September 8, 2025
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 636
Reading 1
The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
or
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the
Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."
or
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090825.cfm
Commentary on Micah
5:1-4 or Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 1:1-16,18-23
The Gospel reading is the genealogy of Jesus as given by
Matthew at the beginning of his Gospel. It is largely an artificial composition
divided into three sets of 14 generations—42 altogether. It begins with
Abraham, the Father of God’s people and there follow many names from the
biblical account in the Hebrew Testament.
It is a very mixed group of people, including the very good
and the not good at all. There are also four women in the list, each of them
with a special interest of their own. It represents the very diverse history of
loyalty and infidelity which was the story of God’s people. Jesus, the
incarnate Son of God, is truly identified with our world.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us… (John
1:14)
He dwelt among all of us, the good, the bad and the
indifferent. Mary, too, was born into this world and, like her Son, was without
sin—though unlike him, she was fully part of this world. The ancestry leads
down to Joseph, the “husband of Mary”. But it is of Mary that Jesus the Messiah
is born.
There is a choice of texts for the First Reading. The first
comes from the prophet Micah. He has been speaking against the rulers of Israel
who are paying dearly for their sinful ways. In today’s passage he is speaking
of the restoration of Israel through a Messiah. Just before today’s passage he
speaks against Jerusalem (called Bat-gader, a symbolic name), which
is under siege by the Assyrians. But in today’s passage he contrasts the
powerful ruler of Israel under siege with the tiny city and clan of Bethlehem-Ephrathah:
…who are one of the little clans of Judah…
For, from this tiny, insignificant place:
… shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days..
His origins are from the royal Davidic line.
The Lord will give up these people until the time:
…when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
“She who is in labor has brought forth” (i.e. ‘given birth’)
is a clear reference to Mary, mother of the Messiah. And that Son with the
strength of Yahweh:
…shall stand and feed his flock…he shall be great
to the ends of the earth…
The Gospels will show how all of these predictions are
fulfilled in Jesus. And the birth of the Incarnate Messiah comes through Mary.
It is not surprising, then, that we celebrate the birth of such a person in a
very special way—and that she herself, in preparation for this, should be
blessed with special favours and graces.
The second choice for the First Reading is from Paul’s
Letter to the Romans. He speaks of how all are picked out specially by God:
We know that all things work together for good for those
who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
This is an important statement for us to take on board. We
see it in Mary’s acceptance of the angel’s invitation, even though she did not
fully understand its implication at the time.
Like Mary, all of us have been called to be “conformed to
the image of his Son”, so that he becomes the first among many brothers and
sisters. Mary, too, was of course, even as Mother, totally conformed to the Way
of her Son. The last words also apply in a special way to Mary:
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those
whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also
glorified.
Mary, from the first moment of her existence, was totally
conformed to the will of her Son, and so deserves the special glory which she
merited after her death.
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Monday,
September 8, 2025
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father, you redeem us
and make us your children in
Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you
promised.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 1: 1-16, 18-23
Roll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of
David, son of Abraham: Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob
fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah fathered Perez and Zerah, whose mother
was Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,
Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed
fathered Jesse; and Jesse fathered King David.
David fathered Solomon, whose mother had been
Uriah’s wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah
fathered Asa, Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram
fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered
Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered
Josiah; and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers. Then the deportation to
Babylon took place.
After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah
fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud,
Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok
fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered
Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob; and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary;
of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
This is how Jesus Christ came
to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to
live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her
husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided
to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the
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 she has conceived what is
in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him
Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’
Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had
spoken through the prophet: Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth
to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’.
Reflection
Today, September 8th, Feast of the Nativity
of Our Lady, the Gospel gives us the genealogy or Identity Card of Jesus. By
means of the list of his ancestors, the Evangelist tells the communities who
Jesus is and how God acts in a surprising way in order to fulfil his promise.
On our identity card there is our name and the name of our parents. Some
persons, to say who they are, also recall the names of the grandparents. Others
are embarrassed of their ancestors, of their families, and hide behind
appearances which deceive. The Identity Card of Jesus has many names. On the
list of names there is a great novelty. At that time, the genealogy indicated
only the name of the men. This is why, it surprises that Matthew also mentions
five women among the ancestors of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, la wife of Uriah
and Mary. Why does he choose precisely these five women and not others? This is
the question which the Gospel of Matthew leaves for us.
•
Matthew 1: 1-17: The long list of names – the
beginning and the end of the genealogy. At the beginning and at the end of the
genealogy, Matthew clearly makes us understand which is the identity of Jesus:
He is the Messiah, son of David and son of Abraham. As descendant of David,
Jesus is the response of God to the expectations of the Jewish people (2S 7:
12, and 16). As descendant of Abraham, he is source of blessings and of hope
for all nations of the earth (Gn 12: 13). Therefore, in this way, both the Jews
and the Pagans who formed part of the communities of Syria and of Palestine at
the time of Matthew could see that their hope was fulfilled in Jesus. .
