she was found with child through the Holy Spirit

The Solemnity of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Year B

Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

A reading from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 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 fulfil
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.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Reflection

The church has celebrated the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God from the sixth century. In Scripture we do not find any account about Our Lady’s birth. However, the void was filled by the Protoevangelium of St James. According to this account, Anna and Joachim could not have children and they prayed that a child would be born to them. They were promised that they would have a child who was to participate in God’s plan of salvation. Similar to other couples we find in Scripture there is an emphasises on God’s presence in Our Lady’s life from the very beginning. 

St Augustine sees a connection between Our Lady’s birth and Jesus’ work of salvation. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley: Jesus Christ. Through her birth, the fragile nature that we inherited from our first parents was transformed. 

The opening prayer of the Mass – the Collect that can be found toward the top of the page – speaks about the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawning of salvation and asks for deeper peace.  In the birth of every person, we can see an invitation for new hope in the world.  The love of two people has become one with the creative work of God. 

Parents who bring a child into the world present hope in a world full of strife.  The new child has the potential of becoming a channel of love and peace that God gives to the world.  All this occurred in Mary. 

If Jesus is the perfect expression of God’s love, then Mary is the precursor of this love. If Jesus brought the fullness of salvation, then Mary is the dawn of this same salvation. Celebrating birthdays bring joy to the person celebrating their birthday as well as to their family and friends. 

Following the birth of Jesus, the birth of Our Lady offers immense joy to the world.  Each time we celebrate her birth, we are hoping for greater peace in our hearts and in our world. 

Prayer

In a world, as Pope Francis said, that is living through a fragmented third world war, we ask for your intercession, O Mother, to intercede for us and obtain for us the gift of peace. Intercede for those who are asking for a child. Watch over expectant mothers. O Mary, intercede for the whole world in the presence of the Blessed Trinity. Amen.  

 

Ara l-Qari tal-Ħdud li għaddew