Gospel: Matthew 1:1-16, 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.”
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Reflection:
Do you remember your mother's birthday? You surely do—because she is your mother, and without her, you would not be here in this world.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity (Birthday) of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus—and our universal mother as well.
Incidentally, today is also the birthday of my mother, Natividad J. Dasmarinas, whose name was lovingly given in honor of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Why do we give so much honor, respect, and reverence to the Blessed Virgin Mary? The answer is very simple: She is the mother of Jesus. Without the Blessed Mother, Jesus would not have been born into the world.
From the beginning, God looked to the Blessed Mother to be the human mother of His Son. There was no other choice for God but the Blessed Virgin Mary—only the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Why? Because the Blessed Mother possesses all the virtues worthy of the honor of being chosen as the Mother of Jesus. She was blessed by God when she conceived the child Jesus through the grace of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35).
What can we learn from the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
We learn that we, too, must strive to live a virtue-filled life, just as she did. Her birth reminds us that holiness begins in the quiet, humble acceptance of God's will.
The Blessed Virgin Mary listened to the voice of God and humbled herself before Him when she said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).
We, too, are invited to listen to God's voice and to humbly submit ourselves to His divine will. — Marino J. Dasmarinas
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