Every September 8, the Church celebrates a very special holiday: the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and ours.
Let us thank God for giving us such an excellent Mother!
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In a beautiful homily delivered centuries ago in the Basilica of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, Saint John Damascene (675-749) noted: “We have very valid reasons to honor the birth of the Mother of God, through whom the entire human race has been restored and the sadness of the first mother, Eve, has been transformed into joy.”
Then, the saint and doctor of the Church added: “Oh happy couple, Joachim and Anna, all of creation is obliged to you! Through you, in fact, creation offered the Creator the best of all gifts, that is, that august Mother, the only one who was worthy of the Creator.”
Although it is true that we cannot find more information about the birth of Mary in the Gospels, it is through tradition that some important information has reached us. For example, considering that Mary was a descendant of David, it is highly probable that she was born in Bethlehem; although in other Christian traditions, such as the Greek or Armenian, it is suggested that Mary’s birthplace was Nazareth.
The Basilica of Saint Anne
By the 5th century there was already a sanctuary dedicated to the Mother of God in Jerusalem, located next to the “Probatic Pool” (Pool or pool of Bethesda, where Jesus cured a paralytic). This sanctuary, of Byzantine origin, was destroyed and rebuilt on more than one occasion. At the beginning of the 12th century, what is now the Romanesque church of Santa Ana was built on the site, which, according to tradition, is located on the remains of what would have been the house in which the Virgin was born and lived at the time. side of his parents, Saints Joachim and Anne.
This tradition reinforces the version according to which Joachim, father of Mary, owned a flock of sheep that he took to the “probation pool” with the purpose of washing them and making them suitable for sacrifice in the temple. There are certain apocryphal texts such as the Protoevangelium of Santiago (2nd century) that support this story.
Origins of the celebration
There is numerous evidence of the deep love that Christians have professed for Mary since ancient times and of the importance of the feast of the Nativity of Mary.
This festival has been celebrated in the East since the 5th century, while in the West it was introduced later, around the 7th century. In Rome, the festival was celebrated with a procession in which the litanies to the Virgin were recited and which concluded in the Basilica of Santa María Maggiore.
“Today the divine door of virginity begins its route. From Her and through Her, God, who is above all that exists, becomes physically present in the world… Using Her, God descended without experiencing any mutation, or rather, through her benevolent condescension he appeared on Earth. and lived with men” (Saint John Damascene).
Happy birthday, our Mother!
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You can also read this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Fiesta_de_la_Natividad_de_la_SantMost_Virgin_Mary.
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