NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: OUR LADY OF REMEDIES
Happy Birthday, Mama Mary! Today, September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: daughter of St. Anne and St. Joachim; wife of St. Joseph, mother of Jesus. The birth of Mary signifies the start of our salvation. Mary, our mother, gave the children exiled by the first original sin of Eve a chance to get into Heaven and obtain eternal life with our creator and savior. And so it feels right to appreciate her today by recognizing her for the admirable way she lived her life and for being a mother to us all.
Written by: Maria Althea Tirzah Ferrer
Layout by: Francheska Shieniah Mercado
September 8, 2023 | 7:45 A.M.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”
The Blessed Virgin Mary has been special since the very moment she was born. She, unlike the rest of us, was born without original sin. Catholics have long since accepted the fact that since the moment Mary was conceived, she was pure. God has blessed Mary before she was even in the womb and continued to bless her throughout her life. But her sinlessness did not stop where it started. Mary truly did everything she could to abstain from personal sin during her time here on Earth. If everyone's souls had a color based on what they've done while they were alive, Mary's would be pure white, free from the corruption of sin.
“Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus”
It's because God knew that this was how Mary would live her life that He chose her out of all the women in the world. Her purity made her the perfect mother to the holy son of God. But that is not the only reason why she was the perfect person for such a tremendous task. What makes Mary special is her acceptance of the life that God had planned out for her. She willingly opened herself up for the Holy Spirit, and let it form Jesus in her womb knowing full well that her husband and society would prosecute and shame her for it, and that the child she would raise and love would one day suffer a tragic death for the salvation of humanity. It was not an easy task, being the mother of a blessed child who was born to die; she fully knew the tremendous pain that she and her son would have to endure, yet it was a task she bravely accepted.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God”
With that being said, it's not enough to call the Virgin Mary blessed—she is not only blessed—she is holy. When reading about Mary's life, it is hard to believe she is merely a human like us, but she is. Which means that she was still capable of being tempted to sin and yet she persisted, stayed sinless and obedient to God her entire life.
"Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death"
When Mary accepted the role of being the mother of Jesus, she accepted the role of being our mother too. And so, we turn to her in times of need. We ask for her when we need guidance, patience, strength and many other things. We can always count on her to answer our prayers and to pray for us as well, because she remains with us even whilst she reigns in Heaven.
The Blessed Virgin Mary has always been someone worth emulating and praising. She remains the best out of us humans with her strength, faith, and kindness. Is it any wonder why we love and praise her through songs of worship or why we continue to approach her when we are in need of guidance and protection? Because, until life as we know it ends, Mary is our mother.