"When the most holy Virgin was born,
the whole world was made radiant;
blessed is the branch and blessed is the stem
which bore such holy fruit."
Today's Liturgy of the Hours, Antiphon 2
which bore such holy fruit."
Today's Liturgy of the Hours, Antiphon 2
FEAST of the NATIVITY
of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
September 8
"This radiant and manifest coming of God to men
most certainly needed a joyful prelude
to introduce the great gift of salvation to us.
most certainly needed a joyful prelude
to introduce the great gift of salvation to us.
The present festival, the birth of the Mother of God,
is the prelude, while the final act is the foreordained
union of the Word with flesh. Today the Virgin is born,
tended and formed, and prepared for her role as
Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages."
St Andrew of Crete, bishop - Oratio 1: pg 97
Raul Berzosa ~ Holy Mother
“Another woman is now given thee in place of the first, a
prudent and humble Eve instead of the proud and foolish one,
an Eve who shall offer thee, not the tree of death but the
Bread of Life, and who shall yield thee, not the poisoned fruit
of bitterness but the delicious fruit of immortality.
Change thou, therefore, the wicked words of self-excuse
into the voice of praise and thanksgiving, and say to the Lord,
into the voice of praise and thanksgiving, and say to the Lord,
‘The woman whom Thou gavest me, gave me of the
tree of life and I did eat; and it has become in my mouth
sweeter than honey, because in it Thou hast given me life.'
tree of life and I did eat; and it has become in my mouth
sweeter than honey, because in it Thou hast given me life.'
Behold here the purpose for which the Angel was sent from God
to the Virgin. O Virgin, worthy of all admiration, deserving of
all honour! O most wonderful of women and venerable over all.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux
"Death through Eve, life through Mary."
Saint Jerome
_______________________
"The day of the Nativity of the Mother of God is a day of
universal joy, because through the Mother of God, the entire
human race was renewed, and the sorrow of the first mother,
universal joy, because through the Mother of God, the entire
human race was renewed, and the sorrow of the first mother,
Eve, was transformed into joy."- Saint John
"We never give more honour to Jesus than when we
honour His Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to
honour Him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as
a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son. ...
She is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God.
honour His Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to
honour Him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as
a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son. ...
She is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God.
If you say "Mary," she says "God."
- St Louis Marie de Montfort,
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #94
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #94
"Today God welcomes on earth the holy throne which He
had prepared for Himself. He who established the heavens in
wisdom has fashioned a living Heaven." - Byzantine Liturgy
___________________
Click here: Nativity of the BVM - YouTube
(song +images - lovely! - 2 mins)
(Commentary + images - 2 mins)
Mary, mother of the Bread of Life,
pray for us! We love you!
pray for us! We love you!
