Homily for the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Theme: THE MYSTERY OF EMMANUEL!
By: Ben Agbo (Rev Fr)
Homily for Wednesday September 8 2021
* Mic 5 : 1 – 4, Matt 1 : 1 – 23.
The Church celebrates only the birthday of the mega Saints – John the Baptist and Virgin Mary because they have an intrinsic connection to the history of salvation. The genealogy of Jesus, going by Matthew’s account (with its Jewish perspective) linked Jesus’ ancestral blood origin to Joseph. But the Church knows better that the real biological roots of Jesus was maternal. The emphasis was more on the holy woman, Ruth (before the deportation) and Virgin Mary, whose parents were Joachim and Anne. All generations must call her blessed, Lk 1 : 48 for this divine historical arrangement.
The prophesy of Micah has it that a great ruler in Israel would be born in Bethlehem of Judah. The Prophet Isaiah identified that ‘a Virgin shall conceive’ him but the rest of the Scriptures are silent who gave birth to the mother of Jesus and when. The grand mother and grand father of Jesus, Ss Joachim and Ann were identified by the Church and the apocryphal writings like the Protevangelium of St James and that is why the Church celebrates the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary today. Every celebration about Mary is a celebration about Jesus and the great mystery of his birth – the mystery of ‘Emmanuel’ – God with us. St John says that the real test against heresy will be those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as come in the flesh – those who understand the mysteries behind the flesh that was taken and the flesh that was given. As we celebrate the birthday of our Blessed Mother Mary, we identify with the mystery of God’s coming as man. We join in the generation of people that call his mother blessed.
May God bless you today!