Honoring Mary's Birth

Note:  Bro. Rene's Daily Bread has been published for 11 years.  Recently a group of friends suggested compiling a volume with the Best of the Bread which can be used for each date of the year, and thus not for any specific year.  I am looking for suggestions for slices that might have appealed to you so much that you have stored them for future reference...If this is the case, would you be willing to share them with me so that I might consider them for this book?  Would be a jump start for this project. Please e-mail your suggestions to rdavroy40@yahoo.com  Thank you... Bro. Rene

Gospel: Mt 1: 18-23

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[ did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Today's Gospel in the long form includes Matthew's genealogy of Jesus (not quoted here) the dilemma Joseph faced over the pregnancy of Mary whom he intended to Mary, but nothing about the birth of Mary, the event we celebrate today. Stories developed years after she died about her birth and her early childhood, but none can be proven as historically accurate.  Yet we know from the Gospel, such as that quoted above, that she did indeed exist, and thus had to have been born. Mary has become so dear to so many Christians, Catholics in particular, that it is fitting to honor her birth as an indispensable figure in "the economy of salvation."  Marists lovingly refer to her as "Mary our Good Mother," thus extending her motherhood beyond Jesus to us. So, with Marists worldwide we honor and celebrate her birth as we would our own earthly mother's.  Happy Birthday, Mary!

Bro Rene