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God’s Great Gift to Us in Mary

Dear brothers and sisters,

A very Happy Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Today the Church celebrates with joy the birth of Mary. It is believed, according to an ancient tradition, that Mary was born of her parents, Joachim and Anne, in their advanced age. The homilies of both Saint Andrew of Crete and Saint John of Damascus, from the seventh and eighth centuries, mention this, and it has been a tradition in the Church.

The Church believes that Mary was conceived without original sin and, most importantly, born and lived without sin — a work of grace. God predestined this and made it happen, as Saint Paul says in the Letter to the Romans, as we heard today: those whom He foreknew, He called; those that He called, He justified; and those He justified, He has brought into glory.

What this means for us is that God has a wonderful plan for each one of us too. God does not give His special grace to Mary just for Mary. No! It is for each one of us. All the graces that God gave to Mary are for each one of us, Her children. All the grace that God gives Jesus too is for each one of us, His brothers and sisters. “From His fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace.” But this is grace, and that means it is purely God’s gift, and not something we can achieve.

Today, as we celebrate the birthday of Mary, it is a time for us to rejoice in God’s great gift to us in Mary; and through Her was born Jesus, the greatest gift, again given to each one of us in great love. In this Eucharist, let us receive Him with thanksgiving! Let us open every aspect of our lives to His power and grace, and ask Him to transform us, so that it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in each one of us.

Let us bring before Him all our needs, our worries, our weaknesses — His grace supplies in every need. Saint Peter reminds us, “unload all your burdens on to Him; He is concerned about you” (1 Peter 5:7), and Saint Paul tells us, “never worry about anything, but tell God all your requests, and He will supply all that we need” (Philippians 4:6–7, 19).

These reflections were shared during the homily on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on 8 September 2026.

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