Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today we celebrate the feast of Mary’s birth. In arranging these feasts, our Church is quite straightforward. We celebrate the Immaculate Conception on December 8th and Mary’s nativity on September 8th, exactly 9 months later. The same with the Annunciation—March 25th—and Christmas—December 25th. To mention these parallels reminds me of the many times that the Immaculate Conception is confused with the Annunciation. I recall a friend in college suggesting that because her physical activities led to no possibility of pregnancy, if she were pregnant it must have been the “Immaculate Conception.” I’ve even heard homilies in which priests’ reflections seemed to suggest that we were really celebrating Jesus’ conception in his mother’s womb on December 8th.
For those who are confused, the Scripture readings don’t lend a helping hand. On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we proclaim the gospel passage from Luke that details the Annunciation. Today, when we celebrate Mary’s birth, we read the genealogical account from Matthew—even the one that traces Joseph’s heritage!—that sets up the conception and birth of Jesus. Fact is, we don’t have the option to proclaim the narrative of Mary’s conception or birth from the lectern because those stories aren’t in Scripture. However, the choice of these texts is not accidental. Even the first readings (both options) deal with Jesus. We have the Messianic promise from the prophet Micah, which points to the birth and work of the Savior, or Paul’s letter to the Romans that speaks about Christians conformation to Christ.
But Romans also clues us into the import of this feast, and really of all Marian devotion, that God’s plan was hatched at the beginning of time and that Mary was conformed to Christ even before she bore Him. Marian devotion only makes sense insofar as it drives us to Jesus. The Marianists—the religious order that runs UD—have adopted as one of their core maxims Mary’s line at the Wedding of Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.” That is of course why we celebrate Mary today. Because she is the first among disciples, a clear pointer to her Son.
Tim Gabrielli