Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 09-08-12, Feast, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

September 8, 2012

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 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.

or Rom 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 13:6ab, 6c

R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Gospel Mt 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."

or Mt 1:18-23

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."

Man’s Role in God’s Providence

Saturday, September 8, 2012 by Food for Thought

BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

FirstReading: Mi 5:1-4a Or: Rom 8:28-30
Psalm: Ps 13:6ab, 6c
Gospel: Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 Or: Mt 1:18-23

The introduction for today’s celebration in the Roman Missal writes: “The Church, in keeping a solemn feast for the birthday of the BlessedVirgin Mary, celebrates the dawning of the Redemption over the world when, after a long period of waiting, she who was to be the Mother of
our Savior was born. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. Heaven rejoices at her birth. The Lord reserves for her the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice in the certainty that the Mother of God is our Mother too.”

God had already planned in advance our salvation from imminent “death.” Just as Mary had been chosen before her birth to be the Mother of God, God also prepares for the salvation of all people: “I knew you even before you were born.” Today’s feast helps us be aware of that preparation and our response to it. We are not merely recipients of salvation; like Mary, we are also transmitters. The Gospel presents to us the genealogy of Jesus. As we look deeper into the stories of each and every one of Jesus’ human ancestors, which includes Abraham and David, we see how God prepares and delivers his people, preserving the transmittal until his final plan would be realized. With this in mind, we are all encouraged to pursue and live out Christ’s love because that is what God had meant for us to be.

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, September 8, 2012 >>

Birth of Mary

Micah 5:1-4 or
Romans 8:28-30
View Readings

Psalm 13:6

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

BIRTHDAY BREAKTHROUGHS

"The Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne." —Micah 5:2

Sometimes we feel as if the Lord has given us up to our enemies and given up on us. We feel depressed, almost in despair, but the Lord promises to make "all things work together for the good" (Rm 8:28). The time when the tide is about to turn is "when she who is to give birth has borne." Jesus' Incarnation and Mary's motherhood are a sign that God's grace is about to break through even in impossible circumstances. This was the sign promised Ahaz when his kingdom was in a desperate situation. Isaiah prophesied to Ahaz: "The Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and shall name Him Immanuel" (Is 7:14).

How do you know your life will truly be transformed by God? How do you know that I'm not just trying to make you feel better with groundless good wishes? How do you know when the Lord will rescue you? If you deeply celebrate Mary's birthday, you will enter into the mystery of her motherhood and of Jesus' Incarnation. This will be a sign that the Lord will soon change your "mourning into dancing" (Ps 30:12). Consequently, today is a happy birthday not only for Mary, but for all who celebrate with her.

Prayer: Father, through Mary's ministry, enlighten my innermost vision that I may know the great hope to which I have been called (Eph 1:18).

Promise: "The virgin shall be with Child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call Him Emmanuel, a name which means 'God is with us.' " —Mt 1:23

Praise: Praise You, O God, for sending forth your Son, born of Mary, to deliver us to our status as Your adopted sons and daughters.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.