The Nativity of Mary: The mystery celebrated is her birth.

Could we speak of the Nativity of Mary if there were no ecclesial tradition?

In reality, it is not a biblical fact, but a historical one: if Jesus is truly human, he must have a true mother from a true story located in space and time that derives from a previous history, which is the Nativity of Mary.

This simple reasoning is at the same time a challenge to the typical phrase “where is it in the Bible“, perhaps because the sense of God’s Word and salvation history is still a mirage where various characters exist, suspended in the clouds of religious thought, without faces, stories, deaths, or hopes.

Given the context of our topic, let us move to Jerusalem, the city of God for the Hebrews, where we see typological memories (anamnesis) of the old Covenant in the Temple and where we find mimetic signification (signifying) of the new Covenant with the birth of the new Ark of the eternal Alliance between God and humanity. In this holy city, the tipologies structure the language of feasts and sanctuaries. It would be impossible to think that the goal of pilgrimages to the Holy Places wouldn’t be voluntarily repeated in its liturgy in other parts of Western and Eastern Christianity.

Regarding the history of the Nativity of Mary, we find early indications in the 5th century, and it was subsequently introduced in Constantinople in 555 with the memory of a hymn to Nativity composed by Roman the Melodist (d. 560). In the Latin Church, we have to wait for Pope Theodore (642-649) to see this feast enter our liturgical calendar.

For the ancient Church, a liturgical feast was a memorial. Thus, the Nativity is the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament and the preparations for the old Covenant. If we look at the development of liturgy, everything stems from Christ’s Passover and leads to it: all the events that led us to Passover are celebrated along this liturgical journey. In this sense, the Mother, the Apostles, and the Church in Jerusalem become part of the cosmic liturgy celebrating salvation for all people who collaborated in Jesus’ work.

As a community originating largely from Judaism, the tradition of Old Testament figures, oracles became a presence within the mystery of salvation celebrated. While a community that owes its origins primarily to Judaism, the tradition of Old Testament figures, oracles became part of the liturgical celebration.

In order for Jesus to be truly the one of whom the oracles announced the coming, it was necessary that throughout his life it should be demonstrated that the Scriptures were fulfilled, and this is within the context in which the Nativity of Mary must be read. Jesus is the son of David because he is the legal son of Joseph, without us knowing if Mary was a descendant of David or of priestly lineage.

However, a revealing fact remains to this day: blessings were transmitted strictly through male blood, but in Jesus’ genealogy four women appear.

In reality, in the first centuries Christians only saw Mary from a religious and spiritual perspective, while today the narrative and anthropology of Mary tend to be polarized. Considering this, we must specify that all the women in the genealogy help us understand that in the Kingdom of the Messiah, Jesus, women have a privileged place in the encounter between the divine and human, as happened with Mary, who was anticipated in her motherhood by those who alongside the Patriarchs and Kings ensured the male heir who continued the lineage.

The event of Mary’s birth was not recorded in the written tradition of the Word, but it could not have failed to happen, as her ancestry is that patriarchal one and the kingship of Israel, where female figures from the Old Covenant prepared for the birth of the dawn of the new age.

Let us reflect for a moment on the liturgy of the Nativity. We begin with the first reading from Prophet Micah (Miq 5,1-4a) announcing that a ruler of Israel will be born in Bethlehem from a mother who gives birth to him who will be peace.

Another option for the liturgy is to use the Letter to Romans (Rom 8,28-30), where it describes how divine filiation justifies man before God so that he may be glorified, as everything happens within God’s plan.

Finally, the Gospel is that of Matthew (Mt 1,1-16.18-23), which presents Joseph’s vocation to receive this most special pregnancy, where the Mother conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit the promised Emmanuel, as everything was to be fulfilled from the oracle of Isaiah 7,14:

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be Emmanuel, which means, God with us.”

In the Collect Prayer of this feast we read:

“Grant, O Lord, to your servants the grace of heaven, and by the celebration of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, whose divine motherhood was the source of our salvation, increase in us peace.”