•
Drawing up the list of the ancestors of Jesus,
Matthew adopts a plan of 3 X 14 generations (Mt 1: 17). Number two is the
number of the divinity. Number 14 is two times 7, which is the number of
perfection. At that time, it was something common to interpret or calculate
God’s action by using the numbers and the dates. By means of these symbolical
calculations, Matthew reveals the presence of God throughout the generations
and expresses the conviction of the communities who said that Jesus appeared at
the time established by God. With his coming history reaches its fulfilment.
•
The message of the five women mentioned in the
genealogy. Jesus is the response of God to the expectation both of the Jews and
of the Pagans, but it is in a completely surprising way. In the stories of the
four women of the Old Testament, mentioned in the genealogy, there is something
abnormal. The four of them were foreigners, and they will conceive their sons
outside the normal schema of the behavior of that time and they do not keep the
requirements of the laws of purity of the time of Jesus. Tamar, a Canaanite,
widow, dresses as a prostitute of Jericho to oblige Judah to be faithful to her
and to give her a son (Gn 38: 1-30). Rahab, a prostitute from Jericho, makes an
alliance with the Israelites. She helped them to enter into the Promised Land
and professed the faith in a God who liberates from the Exodus. (Gs 2: 1-21).
Bathsheba, a Hittite, wife of Uriah, was seduced, abused and made pregnant by
King David, who in addition to that, ordered her husband to be killed (2S 11:
1-27). Ruth, a Moabite, a poor widow, chose to remain with Naomi and adhere to
the people of God (Rt 1: 16-18). Advised by her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth
imitates Tamar and spends the night together with Boaz, obliging him to observe
the law and to give her a son. From their relation Obed was born, the
grandfather of King David (Rt 3: 1-15; 4: 13-17). These four women question the
models of behavior imposed by the Patriarchal society. And thus, their
conventional initiative will give continuity to the descendants of Jesus and
will bring salvation to all the people. Through them, God realizes his plan and
sends the promised Messiah. Truly, God’s way of acting surprises and makes one
think! At the end the reader will ask: “And Mary? Is there something irregular
in her? What is it? We get the response from the story of Saint Joseph which
follows in (Mt 1: 18-23).
•
Mathew 1: 18-23: Saint Joseph was just. What was
irregular in Mary is that she became pregnant before living together with
Joseph, her promised spouse, who was a just man. Jesus says: “If your justice
is not greater than the justice of the Pharisees and the Scribes, you will not
enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” If Joseph had been just according to the justice
of the Pharisees, he should have denounced Mary and she would have been stoned.
Jesus would have died. Thanks to the true justice of Joseph, Jesus was able to
be born.
Personal Questions
•
When I present myself to others, what do I say
about myself and about my family?
•
If the Evangelist mentions only these five women
together with over forty men, no doubt, he wants to communicate a message,
which is this message? What does all this tell us about the identity of Jesus?
And what does this say about us?
Concluding Prayer
They shall speak of the glory of
your kingship and tell of your might, making known your mighty deeds to the
children of Adam, the glory and majesty of your kingship. (Ps 145: 10-11)
The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Clearly there is no historical record of the birth of Mary.
The Church does believe, however, that from the very moment of her conception
she was totally free from sin and remained free of sin for her whole life. It
was not acceptable that Jesus, the Son of God, should be conceived in a body
tainted by sin. Her birth is certainly something to celebrate. The Church, too,
has given names to her parents—Joachim and Ann—and we celebrated their feast on
26 July.
Churches both in the East, in Constantinople (now Istanbul),
and in the West, in Rome, have been celebrating Mary’s birth since the 6th and
7th centuries. The liturgy traces its origins to the consecration of a church
in Jerusalem, known as St Ann’s Basilica, in the 6th century. Before that there
had been a 5th century basilica in honour of Mary on a site known as the
‘Shepherd’s Field’ and supposedly the home of Joachim and Ann. It was replaced
by a new basilica in the 6th century which was consecrated to St Ann.
Monks from the East brought the feast to Rome in the 7th
century. From there it spread through the western Church. By the 13th century
it had been raised to a solemnity with a major octave and a vigil which was a
fast day. Pope Sergius I (687-701) instituted a procession from the Roman Forum
to the basilica of St Mary Major for the feast.
Following the liturgical reforms of Pope St Pius X, the
feast had just a simple octave and in 1955, Pope Pius XII abolished the octave
altogether. The liturgy now has the rank of feast.
The date, September 8, was chosen as the octave day of the
former Byzantine New Year. Although the feast was celebrated on various dates
over the centuries, September 8 predominated. The feast celebrating Mary’s
conception without sin, on December 8, was later set to correspond to nine
months preceding Mary’s birth (just as the Annunciation precedes the Birth of Jesus
by nine months).
In the Eastern Church, Mary’s birthday is celebrated as one
of the twelve great liturgies. The title for the liturgy in the East is: The
Birth of Our Exalted Queen, the Birthgiver of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.
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