized.

Pax

[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “St Anne with the Virgin and Child and St Joachim” by Joos van Cleve, c. 1500
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.