In the Prayer over the Offerings, we have two options that complement each other:

> **”Come, Lord, at our aid, your Son made man: He who, when born of the Virgin Mary, did not lessen, but rather consecrated the integrity of His Mother; purify us from our sins and make acceptable to You our offering.”** — or **”As we joyfully celebrate the Nativity of the holy Virgin Mary, we bring to the altar our gifts, and humbly pray: come to our aid, the humanity of Your Son who deigned to be born of the same Virgin.”**> In the Post-Communion Prayer, it is affirmed: **”Let your Church exult, Lord, as she is nourished by these holy mysteries on the feast of the Nativity of the holy Virgin Mary, who was hope and dawn of salvation for the whole world.”**> All this could not happen without the birth of the Virgin. Looking at archaeology, we see that alongside the Pool of Bethesda, we found the house of Mary as the physical origin of the feast, which became a place of worship in the first half of the 5th century. Knowing that the Spirit of God is creative, we must also connect the **Nativity** to a new way of celebrating: the three great births. December 25: Jesus. June 24: John the Baptist. And nine months after the **Immaculate Conception**, on September 8: Mary. > > The placement of this feast within our liturgical calendar should keep in mind that, opposite to the feast of **Assumption** (Dormition) celebrated on August 15, dedicated to the Basilica, there should also be a dedication for the Basilica of the Nativity. Moreover, we remember that the Byzantine liturgical year begins on September 1st, so the birth of Mary at the dawn of redemption holds great value. The Pascha of the **Theotokos** (Assumption) on August 15 practically concludes the liturgical year, reopening with the natal and revelatory cycle focused on the proximity to the mystery of the Incarnation, read in light of Easter, for there is no Messiah without the Pascal Mystery that completes His coming within Mary’s womb.** > > **Mariological Memory** > > Here we present one of the sermons of **Saint Andrew of Crete**, bishop who died in the 8th century (Sermon 1: PG 97, 806-810), where he presents the renewal of all things through the **Nativity of Mary**.

«Christ is the end of the law. He leads us from the bondage of the law to the freedom of the Spirit. In Him, the perfection of the law is found, because, being the supreme legislator, He fully accomplished His mission, transforming the letter of the law into spirit and recapitulating all things in Himself. The law was vivified by grace and put at its service, forming a harmonious and perfect composition with it. Each retained its own distinct characteristics, without alteration or confusion. But what was burdensome and servile in the law became, through divine transformation, a source of gentleness and freedom. And thus, as the Apostle says, we are no longer slaves to the elements of this world, nor burdened by the yoke of the letter of the law.»

The mystery of God becoming man and the subsequent divinization of humanity assumed by the Word represent the perfect compendium of Christ’s benefits for us and the annihilation of every vain presumption of human nature. But it was fitting that the glorious and surprising coming of God to mankind should be preceded by a special joy that would prepare us for the great and admirable gift of salvation. This is the meaning of the feast we celebrate today, because the birth of the Mother of God is the beginning of these promised goods, which will reach their culmination and completion in the predestined union of the Word with flesh. Today, the Virgin Mary is born. She will be nursed and grow up, thus preparing to become the Mother of God, King of all centuries.

From this birth, we receive a double benefit: on one hand, it raises us to the knowledge of truth; and on the other, it liberates us from a life enslaved by the letter of the law. How and under what conditions? Light dispels darkness, and grace sets us free from the bondage of the law. This is a feast that marks the boundary between the Old and New Testaments: truth replaces symbols and figures, and the new covenant replaces the old one.

Let all creatures sing and rejoice, and let them participate worthily in this day’s celebration. Heaven and earth, everything in the world and above it, should unite in this festive celebration. For today is the day on which the Creator of the universe built His temple. Today is the day when creation prepares a new and worthy dwelling place for its Creator.

To deepen reflection on the Nativity of Mary and her place in the liturgical calendar, consult Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, which frames Marian feasts within the liturgical year of the Church.

Further your studies: explore Mariology, Theology Mariana, Marian Apparitions, and the Master’s in Mariology.

Learn how to pray the Rosary in our guide: How to Pray the Rosary, step by step.