Sermon for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Why do we celebrate birthdays?
They seem quite arbitrary,
just another complete circuit
of the Earth around the Sun.
We celebrate anniversaries
like wedding anniversaries
or ordination anniversaries
because we remember them.
We remember the sights
the sounds,
the various little mishaps
and their resolutions.
We remember the joy
and the thrill
of being with our families and friends.
We remember achieving something.
But birthdays aren't like that.
[PAUSE]
Do you remember your birthday?
The actual moment of your birth?
Do you remember the sights
and sounds?
Do you remember
what you achieved that day?
But it wasn't you
putting in all the work.
It was your mother
labouring to give birth to you,
and delivering you
safely into the cold light
of day.
Surely it's not we
who should celebrate our birthday.
Rather it is we who should be
celebrating our mothers
on our birthday.
They should get
the cards,
the presents,
the cake.
Birthdays should be
about the mothers.
So should today
be more in honour
of St Anne
rather than Our Lady?
[PAUSE]
Well, this is the funny thing.
Our Lady's birthday
is a cause of celebration
for us
because of
who she becomes.
She is born Mary;
she leaves this world
Mother of God.
She would not be
the Mother of God
if she had not been born,
and yet, she is the same person
throughout her life.
It is because of Jesus
that she becomes the Mother of God
in the same way that
God the Father
can only be called Father
because of His Son Jesus.
Mary becomes
Mother of God
because of Jesus.
Even when she is born,
even when she is conceived,
Mary is the Mother of God
because of Jesus
regardless of Christmas Day.
From Eternity,
being the Mother of God
is part of Our Lady's identity
written by the very Person
of her Son.
[PAUSE]
Today,
we celebrate what that means for us.
It's something we can rejoice in,
because we have the benefit
of hindsight
seeing the truth
of Our Lord's Incarnation
even in the birth
of His Mother.
Even at her birth,
we still hear the words,
"where she is,
He is."
[PAUSE]
Our Lord says that
whoever does the will of His Father
is His brother and sister and mother.
He opens up
His family to us
to participate in the joy
of family celebrations.
Just as He joys
in the birth of His Mother,
so He invites us to share in that joy
by following Him
being obedient to the Father's will
which seeks
the flourishing of mankind
in love through
His salvation.
We participate in the Holy Family
by being one with the Church
and labouring for its good,
for its spreading of the Gospel
for the giving of grace
for the redemption of souls
to joy.
Is there a heavenly birthday party
for Mary?
Given the love that Jesus has for her,
we can't rule it out.
In fact,
we are invited to it!
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