THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

8 September 2024

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the Mother of God. In today's Epistle reading (Proverbs 8: 22-35), we see a reference to the eternal presence of the Son of God, Who was present in the beginning before all things were made, and in the Gospel reading (Saint Matthew 1: 1-16) we see the human genealogy of the Son of God. Jesus Christ is both God and Man. His human nature came to us through the instrumentality of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

From all of eternity, God's desire is to be with us, or rather, for us to be with Him. The Incarnation was foreseen, willed, and decreed from all of eternity. From this profound truth, we see that Mary, the Mother of God, was likewise foreseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity. So, too, is the Church, and even we ourselves. God's eternal love for us is manifested in this magnificent plan for our salvation. The Son of God took up our humanity in the womb of the Immaculate Blessed Virgin Mary, for all of humanity and for each of us individually. This is profoundly humbling when we begin to understand the love God has for us and our ingratitude and unworthiness.

Mary is the chosen vessel of God through which the Son of God came to us. As God is perfect, His mother is as well. Jesus is the perfect God and Man, and Mary, His mother, is the ideal woman. She was conceived without sin by a special privilege, a doctrine known as the Immaculate Conception, and lived here on earth without sin. This is truly fitting and proper for the dignity of God. She is not God but His creation, so it is also genuinely fitting and appropriate for the humility of the Son of God to take our nature upon Himself. In the Blessed Virgin Mary, we find the balance of the dignity of bearing the Divinity within her as well as the humility of being human and not divine.

Our praise of Mary today should strive to be more than mere words or thoughts that appear for a brief moment and are then forgotten. To truly honor Mary, we should strive to imitate her. Imitation is the sincerest form of praise. Her entire life here on earth was lived in the presence of God. This was clearly verified and made manifest by the Angel Gabriel when he greeted her at the Annunciation — Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. We have no doubt that Jesus was with Mary after the Incarnation, but the Angel spoke these words to her before the Incarnation. She was preserved from sin and filled with grace from the very moment of her existence.

At the time of Mary's birth, it is unlikely that anyone knew or understood (perhaps not even her parents, Joachim and Anne) the holiness, dignity, and beauty of the infant Mary. She was undoubtedly beautiful and brought joy to the hearts of all who saw her, just as every baby brought forth into this world does. Her true beauty and dignity — her spiritual beauty and dignity — were most likely hidden from the view of most, if not all, of the world. God manifests this modesty and humility in her from the very beginning, inspiring us to embrace humility in our own lives.

Obviously, Mary's graces and virtues are far beyond our comprehension and even more so beyond our ability to completely imitate. Our dignity and beauty are far beneath hers, yet our pride and vanity still seem to rise within us and destroy the true humility that should be ours. Our humility is weak in comparison to her but should be greater because we are less than her.

We have not been conceived and born without sin, but we have been baptized. That baptismal innocence, the state of being free from sin that we receive at Baptism, should always be our goal. Jesus tells us that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Saint Matthew 18:3). He tells us that we must strive for perfection because God, Our Father in Heaven, is perfect (Saint Matthew 5:48). If we have strayed from our baptismal innocence and promises, now is the time to return to them. But of ourselves, we are incapable; we need the help of the grace of God. Only with God's grace do we do anything, especially the things necessary for our eternal happiness.

Mary, who is always full of grace, is our role model in this. She also becomes our advocate if we devoutly turn to her for her help and intercession. Her intercession provides us with comfort and support in our journey of faith.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!