Contents
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Micah
Mi 5:1-4a
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.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23
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.”
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – (Mt 1, 1-16, 18-23)
GOD’S WORD FOR US
Dear People of God,
Today the whole Church celebrates the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. God wants humanity to give thanks to God and to praise Mary, our beloved Mother. It’s thanks to her that God’s work of salvation is accomplished and continues, and through her, humanity has a history of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to earth as a human being.
Today’s Word of God wants to recall Mary’s life journey, our beloved Mother:
-The Blessed Virgin Mary was born into a normal family like everyone else, but she was chosen by God to be the Mother of the Son of God who came to earth as a human, and was made the Mother of all mankind.
-The Blessed Virgin Mary cooperated in God’s saving work in a wonderful and perfect way.
-Mother Mary has been given a noble privilege by God, that is, the privilege of the Immaculate Conception right from the womb.
-Our Beloved Mother was a humble, lowly, poor soul, and always knows how to obey God above all things.
-She always walks and lives in the Grace of God.
-The Blessed Mother Mary always knows how to listen, ponder and practice the Word of God. Thanks to that, she fulfilled the task given to her by God in order to bring the Son of God into the world as a human being and to cooperate in God’s saving work…
-Thanks to the birth of our Beloved Mother Mary , the Son of God was also born into a human being. It’s she who brought Christ to all mankind.
Today, God wants the whole of humanity to praise Her. Thanks our Beloved Mother Mary for allowing each of us to cooperate with God in His salavation work. Let’s thank our Beloved Mother Mary for bringing God to all mankind. Through her obedience to God’s will, she gave birth the Son of God under the action of the Holy Spirit.
Today, God wants to say to humanity:
– Offer to our Beloved Mother Mary the best prayers that She taught the people of Fatima, the Rosary: “Pray the rosary without ceasing”. These are simple and sincere prayers of praise to God and Mary. There is nothing more beautiful and noble than a man who always knows how to love God above all things and obey His will.
-Follow and live the example of Mary’s virtues and obedience that please God in all places and at all times.
In order to obey God, the Beloved Mother Mary also had to endure many sufferings, difficulties and trials in her earthly life. Today, God invites those who are living in grace and walking in God’s ways, to look at the life example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to stay firmly on the path to follow the Lord. Whoever walks on this path must also endure many difficulties and challenges. But don’t worry, don’t be afraid, just trust in God’s providence. God will take care of everything for us as He provided and led Mary and Saint Joseph to overcome all difficulties to go on the road so that God’s salvation on earth. It means bringing God to mankind.
Today, God invites everyone to cooperate with God and our Beloved Mother Mary to bring God’s salvation to mankind. It is to preach the Gospel throughout the world and bring the peace love of God as well as Mother Mary to everyone. When everyone receives the graces from God and the Mother Mary, they must also know to share those graces with others. Like our Beloved Mother Mary who conceived the Savior and brought the Son of God to all mankind, so that humanity may enjoy God’s grace through her and through her intercession.
The Word of God today also invites everyone, especially those in the Army of Light:
– Be united with our Beloved Mother Mary in God’s salvation work here on earth.
– Always pray to the Blessed Mother Mary to come and be with us, accompany us, help us to follow God’s commandments.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
