Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Murillo
Even though it has been overrun in the past few decades with rampant commercialism and a thick layer of kitsch the world still seems to recognize that there is something special about the Nativity of Our Lord. Today’s feast of the Nativity of his Mother is a subtle reminder that even miracles take place in a context, at a specific time and at a particular point in history. Before Jesus could be born He had to be conceived. Before He could be conceived His Mother had to give her consent. Before she could give her consent she, too, had to be born.
Perhaps in the midst of all that’s whirling around us these days, in the tumult of what we’re told are simply unprecedented times, this Feast can remind us that God not only has a plan but His plan has been in the works from the beginning of time. Today is a very good day to pray for the grace to trust in God’s plan and when we hear His invitation to us to follow down a path we know not, to utter with Mary, “fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum” – “be it done unto me according to your word“.
