ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL HER BLESSED
Introduction
The Bible, including today’s readings, sees Mary in function of her Son; nothing more is said about her in the Gospel: than what illustrates and serves Christ’s mission. Her inconspicuous and self-effacing service is very telling about her character and role – and at the same time about our mission: to witness quietly to the pre-eminence of Christ, to serve him, to be open to his salvation, to live for others.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you today for giving us Mary
as the Mother of your Son.
In her you show us how strong your grace is
and how surprisingly near you are to people.
Give us a firm faith
in the great things you do for all of us
and help us to respond to your gifts
with joyful and receptive hearts.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: 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.
>>> Or Romans 8:28-30
Responsorial 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./
Let me sing of the LORD,
“He has been good to me.” R./
Gospel: MATTHEW 1:1-16, 18-23
This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.” All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel which means: God-with-us.
Commentary
Happy Birthday, Mama!
The genealogy presented in today’s gospel indicates that no event in the history of salvation is a stand-alone event. Every event as is every birth, is linked to everything else, within the grand design of God. Mary’s birth, thus, is integrally linked to everything that has gone before and come after. The Liturgy of the day so highlights: “Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Virgin Mary, of who was born the Sun of Justice…. Her birth constitutes the hope and the light of salvation for the whole world…. Her image is light for the whole Christian people.” St. Augustine underlines the significance of her birth thus: “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” Mary’s birth is linked to our lives, through the Son whom she mediated and through whom she became our Mother as well. It’s our Mother’s birthday today. Let’s enter into joyful celebration!
Intercessions
– For the world with all its needs, that Mary may watch over it and pray for it, keep people from warring with one another and from making one another suffer, we pray:
– For people in lowly jobs, that they may learn from our humble mother that God values all work done with love and care, we pray:
– For all of us united here, that our faith in Jesus Christ may produce in us, as in Mary, fruits of genuine love for one another, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, you satisfy the hungry
with the bread of life
and you quench the thirsty
with the abundance of your Son’s wine.
May these gifts be the signs
that we too are willing to share the riches
of your salvation and of the good things of life
with those who hunger and thirst
for bread, justice and love.
May all people thus know
that you are attentive to our needs,
through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
however weak and wavering
our faith may be,
we believe and we pray
that you may supply us
with the strength we lack.
Do in us and through us
the great things you wish to accomplish.
Like Mary, may we serve your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever. Amen!
Blessing
No wonder that we are so attached to Mary. She gave us Jesus, stood by him all her life, and at his death became our mother too. May we too stand by Jesus’ side in all our life and death, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!