Mother's birthday

Micah 5:1-4; Romans 8:28-30; Psalm 13 With delight I rejoice in the Lord; Mt 1:1-16; 18-23

In the life of the Church we normally celebrate the feast day on a saint on the day they die.  The day of their death is considered the day they are born into heaven. 

It is usually a little premature to celebrate their earthly birth until we see what they did with their life and how they respond and cooperate with grace. 

There are three exceptions. 

We celebrate the birthday of Jesus, December 25th, which is a no brainer. 

We also celebrate the birth of Mary and John the Baptist.

We celebrate the birth of Mary and John the Baptist because of their singular mission in the life of God's plan of salvation for humanity.

John the Baptist is the prophet, the one who prepares the way of the Lord and he is so from birth, "you my child shall be the prophet of the most high."  John is the last prophet, the end of prophecy as the Old Testament and Old Covenant knew it.  He points out the "lamb of God" the bearer of the new covenant.  He helps us recognize the face of God in Jesus.

Mary, from the beginning is destined to be the mother of our savior, the mother of God, thus our mother as well.  She becomes the dwelling of God on earth.  Conceived without original sin, she is prepared from the beginning.  In her we see renewed humanity.  In her we see what we shall be when we let ourselves be conquered by grace. 

As we celebrate this cosmic birthday we see and experience the power of "yes."  God says yes to Mary and Mary returns the favor and says yes to God.  In this exchange of "yes" the world has we know changes, is transformed, humanity is touched by grace in Jesus the son, the fruit of Mary's womb, the fruit of her "yes" to the Father above.  

Through the birth of the blessed Virgin Mary, "the greatness of God reaches to the ends of the earth."

so we rejoice, we celebrate, we admire the beauty of God's plan as it unfolds today in the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "from Bethlehem  shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler n Israel..until the time  when she who is to give birth has borne...He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord."