We celebrate the birthday of Mary because of the central role she plays in the mystery of our faith. We do not know a lot about her, but what we do know is enough to inspire us by her example. As we honor her today on her birthday, let us remember that Mary desires to help us through her intercession to grow closer to Jesus and serve the Gospel more fully.
Micah 5:1-4 (or Romans 8:28-30)
1 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. 2 (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.) 3He 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; 4 he shall be peace.
PS A L M Psalm 13:6, 6
R: With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
5 [6] 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
Mary’s preeminence as a role model of faith is undisputed by the saints of the Church. All of them respect her immensely and seek to imitate her faith and obedience to God. If it is good enough for the saints, then I am sure it will be good enough for us. Let us all seek to imitate the characteristics of Mary’s life that will help us grow in faith and holiness.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 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, 6Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. 8 Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. 12 After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. 18 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. 19Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”
| SABBATH | ||
ROOTS
I have an unfinished project in life: to draw and write my family tree. My father comes from the Santoses of Orani, Bataan. But my grandfather died early during my father’s childhood, so I don’t know a single soul from that side of my father. My mother is an illegitimate child from the Yumping Family of Tipas, Taguig City. More than half of the clan belongs to the Iglesia ni Kristo. But they all come in droves whenever I say Mass for a dead relative in the parish church of Tipas, even occupying the first pews.
The Bible tells of Jesus’ genealogy. It traces His roots as a direct descendant of Abraham and David. Jesus’ incarnation makes His humanity even more meaningful at the realization that He came from the human stock. He has ancestors to speak of. Immanuel, which means “God is with us,” now finds a fitting explanation in the Gospel. Jesus’ humanity is physically and genetically rooted in His ancestors. God chose them to carry out His magnificent plan of salvation. And Mary is one of them.
We celebrate today the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We thank God for giving Mary to us as our mother. She played the crucial role of carrying in her womb the Word made flesh. Through her humble offering of herself and submission to the Father’s will, the grand plan for us was carried out. It was not an easy decision for Mary to give in to the Father’s will that she would be the mother of the Messiah. But she offered everything in faith and trusted God. Never mind if she had to face the people in shame. To Mary, it’s only God and His will that matter.
It is most touching that Mary, in spite of her role in the plan of salvation, regarded herself as a lowly handmaid (in modern parlance: maid, slave). She believed that she was nothing, and had nothing to offer. Yet, in her nothingness, she offered the best gift of all to the Father — the gift of herself, her obedience to His will, her best self. And it was more than enough.
The lowly root produced the most marvelous fruit — Jesus! Happy Birthday, Inay! Fr. Erick Y. Santos, SFO
REFLECTION QUESTION: Who is Mary to you and how important is her birth?
Lord, like Mary, may I be able to give the gift of my best self. May I be obedient to Your will just as she was.
Do you want to receive this in your email? To get Bo Sanchez to send it to you personally, log-on to http://kerygmafamily.com.
Lots of surprises await. |
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment