Word to the Wise
Monday, September 8, 2025 - Sept. 8 - The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
[Micah 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30 and Matt 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23]We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified and those he justified he also glorified. [Romans]
At one point in my life as an ordained Dominican friar, I was asked to become the first Dominican pastor of St. Ann's Church in San Antonio, TX. One of the first things I noted about the church building was the stained glass windows. They weren't particularly colorful but they showed the story of the birth and childhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary!! In addition, out front of the church offices, there was a statue of St. Ann seated with Mary standing beside her as a little girl. It occured to me then and still does that we rarely see any representations of Mary as child or elder. Stained glass, statues, holy cards - all images seem to make her 30-ish in our time, which, in her time, would have made her middle-aged!!! If Jesus was in his early 30's when he died, that would have made Mary elderly by the standards of her day! But I never see any images of her as elderly, or as a little girl/teenager! She was born just like all of us are, so she had to have undergone the usual human developmental processes, no matter that she was particularly chosen by God in the Immaculate Conception.
God's choice is presented in the scripture from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, one of the alternative first readings for today. Mary was "glorified" by her role in the plan of salvation. We "glorify" her by all kinds of titles and devotional activities, many of which are connected with apparitions like those of Lourdes, Fatima and Guadalupe. More commonly, she is celebrated with each recitation of the rosary! A whole theological field, Mariology, is given to understanding her role in the church. Reference is made to the "Marian ministry" of the church. "Tradition" has decided that her birthday should be September 8th. Given all of this, I think it's a good idea not to forget it! AMEN