The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast day: September 8
The Church celebrates the birthday of Mary, who would become the Mother of the Savior (08/09)
What is this feast?
The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the day Mary was born. In the General Roman Calendar, the Church celebrates the birthday of only three people: Jesus, Mary and Saint John the Baptist. Jesus is the Son of God; Mary was kept free from original sin from the moment of her conception; Saint John was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb (cf. Lk 1:15). The 8th of September is exactly nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December.
The story
The four Gospels say nothing about Mary’s birth, and they do not give the names of her parents. What we know comes from tradition, especially an ancient second-century book called the Protoevangelium of James, which is not part of the Bible.
According to that tradition, Joachim and Anne were a devout couple who had been unable to have children for a long time. They prayed earnestly, and God gave them a baby girl, whom they named Mary. One tradition says she was born in Jerusalem, near the Temple; another says it was in Sepphoris, in Galilee. We do not know for sure which is right.
What is certain is that God prepared Mary even before she was born, so that she would become the Mother of the Son of God. The prophet Isaiah spoke of her ahead of time: “the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son” (Is 7:14).
Why does the Church celebrate this feast?
The Church rejoices because Mary’s birthday is the first step toward our salvation. Just as dawn comes before the sun, Mary came first to prepare the way for Jesus. This feast also reminds you that every baby who is born is a precious gift from God.
A lesson for you
- On your own birthday, say a prayer to thank God and to pray for your parents.
- Pray a Hail Mary today for Mary’s birthday.
- Love and respect your grandparents, like Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, who raised Mary.
Identifying marks
- A baby wrapped in white, sleeping peacefully in loving arms: Mary has just been born; the white speaks of her pure soul, free from original sin from the very beginning.
- A small halo above the baby’s head: from the moment she was conceived in her mother’s womb, Mary was full of God’s grace.
- A kind older woman with a white veil, a red dress and a green mantle, holding the child: according to tradition, this is Saint Anne, Mary’s mother; she rejoices over the child God has given her.
- A white-haired old man with his hand on his wife’s shoulder, smiling down at the child: according to tradition, this is Saint Joachim; the joy of this family is the joy of all humanity.
- A simple stone house, with early sunlight coming through the door: this is how the artist imagines Mary’s humble family, since we have no reliable record of that house; the morning suggests that the day of salvation is drawing near.
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