A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON
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.
First 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.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 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
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us).
Commentary
Of course there is nothing in the gospels about the birth of Mary. But it’s interesting that the text used for this feast is an account of the birth of Jesus.
In a sense, when a child is born a mother is born. When a child is born, its mother begins to be a mother. Even if she was already mother to other children this new child makes her a new mother; a new chapter in her mothering begins. In the birth of the Son of God, Mary begins to be the Mother of God.
Icons of the “Theotokos” (Greek for “God-bearer”) are common now in the West. Historically the term had great importance because the Nestorians, who effectively said that Christ was two persons—a divine and a human—were opposed to its use, claiming that it neglected the humanity of Christ. The Council of Ephesus (431) asserted against the Nestorians that Mary was truly the “Theotokos,” the God-bearer, or Mother of God: this was a clear way of stating the unity of Christ. The Council of Chalcedon (451) continued the use of this term, and it has become orthodox Christian teaching. Note that it is more a statement about Christ than about Mary—or rather, equally so. When a Child is born, a Mother is born.
Thus, we always read about Jesus on the days we honour Mary. It is her child and the Incarnation-God becoming flesh/human in the world; our hope, our salvation, our life; God who makes us human. The child is born in Bethlehem – a place of no consequence but will bring forth a shepherd in the strength of God who shall reach the ends of the earth and shall be peace.
All things work together for God. God’s Son is the first born of many brothers and sisters-we are all given birth in Jesus and given to God. Mary was given birth (by her parents like all of us) but it was her child, the Son of the Father, who gave birth to her in the power of the Spirit, giving her back to the Father, as each of us is given over to God. We are all called to give birth to the Word in our flesh and to celebrate our birthdays-born in the world, born into Christ, hidden in God in our baptisms, and born into the Body of Christ, the Church. Happy Birthday to Mary and to us all.
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.
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.
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!